1. What do you think Bulow means when he says Germany will either be a hammer or an
anvil? Which do you think Germany would rather be? Why?
- When Bulow says “Germany will either be a hammer or an anvil” this means that Germany will either cause other countries to become (as a hammer) or this will mean that Germany will become an anvil, that is hit by the other countries. I think that Germany would rather be the hammer that hits the other countries making them the anvils; therefore they are the powerful ones and are making other countries less powerful.
2.Why can Germany no longer “stand inactive?” What are some of the factors/motives
for Imperialism that Bulow references?
- Germany can no longer “stand inactive” because all of these other countries are becoming very powerful by expanding their territory or making plans for claiming a country (like Russia wanting to claim China). Some factors/motives for Imperialism that Bulow referenced would be that the strong states are getting stronger and stronger and the weaker states are getting weaker and weaker. Also that Britain is expanding their territory and the general struggle to be more powerful.
3.How do you think Imperialism contributed to the start of the First World War?
- I think that countries wanted more land because they wanted to become the most powerful group and so countries started fighting to get the land. All of these countries fighting led to a war. I think that also some countries didn’t want to get “stepped on” by the other countries power so they stepped it up a notch and strived to be even more controlling and powerful.
Document 2
1. What is a dreadnought? What do you notice about British/German production of dreadnoughts between 1906 and 1914?
- A dreadnought was a new, “superior” type of battleship Britain created which had large caliber guns. As time went on, Britain and Germany produced more and more dreadnoughts for the war. I am assuming that the battleship was helping in battle.
2. Why might Germany want control of the seas? Think back to Document 1. Why might Britain want control of the seas? Think about where Britain is located geographically.
- Germany might want control of the seas because they want a bigger empire and controlling the seas would help them achieve that. Britain might want control of the seas because it would be very helpful to get around their empire (which is located near the seas) and it would also help them take over even more land.
3. How do you think the naval arms race contributed to the start of WWI?
- With all of the countries wanting to take control of the seas in addition to the increase in production of dreadnoughts, the start of WWI would have been predictable at the time. There was tension between the countries over the control of the seas, and the dreadnoughts were a “solution” to the conflict.
Document 3:
1. How does General Treitschke view war? Is it a good or a bad thing? Explain.
- General Treitschke believes war is good. He thinks that war “is the father of all things”. To him, war is essential for a country. Without it, the people are weak and have no love for their country.
2. How does Frederic Passy view the rise of militarism in Europe? What is he worried
about? Explain.
- He views it as just one big massacre. He views war as a bad thing that messes with people’s mind. He fears that one day it will “blow all Europe sky-high”.
3. How do you think militaristic views on war contributed to the start of World War I?
- Some countries were really eager to fight and thought that a war was going to help their problems. They were all waiting for something to spark and war, and when it did, the countries were ready to fight.
Document 4:
1. How many different ethnic groups can you count using the map of the Austrian Empire? Remember, each color is a different one!
- There are 10 different ethnic groups.
2. What does Milan Vasitch and the Black Hand organization desire? What are they willing to give up to achieve it? Who is standing in their way?
- They want Serbia to break away from the Austrian Empire and become a nation-state. Vastich says he is willing to, at all times, “be prepared to make any sacrifice for it”. To them, its “unification or death!”
3. How do you think nationalism contributed to the start of World War I?
- People in Europe started to get of strong sense of nationalism. This made them want to break way from the empires or other places they were apart of to become their own. So the idea of suseeding could have definitely upset leaders and countries which could have contributed to the start of the war.
Document 5:
1. What countries make up the Triple Alliance? What countries make up the Triple Entente?
- The Triple Alliance consists of Italy, Austria-Hungary and Germany. The Triple Entente consists of Russia, France and Britain.
2. According to this treaty, what are the “Contracting Parties” required to do if one allied nation becomes engaged in a war with one or more “Great Powers”?
- The “Contracting Parties” would have to help and assist with all of their forces.
3. How do you think alliances contributed to the start of World War I?
- Alliances contributed to the start of World War I because if a country had another country to “lean on”, they would be more willing to use their alliance to defeat another country/group. Also, if someone betrayed a country, the country would be more willing to start a war.