29.1- Marching Toward War
A Shot Rings Throughout Europe
crush any Serbian effort to undermine its authority in the Balkans.Into this poisoned atmosphere of mutual dislike and mistrust stepped the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his wife, Sophie. On June 28, 1914, the couple paid a state visit to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. It would be their last.
Crisis in the Balkans
A dispute between two rival powers could draw all the nations of Europe into war. Nowhere was that dispute more likely to occur than on the Balkan Peninsula. This mountainous peninsula in the southeastern corner of Europe was home to an assortment of ethnic groups.
Imperialism and Militarism
Another force that helped set the stage for war in Europe was imperialism. As Chapter 27 explained, the nations of Europe competed fiercely for colonies in Africa and Asia.
SETTING THE STAGE
At the turn of the 20th century, the nations of Europe had been largely at peace with one another for nearly 30 years. This was no accident. Efforts to outlaw war and achieve a permanent peace had been gaining momentum in Europe since the middle of the 19th century.
Shifting Alliances Threaten Peace
In 1890, Germany's foreign policy changed dramatically. That year, Kaiser Wilhelm II—who two years earlier had become ruler of Germany—forced Bismarck to resign. A proud and stubborn man, Wilhelm II did not wish to share power with anyone.
The Rise of Nationalism
One such development was the growth of nationalism, or a deep devotion to one's nation. Nationalism can serve as a unifying force within a country.
Bismarck Forges Early Pacts
This alliance system had been designed to keep peace in Europe. But it would instead help push thecontinent into war. Between 1864 and 1871, Prussia's blood-and-iron chancellor, Otto von Bismarck, freely used war to unify Germany. After 1871, however, Bismarck declared Germany to be a "satisfied power."
Rising Tensions in Europe
While peace and harmony characterized much of Europe at the beginning of the 1900s, there were less visible—and darker—forces at work as well. Below the surface of peace and goodwill, Europe witnessed several gradual developments that would ultimately help propel the continent into war.
A Restless Region
With a long history of nationalist uprisings and ethnic clashes, the Balkans was known as the "powder keg" of Europe. By the early 1900s, the Ottoman Empire, which included the Balkan region, was in rapid decline. While some Balkan groups struggled to free themselves from them
Tangled Alliances
some unpreventable accident, for the spark to fall in a flash . . . and blow all Europe sky-high. Growing rivalries and mutual mistrust had led to the creation of several military alliances among the Great Powers as early as the 1870s.
