The Murder of Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of a Major European War

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The Murder of Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of a Major European War It's the early 19th century and problems are erupting all over Europe. France has just finished a war with Prussia in which it was defeated and tempers are running high. Germany has taken a piece of Eastern France named Alsace Lorraine and France wants revenge. France has been very humiliated and is now building up its alliances. The first of these was the Dual entente; an agreement between France and Russia signed in 1894. Next the French built an alliance with Britian, this was named the entente cordiale, and Together France and its allies formed the Triple Entente. France was secure, in the event of another war it would be backed up by its allies. By this time Germany was seen as a huge threat throughout Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm II has come to the throne of Germany. Germany has only just become a united country and Kaiser Wilhelm II believes that he has a lot to prove. Kaiser Willhelm II had been slightly disabled since birth and his main ambition is to make himself and Germany look all-powerful. During the years of 1880- 1914 Germany started to build up its armed forces and Navy. Britian was starting to feel very threatened, even more so when Germany started trying to occupying colonies in Africa and Asia. Lots of these colonies were neighbouring British colonies. Kaiser Willhelm II was hugely Jealous of all Britains Colonies and once famously said "Germany must have its place in the sun" and "the world belongs to the strong". This began a huge amount of Colonial rivalry. France and Britian had agreed that Britian would be free to control Egypt if Britian helped France to control Morocco. Kaiser Willhelm II tried to split up the Entente cordiale by famously making his 'Tangier' Speech. Germany tried to split up France and Britian and invade Morocco. This didn't work and Germany was humiliated, Germany wanted revenge because of this. Like France, Russia had been humiliated by being defeated in war.

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