Empires and Economics

Question 1

Why was France and Great Britain disturbed by Germany at the beginning of the 20th century?

Answer 1

Germany showed a great desire to acquire colonies and build a powerful empire; all of which France and Britain already had in great quantities.

Question 2

Why were colonies important?

Answer 2

• provided raw materials
• used for trade in Europe
• showed economic power

Question 3

What did colonial rivalry lead to?

Answer 3

• strained relations among the European powers
• indirect formation and strengthening of alliances and ententes
• intensification of the arms race
• hostility and eventually WWI

Question 4

What caused imperial rivalry?

Answer 4

European powers being involved in trying to acquire or support colonies.

Question 5

Where did the European powers wanted to expand to?

Answer 5

Russia and Austria-Hungary: mainland Europe i.e.
Balkans.
GB, France and Germany: countries outside of Europe.

Question 6

What is nationalism?

Answer 6

closely linked to imperialism; loyalty to the same set of values and beliefs that unites the people of a country.

Question 7

GB was the most powerful country in Europe in 1905 due to their vast overseas empire. What countries were part of the British empire?

Answer 7

India
South Africa - the Boer War (1899 - 1902 supported by
Germany) declined GB’s profits by 1914.
Egypt - the “Jewel in the Crown” Empire; provided safe +
quick routes through the Suez Canal to India.
Sudan
Canada
Australia

fact: the British Empire covered a quarter of the world’s land surface area as well as its population.

Question 8

France had the second largest empire in the world. Where were its colonies located?

Answer 8

West Africa where they exercised control with no opposition:
Morocco
Tunisia
Chad

Indo-China (Vietnam) where rebels frequently fought for independence, bringing more strain to the French economy after having lost Alsace-Lorraine

Question 9

Who had France rivaled with by the time of WWI?

Answer 9

Italy - over Tunis
Germany - over Morocco
Britain - over Sudan

Question 10

What does the German term “Weltpolitik” mean?

Answer 10

the aim to turn Germany into a world power by gaining overseas colonies, developing a large and powerful navy and negotiating in a forceful way in international affairs.

Question 11

What did Bernhard von Bulow mean when he told the Reichstag that Germany deserved “a place in the sun”?

Answer 11

“a place in the sun” refers to the policy of Weltpolitik.

Question 12

What were Germany’s main colonies by 1914?

Answer 12

Cameroon
Shang dong China
German East Africa

Question 13

Where is Russia located and where does it want to expand to?

Answer 13

located: stretched from the Baltic Sea in the west to the
Bering Strait in the east.

expand: into the Balkans and south-east into Manchuria
for Russian ships to have ice-free ports and
access the to Mediterranean Sea + Atlantic
Ocean.

Question 14

What was the effect of the Russo-Japanese war of 1905?

Answer 14

Russia clashed with Manchuria in 1904-5 and lost; as a result she sought peace with Britain over the Anglo-Russian agreements of 1907.

Question 15

Which country was a union of two separate countries ruled by Franz-Joseph and contained 11 different nationalities?

Answer 15

Austria-Hungary

fact: the government was struggling to hold the empire together as tensions + conflicts were rising in the Balkans.

Question 16

Which countries were a part of the Balkans?

Answer 16

Bosnia and Herzegovina
Serbia
Bulgaria
Albania
Greece
Turkey: 'sick man' of Europe
Kosova
Macedonia
Montenegro

Question 17

What forms a wealthy economy?

Answer 17

• the ability to trade goods
• the ability to acquire raw materials
• the ability to establish efficient industries and markets

Question 18

What was the first country in the world to industrialise?

Answer 18

Great Britain: produced goods that flooded the markets
of Europe and the British Empire.

fact: the British economy became the richest in Europe in the 19th century due to its empires.

Question 19

Which country beat Britain’s economy by 1914?

Answer 19

Germany.

who was producing more iron, steel, coal and cars; becoming the strongest economic power in the world.

Question 20

Which country began exploring mining opportunities in Morocco after losing one of its main industrial areas.

Answer 20

France.

competing with Germany.

Question 21

Germany and Austria-Hungary has well established commercial markets in the Balkans. What happened in 1888?

Answer 21

Russia had begun to build a railway in the area, acting as a threat to both the economies.