Allied and Central Powers :: essays research papers

Allied PowersFance has not forgotton its humiliating whip at the hands of Germany in 1871. France was waiting for the chance to reestablish its major power on the continent. France was willing to ally itself with another longtime enemy, Britain, to strenghten its hand against Germany. vast Britain had traditionally followed a policy of neutrality, which served it well. Yet some Britains were now trading for a new alliances, to counter the rising power of the German Empire. Britain depended on industrial specialty for survival. Germany was a threat to that strength, as well as to Britains naval power.Russia had been defeated by the Japanese in 1905 and was troubled by unrest within borders. Russia felt a need to prove its strength to the other demesnes of Europe. It also desired to extend its influence and protection everyplace Slavs in Balkan countries.Central PowersThe German Empire had been created in 1871. Included in its territory were the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine, taken from France. Now Germany was the leading power on the Continent. alone Germany was not secure. Directly to the west was France, waiting for the chance to reclaim Alsace-Lorraine. To the eastbound was Russia, recently allied with France. And on the seas the rapidly growing German naval forces competed with the more powerful British navy.The Austro-Hungarian, Empire was not a nation of one people, but an imperium of many nationalitites. The peoples that made up the empire were mainly Austrians, Hungarians, and Slavs. But the Austrians and Hungarians ruled the empire. Many SLavs who lived in the provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina wanted to be part of the new nation of Serbia. Furthermore, Rumania and Italy had designs on territory within the empire. Russian ambitions in the Balkans brought them into conflict with the Austro-Hungarians.