When is war justified? Lesson:3
Bitter Rivals?
German and
French
Flags
In baseball the Yankees and the Red Sox are the bitterest of rivals (of course it’s not much of a rivalry
when the Yankees win all the time, but the Red Sox keep on trying and for that we must give them
credit.). For many centuries the people who make up the modern nations of France and Germany have
had a similar rivalry.
 During Roman times Germanic and Frankish tribes fought for control of Northern and Western
Europe as the Roman Empire crumbled.
 During the Middle Ages Frankish and Germanic lords fought for control of land and manors.
 During the Crusades Germanic and Frankish Knights fought for land and glory in the Holy land.
 During the reign of Napoleon France took control of the German states making them part of the
French Empire.
 German soldiers from Prussia eventually helped to end Napoleon’s empire.
In 1871 Otto Von Bismarck's Germany defeated France and took control of the rich border provinces
Alsace and Lorraine.
If the Red Sox go out and trade for a great pitcher, the Yankees will most likely go out and get two great
pitchers forcing the Red Sox to…
In 1871 Germany defeated France in the Franco-Prussian War. France was embarrassed that it’s army
was defeated so easily and that France was forced to give up the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine. If you
were the French government, what would you do next?
Rival: One who attempts to equal or surpass another, or who pursues the same object as another; a competitor.
Revenge: to exact punishment for a wrong
After losing Alsace and Lorraine in a humbling war to a rival, what is France’s most logical course of action?
Why don’t you give a boy a bike for Christmas?
At the 1884 Berlin conference the nations of Europe gathered to “peacefully” divide Africa (I say “peacefully” because while
the European powers avoided war with each other, thousands of Africans died resisting the colonizing powers.). 1884 was not
the only time European nations considered putting armies in the field between the Franco-Prussian War and the eventual outbreak of World War I.
1898 The Spanish-American War: American imperialists involve the United States in a nationalist rebellion by Cubans
against Cuba’s mother country Spain. As a result of the war America gains several Spanish colonies around the world.
1899 The Boer War: Diamonds are discovered in South Africa (A British Colony) on land owned by decedents of Dutch settlers known as “Boers”. British imperialists launch a war against the Boers for control of the diamond mines. The war lasts
several years and becomes quite bloody as the Boers resort to guerrilla attacks and the British respond by punish all the Boers.
1900 The Boxer Rebellion: Chinese Nationalists known as “Boxers” attack foreign imperialists all across China with the support of the Chinese Empress. The embassies of the European powers, Japan and the United States are surrounded and assaulted for 55 days. The nations of Europe respond by dispatching an international rescue column that fights its way across
China to rescue the residents of the embassies and other foreign residents living and working in China.
1906 The Russo-Japanese War: Nationalist imperialists in Japan and Russia have the ultimate competition over Northern
China, going to war over part of China.
Questions:
What does this chart show?
Why were the “Great Powers” participating in this activity?
How does this chart help to explain the outbreak of World Wear I?
Militarism:
Tension continued to grow
in Europe throughout the
latter half of the nineteenth
century as the powers of
Europe competed for a
dominant position in the
world.
Family Rivals:
European nations were ruled by Kings and Queens. Because of the laws of
royalty (a King can only marry another person of royal blood) the rulers of
Europe’s “Great Houses” were all related. For example Germany’s Kaiser
Wilhelm was the uncle of Russia’s Czar Nicholas and the Cousin of England’s King Edward. Do all the members of your family get along or are
some people jealous of other members of the family?
Q:
Why do
nations
fight?
A: Boys
and Toys!