Influences of the Past
“To many people, the Great War—as it was known at the time—seemed to come out of the blue, as the European continent was enjoying a long stretch of unparalleled peace and prosperity. In fact, the seeds of the devastating conflict had been planted long before Princip fired those fatal bullets.”
~ The History Channel
~ The History Channel
The Cemetery of St. Privat, by Alphonse de Neuville (The Franco-Prussian War)
Events in the decades before 1914 had a colossal effect on the European political climate and continued to influence international affairs through 1914 and beyond. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870, and
the resulting annexation of the French territory of Alsace-Lorraine by a
victorious Prussia, engendered the
Franco-German enmity that played such a pivotal role in 1914. The
Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05 established Russia's reputation for military weakness and sparked its determination to overcome that reputation. In
1912-13, the Balkan Wars aggravated regional discord, fostering
bitterness and increasing international tensions. The combined influence of past events set the stage for the overwhelming events of 1914.