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Introduces the World War I setup by covering German unification under Bismarck and the major powers of Europe. It explains how Germany, Britain, France, Russia, and the declining Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires fit into the balance of power.
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Anyways, in 1864, Ottoon Bismar beat Denmark, then kicked Austria's butt in 1866 to show them who boss.The Habsburgs of Austria were so weakened by the defeat that they were forced to compromise with Hungarian elites and form the dual monarchy of AustriaHungary.He then baited the French into declaring war, unified the German state and quickly beat them too, even taking Osad Lorraine.He then humiliated the French by making Wilhham the first Kaiser of a unified Germany in the hall of mirrors of the palace of Versailles.Germany was now the second most populous country in Europe behind only Russia.Its army was regarded as the best trained and it was rapidly becoming the undisputed economic and industrial powerhouse of Europe.Germany now officially had a seed at the big boy table.Sitting there was also Britain, which was the world's leading economy and had enjoyed the privilege of having the world's most powerful navy for centuries.
Being an island allowed them to keep a distance from many of Europe's affairs, but they now had so many colonies that they struggled to maintain them.Then there was France.For a long time, it was France and Britain who were the leading European powers.But now France was weakened by the recent war with Germany and was bitter.How bitter you ask?Well, textbooks in French schools refer to the treaty that ended the war as a truce, not a peace.Prussian was basically a slur, and each year the graduating class of the army's cavalry school visited the border to see the slope they would charge down when the war finally broke out.The French did calm down eventually, knowing they couldn't afford another war, but kept the motto neither war nor renunciation.Russia was desperately trying to catch up with industrialization and was facing huge internal pressure as its people were being all woke and trying to not be slaves or some DI thing like that.
Political assassinations were rampant and the brutal Zar often cracked down and killed anyone he saw as opposition.The Ottoman and Austrohungarian empires were the two sick old dudes at the table.Once mighty empires, they were crumbling and desperate to avert their impending doom.In 1890, Germany decided to make nationalist pride a key part of education and its military soon commanded absolute respect inside Germany.How much respect, you ask?Well, in 1906, an ex-convict managed to steal a captain's military uniform and then ordered some random soldiers to follow him in the name of the Kaiser.They arrested the burmeister and treasurer of the small town of Kapanik just outside Berlin.The ex-convict stole the town's money and ran away, leaving the soldiers to occupy the town hall.The mayor did not complain and sent a telegram to the military authorities to ask what to say to his citizens and know when the town hall would be available again.
Explains how industrialization created giant corporations, banking power, and economic overproduction. This leads into imperialism and the brutal exploitation of India under British rule.
Anyways, Germany was not happy to just sit at the table.It wanted more.Everyone else had a bunch of colonies that were making them filthy rich and powerful.And Germany deserved some, too.Wait, there's a question in the back.Why did everyone have so many colonies?Great question, Mr.Viewer.No, ladies and only gentlemen, let me introduce to you the steam engine.Unlimited power to automate your industries.What do you think?Are you guys thinking the same thing I am?I think so.Okay.Okay.At the count of three, let's all say what we're thinking.Okay.1 2 3.
What?Uh, I said what I said.Child labor rules.Wait, no, no, no, no.It It was a joke.Please stop that.Stop doing that.The children don't actually yearn for the mines.European economies were long comprised of mostly small and middle enterprises competing against each other in a relatively free market.But the new technological developments from the industrial revolution made commodity production much more efficient and productive.And it also made it more sophisticated and expensive, creating a higher barrier of entry.Larger enterprises developed economies of scale, giving them enormous advantages over smaller ones who became unable to compete and were either absorbed or simply went bankrupt.To optimize production, enterprises strived for vertical integration.In the United States, Carnegie Steel controlled every step of steel manufacturing from mining to distribution.They owned mines, railways, and factories and eliminated the need for any external intermediaries.
It often used its massive size to lower prices below profitable margins to bankrupt its smaller competitors and then spot them for cheap.Carnegie steel eventually controlled 25% of American steel production.Similar things occurred in the US with the General Electric and Standard Oil.Industrial operations were now so massive and complex that they required enormous loans to build or expand.So banks became increasingly important.And soon they even began to combine with industries.In Germany, Deutsche Bank and Dresna Bank both owned a large portion of the coal and steel industries.While in the US, JP Morgan ended up buying Carnegie steel and several competitors to form US steel, which controlled about 2/3 of the country's steel production.Industries were now incredibly efficient.Too efficient.They were now producing more than what people could consume, creating a surplus that brought prices down.Wait, but that's good.Well, yes, if you're a dirty poor worker.
But for sharkminded, freedomloving, child labor enjoying coarons, this was terrible news.As lower prices meant less profit.So large enterprises aggressively drove smaller ones out of business to avoid competition.But even that was eventually not enough.So they decided to find new markets for their products.And on the way hopefully also some cheap raw materials and cheap labor since strong worker and socialist movements made it almost impossible to reduce wages or increase working hours at home.This was also great for banks who were looking for new ways to invest their excess capital.And this is where imperialism came in.The European superpowers carved out the remaining uncolonized nations in Africa and Asia and did ungodly things to them.Before the British came to India, it had a mixed economy system and was one of the world's largest textile exporters.A typical family grew rice and cotton, consumed what they needed, and sold any surplus in local markets to buy what they required.
But when the British took over, they destroyed many Indian factories, heavily taxed those that remained and even mutilated countless skilled workers to ensure they couldn't compete with British companies.They then replaced food crops like rice, lentils or wheat with money crops like cotton, indigo, opium and tea leading to a large drop in food production.To survive, the now impoverished farmers had to take on debt to the British and eventually sell their land to pay it off.The British built infrastructure like railways across the country but not for public use rather to facilitate the export of goods.By the end of British colonial rule, India was left impoverished and underdeveloped with at least 50 million dead directly related to their brutal rule.
Describes atrocities committed by France in Algeria, Germany in Namibia, and Belgium in the Congo. It then shows how competition for colonies intensified conflicts between European powers.
The French arrived in Algeria in 1830, expropriated the most fertile lands and gave it to European colonizers.They replaced the local wheat and barley crops with wine production for French exports, forcing Algerians to work under semislavery conditions and leaving the country in a constant state of underdevelopment.By 1875, the French had likely killed over 800,000 Algerians.In 1884, Germany came to Namibia.They stole massive swats of land and displaced the locals.When they tried to resist, the German government ordered to exterminate the Herrero people in what was likely the first genocide of the 20th century.They then built concentration camps where thousands of Namibians would die from starvation or forced labor.By 1908, Germany had killed 80% of the Herrera and 50% of the Nama people.The survivors were enslaved and forced to work in German mines or plantations.But Belgium's occupation of the Congo was especially horrifying.
Private companies were given control of large portions of the country to extract cheap rubber and make massive profits.These industries enslaved millions of congalles and force them to work until death.Workers who refused to work could be whipped or killed and the companies often took their families hostage to ensure compliance.Villages that refused or resisted were simply wiped out.Failure to comply with rubber quotas was punished with death.This led to a complete collapse of the existing Congalles economic system and cultural life.Their farming system collapsed shortly after causing horrible famines.While we don't know exactly how many were killed, it was likely several million.Stories like these were rampant across the colonized world.But uncolonized territories soon ran out, so the only way to continue to expand was to take land from each other.Italy and France quarreled over Tunis.The Russian Empire spread and clashed with the British in Central Asia and Afghanistan.
The US and Britain clashed over Venezuela's claims over British Guana and the French annexed Madagascar in 1896.The British took over Egypt in 1882 during the Urabi revolt which made the French mad since they saw Egypt as a part of their sphere of influence since the days of Napoleon.France demanded colonies elsewhere as compensation with Morocco and Sudan as attractive possibilities.The French wanted to expand their territories to the east while Britain wanted to do the same to the south.Their armies came face to face at Fasoda.French and British soldiers enjoyed a nice glass of champagne while they waited for their governments to decide if they wanted war.But in the end, the French simply went home.
Covers the Balkan rivalries, the formation of the Triple Alliance, and the Franco-Russian alliance. It also explains why a British-German alliance failed and how diplomatic tensions hardened into blocs.
Russia and Austrohungary had incompatible interests in the Balkans.Austrahungary couldn't tolerate an enlarged Serbia or Bulgaria, which could block the empire's trading route to Constantinople or the Aian ports.Successful independent Balkan states could also encourage nationalists inside the empire.It also feared that the Balkan states could gravitate towards Russia and create a formidable coalition.In 1878 after the Russo Turkish war the Congress of Berlin decided among other things that AustriaHungary would control Bosnia and Herzgoina although it remained under control of the Ottoman Empire.So to avoid conflict Russia and Austrahungary agreed in 1897 not to interfere in the internal affairs of the Balkan states.With everyone so power hungry a good alliance could be the difference between life and death.In 1879, Germany and Austrahungary signed a defensive treaty.The Germans saw it as a way of preventing Austria from going crazy in the Balkans and causing a war with Russia.
While Austrahungary wanted to show that it was still relevant and that its existence provided stability.In 1882, Italy joined and they became the Triple Alliance, which was renewed in 1912.The Germans at one point had an informal alliance with the Russians, but the relations soured when Russians imposed attacks on foreign owners of a state in Russia and Germany retaliated by banning the buying of Russian stocks, which deniedthe Russians money they desperately needed for industrialization.French bankers quickly jumped in to fill this void, and Russia realized that an alliance with the French would make Germany less likely to interfere in a war with Austria over the Balkans.In 1894, they formalized their alliance, agreeing that if France was attacked by Germany or by Italy with German support, Russia would attack Germany with all its might.And if Germany attacked Russia, France would attack Germany.Britain realized that they should probably team up, too.
H I clashed with you over territories.I clashed with you over territories.Uh, good enough.I guess an alliance between Britain and Germany made a lot of sense in theory.Emperor Wilham was a grandson of Gun Victoria.Germany was a land power, Britain a naval one.Germany was interested in Europe, Britain overseas.And both had a common enemy in France.Russia and Britain had even fought side by side to defeat Napoleon.What if we team up?Uh, I don't know.You've been declining for a while, and we are only getting stronger.It looks like you need us more than we need you.Your glorious queen just died, and you just got your butt handed to you during most of the B wars.Wait, did you actually send South Africans a congratulatory message for repelling one of our attacks?Yeah, but what you did to the Africaners was kind of messed up.
You did way worse during the FrancoRussian War.Like Frederick the Great said, anyone who dares to criticize the German army will find he was abiding on granite.What I have said, I have said.I withdraw nothing.I defend nothing.I do not want to give lessons to a foreign minister and I will not accept any at his hands.The dream of a British German alliance is dead.
Focuses on Britain’s alliance with Japan, Germany’s fear of a two-front war, and the Schlieffen Plan. It ends with the naval arms race, Germany’s diplomatic isolation, the weakening Ottoman Empire, and the sponsor outro.
Without European allies, the British looked to Japan as an ally in the Far East and signed an alliance.The Russian French alliance meant that Germany would likely have to fight a two-front war.So, General Schlieffen came up with a plan to quickly defeat France and then turn to Russia before they could mobilize.But there was little coordination between the German military and the navy while the military prepared for this two-front war.The navy prepared for a war against Britain.If we want to be a real colonial empire, we need a strong navy.So, we got two options.We can either build a bunch of light ships and submarines to raid the enemy economy or we can build what's basically a transformer.Now, let me walk you through the pros and
cons.I personally think we should go for a fleet of light ships.Build me a fleet of Transformers.How do we pay for it though?I don't know.Maybe we can buy votes from the Conservative party.They're from the agrian sector, right?Okay.If you conservatives vote for our massive and borderline responsible navy budget bill, I promise I will put a massive tariffs on Canada and Mexico.What?Oh, I meant Russia.Won't they get mad at us?They're already mad at us for seizing Hia Chao Bay in China.How much more mad can they get?The German plan assumed three things.That Britain would not notice them building a massive navy.That if they did, they wouldn't be able to outbuild them because they were short on money.And that they wouldn't be able to make any friends.And they were wrong about all three of them.
When the British found out, they were really uncomfortable.For them, the Navy wasn't just a sword to control the world.It was also a shield.If they ever lost supremacy of the sea, their island could become dependent on whoever controlled it.Wait, isn't that what we are doing to others,though?Shut up.With the foreign policy skills of an edgy Twitter user, Germany had alienated most of its potential allies and was stuck with a declining Austrohungarian Empire and Italy, which was weak military and at odds with AustriaHungary.So, it was barely reliable.The Ottoman Empire was another possible ally, but also in severe decline as it was nearly bankrupt with foreign interests holding most of its debt.The people were arrested and the administration was incompetent and corrupt.It had also been steadily losing territory.France took Algeria and Tunis while Britain took Egypt and Cyprus.
Greece, Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria all soon obtained independence.Everyone knew that it was a matter of time until the Ottoman Empire collapsed.And once it did, its territories would be up for grabs.
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