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World history
Course: World history > Unit 6
Lesson 1: Beginning of World War IGerman and Italian Empires in 1914
Italian and German Empires in 1914. Tsingtao beer. Created by Sal Khan.
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what were the strongest countries in 1914?(34 votes)
Good Question. There is a bit of a toss up as to who was the quote unquote "strongest". From the point of view of the army, the Germans had the best trained, but the Russian's was larger. From the point of view of the navy, Britain's was the largest and best trained (which along with the French gave the Entente the largest navy) but the New German Navy was mostly modern and well trained as well. From the economic point of view Germany was rated very high, as was Britain, (with the United States' vast resources also proving decisive when they entered the war).
As for the two alliances, while the Entente nations surrounded the Central Powers, Central Powers adjoining borders make communications and combined operations easier.
All in all, Germany was probably the strongest country overall for war in 1914. Closely fallowed by Britain and France.(33 votes)
At0:37, Sal mentions the Frank-oppresion war. What is that and how did it start?(15 votes)
It was a war between France and Prussia. Bismark sent a letter upsetting to France and it started a war.(2 votes)
- What does "Kolonien des 2. Kaiserreichs" mean? (From the bottom, left-hand corner of Sal's map)(15 votes)
I disagree Andris. The reason there hasn't been a 4th Reich yet, (and there could be one eventually) is due to the fact that after the 2nd World War, Germany was split in half between the western powers, (mainly America, Britain, and France) and the Soviet Union. In the west, West Germany was formed as a Democracy. In the East, East Germany was formed under Communist rule. When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 1990's, the two countries were reunited and Germany became a full fledged Democracy. Like I said however, there is a possibility of a 4th Reich, just not in the near future.(2 votes)
Germany and Preussen was same country?(6 votes)
Not exactly, they are united together in the German Empire in this aspect. It's much like when you look at the British Empire you see Scotland being part of England, they are not the same countries, but they are in the same Empire.
Before the German Empire formed, there were multiple countries that united with it, which include: The North German Confederation, Kingdom of Bavaria, Kingdom of Württemberg, Grand Duchy of Baden, Grand Duchy of Hesse. The German Confederation contained Prussia, but it also contained multiple Kingdoms as well.
The German Confederation had Kingdoms, duchies, grand duchies, etc, etc. The two Kingdoms in the Confederation were Prussia and Saxony, so they were not part of the same country in this aspect as well, since they were autonomous to an extent. Germany today is free central, while this was more loose.(15 votes)
Why has Sal circled Japan in pink even though it was not under control of Italy at that time?(10 votes)
Perhaps it's not exactly pink. The same map is used in a later video about Japan, which certainly wasn't controlled by Italy. Though both Italy and Japan eventually fought against Germany.(4 votes)
What exactly is the significance of Tsingtao beer? I don't exactly understand it.(4 votes)
Tsingtao brewery is the 2nd largest brewery in China and is worth billions of dollars. It is a big company that has been in existence for over 100 years. Up until 1916, it was a owned and operated by a joint English/German stock company, so it was an example of German and British empire-building. The history of the business also reflects changes in China - it went from being British/German, to being Japanese, to being controlled by Nationalist Chinese, to being a communist state-run company, and then back to being a private company in the 1990's. Just looking at the way the company and its ownership has developed through history gives insight into the ways that China itself has developed.(6 votes)
How did the Germans control all their territory? The pacific was so far from Germany.(1 vote)- Imperialism, Germany was one of the last few countries to "scramble for Africa"; however when the Open Door policy was introduced to European countries that was initiated by the US, Germany also claimed some islands in the Pacific which they developed their colonies there. Unlike in Africa it was far different because they had two major territories which German Southwest Africa , Cameroon, Togo, German East Africa. Germany like most other countries controlled by force using their military to overthrow the previous dynasties or monarchs also they were influenced by social Darwinism which initiated the need for imperialism. Additionally they controlled economically either by free trade (laizze faire) or mercantilism.(10 votes)
At0:42, Sal mentions Prussia. Does this have anything to do with Russia?(2 votes)- no Prussia was one of several german kingdoms that through a strong military gained a lot of power and influence especially during the Napoleonic wars, and after defeating France in 1871 was able to unite the rest of Germany so that the King of Prussia became the Emperor of Germany.(2 votes)
I know that the reason why Germany conquered France in WW II and not WW I was because of their quick bypass through Belgium and that was due to the Blitzkrieg. But what exactly in Blitzkrieg allowed Germany to quickly conquer Belgium and France?(2 votes)
Blitzkrieg means "lightning war", so the whole concept is one of swift victory. The way that was implemented was by a huge unexpected offensive utilizing large concentrations of tanks that would cut through and surround the enemy forces. Simultaneously, the Stukas would give powerful close air support and wipe out the enemy's air force before they knew what was happening. (By bombing the air fields before their planes could scramble.)(2 votes)
Where and what was Prussia? What was its significance in the world, other than its participation in the Franco-Prussian War?(2 votes)
Prussia was the predecessor of the current nation of Germany. As for its importance, it was a major combatant in the Napoleonic Wars and the unification of Germany. After the Franco - Prussian War, it was the major power in Europe after Britain. Culturally, it produced the German philosophers Hegel, Marx, Kant, and Nietzsche.(2 votes)
0:37Video transcript
As we've already talked
about, as we exit the 1800s and we get into the early 1900s
and we approach World War I, the various powers
of Europe were really on this race for empire. It was a part of
national prestige. And it helped build
national wealth. But of the major powers,
Germany and Italy were relatively new
as unified states. The British Empire-- they had
been building their empire for hundreds of years. The Germans, on the
other hand, even though they have a very old
culture going back hundreds-- or you could argue thousands--
of years, as a unified state, they only existed since 1871. And that's only after
the Franco-Prussian War, which allowed the Prussians
to unify all of Germany. And the Italians only became
fully unified in 1870, also due to the Franco-Prussian War. Because the French had
to focus on the Germans, had to focus on
the Prussians, they couldn't protect the
Papal States anymore. And so that allowed the Italians
to unify it under their a rule. So by the time we get to 1914,
the beginning of World War I, these two powers, they were
also on their race for empire. But they were only about
43 or 44 years old. And so they hadn't
been able to build as extensive of an
empire as France and, especially, as extensive
of an empire as Great Britain. But this map right
over here shows how far their actual empires did extend. Italy had control
of Libya, Eritrea, and parts of what's
today Somalia. And Germany had
control-- it also had holdings in Africa,
possessions in Africa. Togoland, which is
modern-day Togo; Cameroon, which makes
up-- modern-day Cameroon is part of German
Southwest Africa. That's now known as Namibia. German East Africa, which is now
Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi. And Germany also had holdings in
the Pacific and even in China. These are the Pacific Islands
that Germany had possession of. It had German New Guinea. And it even had control
of the town of Tsingtao. And that actually is culturally
interesting for those of you watching
this video in 2013. Tsingtao is now a very
popular Chinese brand of beer. One of the more-- I
think it's the number two in the market Chinese beer. And it's associated with China. But it was actually started
by German settlers in Tsingtao in 1903. So actually its roots
are with the Germans, who obviously have a long
tradition of producing beers. And so Tsingtao-- you could
argue it's a Chinese beer. It's produced in China. But it had its roots in
German imperial rule.