Imperialism

Imperial competition (covered in Unit 10.4) generated economic, strategic, and prestige rivalries that intensified European tensions. Germany, unified late, demanded "a place in the sun" comparable to British and French colonial holdings. The Moroccan crises of 1905 and 1911 brought Germany and France close to war. The Balkans, where the declining Ottoman Empire was retreating, became an arena of competition between Austria-Hungary, Russia, and the emerging Balkan states. These imperial conflicts hardened European blocs and added pressure for war.