Crises in North Africa
European powers competed fiercely for colonies in North Africa. Before the First World War, two international crises and one local war took place there.
First Moroccan Crisis(1911): Conflicts over Morocco occurred again between France and Germany in 1911. Since Britain supported France, Germany lost again.
Italy-Turkey War(1911-1912): BothItaly and Turkey wanted colonies in North Africa. They fought a war in 1911-1912. Turkey was defeated
Crises in the Balkans
The Balkans was a group of small states in Southern Europe. The people there belonged to many different races and religions, but they were all ruled by Turkey. When Turkey began to decline in the 19th century, European powers, like Russia and Austria-Hungary, tried to expand into the Balkans.
Before the First World War, one international crisis and two local wars took placein the Balkans.
Bosnian Crisis(1908): In 1908, Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina. This angered Serbia and Russia, since they wanted to have the same places as well.
Balkan Wars(1912 and 1913): In 1912 and 1913, two wars broke out in the Balkans. After the wars, Sebia became very powerful. It threatened Austrain expansion into the Balkans. So Austria had to crush Serbia.
Ever since Austria annexed Bosnia in 1908, the people in the Balkans hated the Austrians very much . Then on 28 June 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian throne, and his wife visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia. There, they were shot and killed by a Serb. This was the famous Sarajevo Incident. It set off the Firdt World War.