
Inverclyde’s war
In conjunction with Inverclyde’s war, the History department of Saint Stephen’s High School offer these resources to help with their teaching package.

Militarism
Britain and Germany had both built up their navies.
France and Russia had both increased the size of their armies.
Nation | 1908 | 1909 | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | |||||||
Great Britain | $286.7m | $306.2m | $330.4m | $345.1m | $349.9m | $374.2m | |||||||
Germany | $286.7m | $306.8m | $301.5m | $303.9m | $331.5m | $463.6m | |||||||
France | $216m | $236.4m | $248m | $277.9m | $307.8m | $363.8m | |||||||
Russia | $291.6m | $315.5m | $324m | $334.5m | $387m | $435m | |||||||
Italy | $87.5m | $115.8m | $124.9m | $133.7m | $158.4m | $142.2m | |||||||
United States | $189.5m | $199m | $197m | $197m | $227m | $244.6m | |||||||
Japan | $93.7m | $95.7m | $100.2m | $110.7m | $107.7m | $104.6m | |||||||
Source: Jacobson’s World Armament Expenditure, 1935 |

Alliance System
Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy had formed the Triple Alliance.
France, Russia and Britain were all in the Triple Entente.

Imperialism
The Austro-Hungarian Empire had lots of different nationalities within it. These peoples (Czechs, Poles and Serbs) all wanted to rule themselves.

Nationalism
Germany was a newly-formed country.
It was jealous of Britain and France and felt she deserved her ‘place in the sun’.