World War One Aims, Goals, Objectives...

[unmerged(28147)]

I'm just curious what it is each nation hoped to gain from winning the war. I know from a few other people that Germany wanted to make Belgium a Client/Puppet state while absorbing Liege and Arlon. I also know Germany wanted a vast swath of France along the belgian border to Dunkerk, and the area around Alsace-Lorraine, and the colony of Morocco from France.

So does anyone have any information on what the various powers wanted from the various enemies they were fighting?

I'm gonna organize known data in this post of the thread.

German Aims/Territorial Gains:

Liege & Verviers/Arlon, With the condition of making Belgium a German Client State/Puppet State.

Annexing a vast swath of French land, from Dunkirk to Boulogne along the border with Belgium up to and including Dunkerk(Or if it's spelled differently tell me and I'll fix), Annexing morocco, with the possibility of making France an economically dependent nation, with Germany being the economic supplier/master. Annexation of the ore Field at Briey, and Belfort, with demolition of all border forts. War indemnities for 15-20 years.

Antwerp to Holland and making that nation internally dependent upon Germany.

Luxemburg: Will become a German federal state.

Creation of a continuous middle african colony, annexing France and Belgium's colonial posessions there to do so.

French Territorial Aims:

Recovery of Alsace-Lorraine lost in the Franco-Prussian war of 1871.

Annexation of Saarland.

British War Goals:

Dismantling of the Imperial German Navy.

Maintain the balance of power in europe.

Germany's colonial posessions.

Austro-Hungarian Goals:

Annexation & Vassalsation of Serbia.

Russian Goals:

Annexation of Germany's Polish lands.

Annexation of Hungarian lands, unclear of the exact gains desired.

 

[unmerged(9383)]

i never heard of germany wanted annexing french mainland territories. we allready had probs because of alsace-lorraine with the french. and that were predominantly german terrs., true for belgium. baltic states were a goal. ucraine wouldve made a puppet state to create. french were seeking the "natural" rhineborderline. italy trient triest and somestuff on the balcans. rumania wanted transsylvania or siebenbürgen. temesvar region. bulgaria todays macedonia and part of albania. thats all i know. i guess even back then they didnt really know what they wanted in detail, only in rough schemes.

 

[unmerged(28147)]

i never heard of germany wanted annexing french mainland territories. we allready had probs because of alsace-lorraine with the french. and that were predominantly german terrs., true for belgium. baltic states were a goal. ucraine wouldve made a puppet state to create. french were seeking the "natural" rhineborderline. italy trient triest and somestuff on the balcans. rumania wanted transsylvania or siebenbürgen. temesvar region. bulgaria todays macedonia and part of albania. thats all i know. i guess even back then they didnt really know what they wanted in detail, only in rough schemes.

Handy link provided by Allenby, http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/ralph/workbook/ralprs34.htm It details german goals for what became WWI. Documentation would help me immensely such as the link above.

 

[Sternness]

I do remember reading that a major factor in regards to England joining the war was the supression of the growing German navy. Such a thing was of course a threat to the import-heavy UK. Can't give much more detail now, but it shouldn't be too hard to find info on.

 

[unmerged(28147)]

I do remember reading that a major factor in regards to England joining the war was the supression of the growing German navy. Such a thing was of course a threat to the import-heavy UK. Can't give much more detail now, but it shouldn't be too hard to find info on.

Good point about that, but the real reason they joined the war was because Germany declared war upon Belgium, and Britain had backed up Belgiums neutrality. Thus when Germany ignored Belgian neutrality Britain became involved.

 

[unmerged(34070)]

The Brits main goal was the balance of power on the continent, and since it was shifting to much in Germanys favour, they chose to side with the French. (Especially since, as Sternness mentioned, Germany had started building a navy that would become a threat to the British if their ambitions were left unchecked)

I remember reading somewhere that Germany didn`t have much territorial ambitons in the west, but rather in the East (Not sure about this though, but it sounds plausible).

 

[unmerged(25612)]

No Ottoman gains?


Armenia and overall the whole of Caucasus was a front between Russia and the OE and both sides incited and killed Armenians, so I guess they both had some claims there... As for specifics I have no clue.

 

[Allenby]

No Ottoman gains?


Armenia and overall the whole of Caucasus was a front between Russia and the OE and both sides incited and killed Armenians, so I guess they both had some claims there... As for specifics I have no clue.

The Ottomans, broadly speaking, had two primary war aims which outstripped their resources.

Enver, Minister of War and in de facto control of the Turkish war effort aspired to conquering the Caucasus and Central Asia, so as to unite the Turanian peoples under one banner. Therefore, this campaign adopted the rhetoric of nationalism.

In addition, Enver and Djemal, the former Minister of Marine and commander of the Fourth Turkish Army, were eager to reconquer Egypt and the Sudan from Great Britain, and throw the Italians out of Libya. This campaign, unlike Enver's, resorted to the rhetoric of pan-Islam to make it more attractive to the Arabs of North Africa (who subsequently did little to help the Turks).

 

[Yakman]

Indeed. Enver was so concerned about establishing a pan-Turanian Empire that he sent his best troops against the undefended Caucasus in 1918 even while the British were conquering Palestine and Syria. He was no longer concerned with the old Ottoman Empire, but with a new Turkish one based on ethnic identity.

 

[Vulture]

They wanted to give Antwerp to the Netherlands? GRRRRR...

 

[Yakman]

I don't believe so. The german war aims changed periodically. Throughout the course of the war, their aim was to turn Belgium into a german-dependency and use its wealth as a way of increasing German industry and capital. The Netherlands was going to be a sort of German satellite--economically linked to the Reich but more independent.

 

[unmerged(2920)]

france whanted also saarland ingermany (and a vote was made after the war to ask if they whant to remain in germany or be part of france)

russia wanted the german part of poland and show that they where the "overlord" of all the slavs. they also whanted some parts of hungarian land (don't remember the name).

austria wanted the annexation/vassalisation of serbia and maybe after 1915 some part of italian land.

germania wanted to put out france of the game of power (the link provided up there is good)

japan wanted to be recognised as a great power and equal to the européan one and find some places to expand

italia wanted the "iredent" land (illyria and trentin) and maybee some colonial chunk.

UK wanted the destruction of the german fleet, the balance of the power in the continent and maybee scrap the german from there overseas land.

 

[Yakman]

Germany also wanted Central African colonies. They wanted the French and Belgian Congos, French Central Africa, maybe Kenya, Zanzibar, and perhaps Rhodesia.

 

[unmerged(28147)]

I don't believe so. The german war aims changed periodically. Throughout the course of the war, their aim was to turn Belgium into a german-dependency and use its wealth as a way of increasing German industry and capital. The Netherlands was going to be a sort of German satellite--economically linked to the Reich but more independent.

Read the link I was provided by allenby in a post above, it specifically says Holland/Netherlands would gain Antwerp.

 

[Yakman]

I believe the key word is "perhaps"

 

[unmerged(28147)]

I believe the key word is "perhaps"

Yes, but this is about what the potential gains were, not what actually happened. I'm just doing this to try and fix the events for the WWI scenario so that there can be more historical options for the player. Such as an option for taking it easy on the French and Belgians, or being ruthlessly harsh.

 

[Yakman]

okay.

I also don't think the a-h was interested in annexing serbia. they had enough slavic headaches as it was.

 

[unmerged(28147)]

okay.

I also don't think the a-h was interested in annexing serbia. they had enough slavic headaches as it was.

Well I put in what someone said, I do know for sure they wanted to Vassalise them.

 

[Yakman]

I'm fairly sure that they had no interest in Serbia. The Serbians were known for murdering monarchs [one of Serbia's kings had been murdered in his own courtyard by rebellious army officers with swords] and there is the whole arch duke thing...

Serbia would have paid a heavy price, they'd have been disarmed, their country ruined, but they'd still be independent at the end of a Central Powers victory.

 

[unmerged(28147)]

I'm fairly sure that they had no interest in Serbia. The Serbians were known for murdering monarchs [one of Serbia's kings had been murdered in his own courtyard by rebellious army officers with swords] and there is the whole arch duke thing...

Serbia would have paid a heavy price, they'd have been disarmed, their country ruined, but they'd still be independent at the end of a Central Powers victory.

From all the information I've seen they had at least temporary eyes on vassalising them. Reading up on this now.

http://www.lib.byu.edu/~rdh/wwi/1914/austro-hungarian-ultimatum.html