SHORT TERM CAUSES OF THE WAR - military aspect
Great Britain and Japan had previously made an alliance that promised Britain access to the seas. However, it also encouraged Japan to go to war with Russia (McDonough 11). In 1905, Japan unexpectedly defeated Russia, a major embarrassment to the large country (Darby 72). This same military weakness prevented Russia from standing up to the Hapsburg Empire in the Balkans (Darby 73). This military weakness is what prompted the Tsar to begin a rearmament program to prevent further humiliations (Darby 72). In 1914, Russia began the “Great Military Programme”, which would prepare the country either for the next diplomatic crisis, in which it would have more perceived power due to a larger military, or in reality, the next war. The Programme was to be finished in 1917, so it was not ready at the outbreak of World War I (Darby 74)