"The Moroccan Crises were two international incidents, the first in 1905-6 and the second in 1911, when Imperial Germany, eager to expand its empire, threatened France's presence in Morocco. France's position was supported by Britain and Russia, meaning Germany was obliged to back down twice. Although not a direct contributor to war, the Moroccan Crises certainly caused a strengthening of alliances and worsened the atmosphere of international distrust then prevalent in Europe, a distrust which was itself one of the primary causes of WWI as Europe shifted into two mutually opposed alliance groups."
"Kaiser Wilhelm II (1859-1941) came to power as emperor of Germany in 1888 (reigning until 1918), and he pushed for more territorial and military expansion in order to secure the natural resources Germany's booming economy demanded. This new policy was called 'World Policy' or Weltpolitik. Wilhelm II's chancellor, Bernhard von Bülow (1849-1929), and the naval minister, Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz (1849-1930), were both in wholehearted agreement with this policy, which had the added advantage of distracting the population from domestic problems such as the weakening of the power of the Junker Prussian landowners in the ongoing process of industrialisation and democratisation."
The Moroccan Crises in 1905–06 and 1911 involved Imperial Germany challenging France's presence in Morocco; Britain and Russia backed France, forcing Germany to withdraw twice. The crises intensified diplomatic distrust and accelerated the hardening of alliance systems across Europe. Kaiser Wilhelm II pursued an expansionist Weltpolitik to secure resources and global influence, supported by Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow and Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. Weltpolitik aimed to distract from domestic issues and was bolstered by a jingoistic press. The policy increased international instability, amplified perceptions of Germany as a revisionist power, and contributed to the polarized environment before World War I.
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