<P> The Second Italian War of Independence illustrated all of the problems in modern army mobilization . Prussia began to realize the future of mobilizing mass armies when Napoleon III transported 130,000 soldiers to Italy by military railways . French caravans that carried the supplies for the French and Piedmontese armies were incredibly slow, and the arms inside these caravans were sloppily organized . These armies were in luck, however, in that their Austrian adversaries experienced similar problems with sluggish supply caravans (one of which apparently covered less than three miles per day). </P> <P> Not only did Prussia take note of the problems in transporting supplies to armies, but it also took note of the lack of communication between troops, officers, and generals . Austria's army was primarily composed of Slavs, but it contained many other ethnicities as well . Austrian military instruction during peacetime utilized nine different languages, accustoming Austrian soldiers to taking orders only in their native language . Conversely, in an effort to augment the efficacy of the new "precision rifle" developed by the monarchy, officers were forced to only speak German when giving orders to their men . Even one Austrian officer commented at Solferino that his troops could not even comprehend the command, "Halt ." This demonstrates the communicative problems that arose quickly with the advent of the mass army . </P> <P> Intricate plans for mobilization contributed greatly to the beginning of World War I, since in 1914, under the laws and customs of warfare then observed (not to mention the desire to avoid compromising national security), general mobilization of one nation's military forces was invariably considered an act of war by that country's likely enemies . </P> <P> In 1914, the United Kingdom was the only European Great Power without conscription . The other Great Powers (Austria - Hungary, Italy, France, Germany and Russia) all relied on compulsory military service to supply each of their armies with the millions of men they believed they would need to win a major war . France enacted the "Three Year Law" (1913) to extend the service of conscripted soldiers to match the size of the German army, as the French population of 40 million was smaller than the German population of 65 million people . The Anglo - German naval arms race began, sparked by the German enactment of the Second Naval Law . Each of the Great Powers could only afford to keep a fraction of these men in uniform in peacetime, the rest were reservists with limited opportunities to train . Maneuvering formations of millions of men with limited military training required intricate plans with no room for error, confusion, or discretion after mobilization began . These plans were prepared under the assumption of worst - case scenarios . </P>

Mobilization of an army was considered what in 1914