People would do anything in order to ensure that their country would be the greatest in the world. They do this because of nationalism, a very extreme form of belief and loyalty towards ones country. This lead to many people believing their country was perfect; unequaled in economic, military, and political power. Nationalism was very popular in the late 18th and 19th centuries; countries were promoting nationalism in order to keep their citizens loyal. It played an important role in generating conflict and revolutions during the World Wars and the Interwar years. WW1’s direct cause was the assassination of Archduke Franz-Ferdinand, an event that was caused specifically because of nationalism, but many other events that were also rooted by …show more content…
Germany lost more than 13% of its land due to the limitations set by the treaty of Versailles, and the people were outraged. It was soon said by Adolf Hitler, “the restoration of the frontiers of 1914 could be achieved only by blood”; showing that he knew that he must wage war if he wanted to regain the lost land (Hitler, Mein Kampf). Once he came to power, Hitler was able to rally the people using the idea of Lebensraum, or living space for the German people. The people were excited for Hitler because they truly believed he would be the one to restore their losses. People soon began to follow him more willingly, joining his Nazi party and increasing it substantially. He then invaded Poland, the first step in his plan to conquer all of Germany’s former lands. Japan waged war against China for the same reason. More land was needed for the growing population, and the resources in Manchuria were needed as well. Japan staged the Mukden incident to legitimize their reason for invasion, and this depicts the effect that nationalism had on Japan’s leader. They went as far as to stage an explosion on their own train tracks to give them a reason for invading another country. These two ideas, the Mukden incident and Lebensraum, show that nationalism led to the leaders of Japan and Germany to go to the extreme in order to make their country a better place for themselves and for the people living
Many contributions lead to the spark of World War I. The three main causes included the assassination of Francis Ferdinand, alliance systems, and militarism. Although imperialism and nationalism are said to be contributing factors to the cause of World War I, the assassination of Francis Ferdinand, alliance systems, and militarism were three of the most important causes of The Great War. An immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s archduke, Francis Ferdinand.
Though most historians consider the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary the most immediate cause of WWI, or the rise of Germany to be the main cause since they signed the Versailles Treaty (Doc 4), many agree that the war was not caused by just one thing. Instead, it was caused by a concept instead of specific people or countries. It seemed that everyone, during this time period, had started to increase their military power and defense systems. Therefore, World War I was caused by two things: the fear these countries had of losing their power, and the big toll that European Imperialism took international relations.
After the coup d 'état, a military General was able to get in control of the country. With his motivational speeches and his recognition from the battles he has won, he was able to gain the trust of the citizens and the army. From seeing what the Germans were doing the General decided to do the same and expand Japan. This led to the invasion of China and the start of the Pacific War. It can be noted that nationalism is not necessarily good; it can lead to major wars and the deaths of many innocent citizens, furthermore; it can also lead to a total annihilation of a race.
But, as much as extreme Nationalism does give a nice sense of pride to the people, it’s also very necessary to the theatre of politics and war. In a passage from The Age of Nationalism and Reform, it is stated that, “The extraordinary feeling that some people seem to derive from the belief that they are members of a superior nation or race is undoubtedly one of the great appeals of modern nationalism”(Rich). General von Moltke of Germany intended to use Nationalistic pride to his favor, saying, “I believe war is unavoidable and the sooner the better. But we ought to do more through the press to prepare the popularity of a war against Russia…” (Mombauer). Von Moltke wanted to prepare for war, and did so actively, but he needed the approval of the people. So, he and Kasier Wilhelm II spent
While the Nazi regime rose to power, they employed ultra-nationalist techniques in order to inspire the German people to band together and rise above the depression and gain their support. Hitler and the Nazis rose to power by “opposing democracy, individualism, and equality with ideas of national or racial superiority” (Goff 238). Additionally, Hitler created an Anschluss, which united German and Austrian people under a common government because they shared a common language. This trend continued throughout the war from Germany, and they tried to unite people under one empire, while the government discarded the “inferiors” from their realm. Nationalism in WWII was similarly prevalent in Japan, where the Japanese were fueled by ultra-nationalism to invade other countries and exert domination over neighboring areas. The Japanese felt a desire to expand their territory and the Japanese people supported their aggressive tactics to increase their political and economic growth. In Japan, the “ultranationalists saw their nation and people as superior to other Asians” and this ideaology caused the people to believe “it was their mission to rule Asia” (Goff 241). This idea inspired the Japanese military to expand into China and dominate the Chinese, which created destruction and genocide. Nationalism in WWII was more destructive than ever seen before, because it drove people to oppress and exterminate entire cultures and religious
One cause was nationalism. Nationalism is where you show pride in your country. An example of Nationalism is when it comes time every 4 years when the olympics are taking place. Everyone is cheering on their countries and showing off their pride. Nationalism played a role in causing WWI by countries thinking that a certain country is showing off too much pride.
Nationalism drove change in the world after World War II by resisting foreign interferences which is evident in events such as the End of Mandates and the Soviet Sino-Split as well as Pan-Arabism.
Before World War 1 began there were many conflicts between many countries, these conflicts are what eventually led to the war. Nationalism lead to World War 1 for reasons people believed they needed to fight for their country, many people who weren’t fighting wanted to support their soldiers, and many soldiers felt as if they couldn’t back out of the war. Militarism was a cause because each country was building up their weapons and ammunition, as well as building up their armies. Finally Kaiser Wilhelm II was a cause because he had a very strong hate towards Britain, he was a very aggressive leader and he wanted Germany to be the number one country. Nationalism, militarism and Kaiser Wilhelm II were the three main causes of World War 1.
Chauvinistic sentiments on behalf of the people of European nations as well as their leaders led to the conception of a militant culture that celebrated military dominance of nations and increased willingness to engage in warfare to protect the superiority of a nation. Furthermore, the rise of nationalism in Europe also led to the establishment of imperialism, as the notion of dominating a foreign land justified by racial, cultural, and economic superiority provided people with genuine pride and solidarity with a nation-state. The immediate causes of the First World War, the emergence of alliances and unrest within the Balkans, can also be accredited to the emergence of and conflicts between national identities. If the lessons learned in the outbreak of the First World War can be of any use to contemporary society, it is to serve as a reminder of the dangers of fanatical support for the superiority of a
extremist’s angle to patriotism, fueled the actions of many countries heading into World War I.
The United States wasn’t jumping to get involved it WWI. They wanted to remain neutral for the duration of the war. However those plans did not last because we entered the war in 1917. There were many reasons the war started in general and that U.S. entered the war. There were many things that resulted from the war.
When thinking of the phrase “The Second World War”, often the first thing to pop into the average person’s mind are images of combat, death and endless rows upon rows of sharply uniformed soldiers passing by, their leaders shouting an impassioned speech behind them. However, behind every image is a history. Wars do not simply spring out of nothing. What is it that drives entire countries to invade, murder, and commit atrocities otherwise never seen? The answer is simpler than one would think. World War Two was more than a war between countries; it was a war between regimes and ideas. The causes behind World War Two are complex and heavily intertwined, however, in the end it was Fascism that acted as the main catalyst.
Nationalism has played a crucial role in world history over the past centuries. It continues to do so today. For many, nationalism is indelibly associated with some of the worst aspects of modern history, such as the destructive confidence of the Napoleon’s army and the murderous pride of Nazi Germany. Large numbers of people, descent in their hearts, have carried out unbelievable atrocities for no better reason than their nation required them to. Authoritarian and totalitarian regime have crushed dissent, eliminated opposition, and trampled on civil liberties in the name of the nation.
The ultra-nationalistic perspective presented in the source should not be embraced to any extent. The use of force to achieve national interest and placing national interest above collective peace is a dangerous and terrorizing belief. Throughout history, many significant conflicts and horrors have been provoked by ultra-nationalistic beliefs. These values were adopted by Adolf Hitler, Imperialistic Japan, and now by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria(ISIS). These figures impacted the collective peace of the world. How does this relate to the source and your position on it? Tie each example back to source and thesis.
The chain of events starts with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Some people tend to think that this event was the one total cause of World War One, but that is not the case. The assassination is only one small trigger.