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What led up to nationalism in World War One
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Long and short term causes of World War 1
Monica Benet
1001 525 343
T.A: Evan Dokos
Edward Hananiwa Ho
03/29/2016
Introduction
The Great War broke out on July 28th 1914 and ended on November 11th 1918. It was considered to be the war to end all wars because of the effect it had on a global scale. The direct and indirect factors that caused WW1 to break out can be summarized by 5 major issues. This includes, Militarism, Nationalism, Alliances, Imperialism and finally assassination. Although all these factors contributed tremendously to the break out of WW1, Nationalism is the primary cause that instigated global tension. As new countries such as Germany were unified it brought a threat to the current balance of power in the early 20th century. This caused a domino effect as the thirst for power and independence rose.
Long term causes
Imperialism occurs as a nation gains power through controlling and exploiting smaller nations by the acts of colonization1. The power nation claims control over these smaller nations through acts of invasion, political pressure, war and military conquest. Once occupied the new territory is seen to be a colony of the “mother” country. The main benefit of imperialism is that the power country gains economic status by acts of free trade, and extracting all resources that the colony provides.
Preceding to World War 1, Britain was seen as a dominant imperial power, occupying one quarter of the globe. Not far behind was France also establishing many colonies all across the globe through the act of imperialism. Lastly, Russia had many colonies and political control in many nations of Eastern Europe and some parts of central Asia...
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Bibliography
Keegan, John. An Illustrated History of the First World War (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001. 8. Print)
Geppert, Dominik, William Mulligan, and Andreas Rose. The Wars Before The Great War. May 2015 Cambridge UK
Hamilton, Richard F, and Holger H Herwig. 2003. The Origins Of World War I. 2003 Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Gjersø, Jonas Fossli The Scramble for East Africa: British Motives Reconsidered, 1884-95". Journal of Imperial and Commonwealth History 2015 43 (5): 831–60
Joll, James. The Origins Of The First World War. 2006 London: Longman.
Barth, Boris: Imperialism, in: 1914-1918-online. International Encyclopedia of the First World War, ed., Berlin 2015
Zieger, Robert H. (2000). America’s Great War: World War I and the American Experience. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Inc.
"Queen's University Archives - World War I." Queen's University Archives - Home. Web. 23 July 2010.
World War I is marked by its extraordinary brutality and violence due to the technological advancement in the late 18th century and early 19th century that made killing easier, more methodical and inhumane. It was a war that saw a transition from traditional warfare to a “modern” warfare. Calvary charges were replaced with tanks; swords were replaced with machine guns; strategic and decisive battles were r...
Imperialism is the practice by which powerful nations or peoples seek to extend and maintain control or influence over weaker nations or peoples. By the 1800’s, the Western powers had advantages in this process. They led the world in technological advances, giving them a dominance when conquering other countries. The European Imperialists made attempts to conquer China and Japan. In this process, they succeeded by influencing Japan greatly. However, they were not as successful with China.
Morley, Joyce Anne Deane. "War Memories: Plotting the Battle of Britain." Letter. 9 Dec. 2003. N.p.: n.p., n.d. N. pag. BBC WW2 People's War. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
O'Neill, William L. World War II: A Student Companion. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.
Field, Frank. British and French Operations of the First World War. Cambridge (England); New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991.
World War I, otherwise known as the Great War, began as a small battle that eventually developed into a prodigious uproar between several countries. An event that could have perhaps been avoided and prevented unnecessary deaths. WWI’s beginnings are controversial and historians throughout the world have several theories about the destructive event. Said to be one of the most disastrous and ruinous struggles between nations, The Great War lasted from July 1914 until November 1918. Referred to as a World War because of the global participation and the international unsettle; this war was exacerbated by 7 million casualties. World War I was primarily concerned with the struggle for mastery in Europe, but it was a global conflict that reached across five oceans and three continents. (Wilmott, 1) World War I introduced modern technologies including weaponry and nuclear machinery from opposing forces known as Central Powers against the Allied powers.
Imperialism is when a mother nation takes over another nation and become its colony for political, social, and economical reasons. Imperialism is a progressive force for both the oppressors (mother country) and the oppressed (colony), majorly occurring during the late 19th and early 20th century. It had more negative effects than positive effects due to its domination to other nations.
Imperialism destroyed relations with international colonies, and increased tension among each nation. (Document 5.) European countries desired overseas expansion and strived to obtain markets for consumer goods. However, these expansions interfered with the rights of overseas citizens, and caused a series of conflicts to prevail. While colonial inhabitants were politically, economically, and socially unstable, imperialist forces competed for leadership. Competition among European nations divided the regions. War was on the horizon for countries like Germany and France who sought after the same region, Morocco. Similarly, both Britain and France desired the territory of Sudan, while Russia and Austria-Hungary battled for the Balkans, evidently intensifying rivalries, and possibly leading to war. Imperialism was a competitive force that inevitably led to crises among rivaling nations. Due to severe opposition and competition as well as discontent in colonized regions, imperialism can be considered a major factor leading to World War
Otto von Bismarck, the Chancellor that led the unification of the German states, did not like the fact that Germany was between Russia and France. “Bismarck formed the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy in the year preceding World War 1” (Ch. Imperialism is the way of spreading a country’s power and influence through military force or diplomacy. Great Britain and other European countries took over many countries, making empires. According to Document E, Great Britain has taken over the seas and some countries.
O’Neill, William L. World War II A Student Companion. 1 ed. William H. Chafe. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Long and Short Term Causes of WWI There were several long-term events that led to the outbreak of World War One. The most prominent factors include: nationalism, militarism, imperialism, the Balkan and Morocco crises, and the alliance system. Ironically, these things were either started in response to, or upheld because of, one of the other factors. The alliance system was one of the last factors to emerge before the war. Consequentially, the contributions of this system to the beginning of the Great War have to be considered.
Stokesbury, James L. A Short History of World War I. New York: Morrow, 1981. Print.
The New Imperialism and the Scramble for Africa 1880-1914. Jeff Taylor, n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.