Nationalism Before World War I Essay

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Nationalism has had a huge effect on the entire world by inspiring some of the most brutal and destructive wars in history. Nationalism is a form of patriotism and loyalty towards a country. During the interwar years, the Zionist group was trying to end prejudice and discrimination towards Jews. Similarly, Gandhi wanted India to have independence from Great Britain. A country can be nationalist without becoming violent, but many times in the past a strong nationalist country has spiraled into war. Before World War One, a Serbian nationalistic group assassinated the Archduke of Austria-Hungary and during World War Two Hitler rose to power through nationalistic speeches and promises. Nationalism was one of the main factors that shaped Big Era …show more content…

This unhealthy confidence drove countries to become aggressive towards their competition. Countries began to expand their military forces and by 1914, “both Germany and France had assembled standing armies of 800,00 men, with one million more in the reserves” (Goff 99). Citizens were confident that if a war started their country would easily come out on top. This ignorance made people support the initial war effort. Before the war, Slavic nationalism was becoming more popular in Serbia. These young Serbs joined nationalistic groups such as the black hand who, “helped smuggle men, guns, and propaganda to sympathetic individuals” (Goff 97). The Black Hand not only tried to win over citizens through radical nationalism, but also asserted their power by organizing the assassination of Austria-Hungary’s archduke, Franz Ferdinand. This bold act of nationalism helped to kindle the devastating war that would follow. After World War One, Winston Churchill wrote that nationalism, “burned beneath the surface of every land with fierce, if shrouded fires” (Goff 98). Nationalism was not only an evident start of World War One, but also raised tension between countries during the interwar

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