The Rise of Nationalism

The Rise of Nationalism

In the 1800s, a new force rose within the heart of Europe that helped

bring about the Great War. The force was nationalism - the belief that

loyalty to a person's nation and its political and economic goals

comes before any other public loyalty. During the 1800's nationalism

took hold among people who shared a common language, history, or

culture. Such people began to view themselves as members a national

group or nation. Nationalism led to the creation of a new power:

Germany through the uniting of many small states. War had a major role

in achieving nation unification in Germany. On the other hand,

nationalism weakened the eastern European empires of Austria-Hungary,

Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. Those empires ruled many national groups

that clamored for independence. The Balkan Peninsula otherwise known

as "Powder Keg of Europe" because tensions there threatened to ignite

a major war. Rivalry for control of the Balkans added to the tensions

that erupted into World War 1.

A build-up of military rivalry occurred among European powers before

World War 1 broke out. Nationalism encouraged public support for

military build-ups and for a country's use of force to achieve its

goals. By the late 1800s, Germany had the best trained army in the

world. In 1898 Germany began developing a naval force that was big

enough to challenge the British navy. In 1906, the British navy

launched the Dreadnought, the first modern battleship. The Dreadnought

had greater firepower that any other ship of its time. Germany rushed

to construct one that was able to match its firepower. Advances in

technology helped aid in making m...

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...es. The day June 28 was the significant day for the Serbians

when they lost their independence for the first time. This arose the

feeling of nationalism within the heart of the Serbians. was

assassinated by a Serbian terrorist named Gavrilo Princip. The

Archduke's assassination triggered the outbreak of World War 1. On

July 28 Austria-Hungary declard war on Serbia. Because of

Austria-Hungary's alliance with Germany, Serbia seeked help from

Russia. In 1914 Russia vowed to stand behind Serbia, but first Russia

gained support from France. Germany declared war on Russia on Aug. 1,

1914, in response to Russias mobilization. Two days later Germany

declared war on France. The German Army swept into Belgium on its way

to France. The invasion of Belgium caused Britian to declare war on

Germany on Aug. 4 creating a world crisis.