Day 27 – Q 4.Nationalism, imperialism, and militarism help set the stage for World War I. Comment.
4. Nationalism, imperialism, and militarism help set the stage for World War I. Comment.
राष्ट्रवाद, साम्राज्यवाद और सैन्यवाद ने प्रथम विश्व युद्ध के लिए आधार स्थापित करने में मदद की। चर्चा करें।
Approach:
- Introduction- Definition of nationalism, imperialism, militarism in short.
- How these three helped set the stage for WW I
- Conclusion
Introduction:
Nationalism is an extreme form of patriotism or loyalty to one’s country. Nationalists place the interests of their own country above those of other countries.
Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation-state seizes or controls territories outside its own borders. These territories are claimed and governed as colonies.
Militarism is the incorporation of military personnel and ideas into civilian government – and the belief that military power is essential for national strength.
Nationalism as cause of WW I:
Nationalism was prevalent in early 20th century Europe and became a significant cause of World War I.
- Pre-war nationalism was fuelled by wars, imperial conquests and rivalry, political rhetoric, newspapers and popular culture.
- British nationalism was fuelled by a century of comparative peace and prosperity.
- German nationalism was a new phenomenon, emerging from the unification of Germany in 1871. It became fascinated with German imperial expansion.
- Rising nationalism was also a factor in the Balkans, where Slavic Serbs and others sought independence and autonomy from the political domination of Austria-Hungary.
It was this pan-Slavicnationalism that inspired the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914, an event that led directly to the outbreak of World War I.
Imperialism as cause of WW I:
- Several European nations-maintained empires in the decades before World War I. The British Empire was by far the largest.
- The pre-war period saw European powers scramble to acquire the new colonial possessions. Much of this occurred in Africa, where Britain, France and Germany all vied for land and control.
- This ‘scramble for empire’ fuelled rivalry and led to several diplomatic incidents, such as two Moroccan crises.
- The decline of another imperial power, the Ottoman Empire, attracted the attention of European powers, who sought territory, influence or access in the Balkans and eastern Europe.
Militarism as cause of WW I:
- Militarism was strongest in Germany, where the kaiser relied heavily on his military commanders and the civilian legislature exerted little or no control over the military.
- Militarists were also driven by experiences and failures in previous wars, such as the Crimean War, Boer War and Russo-Japanese War.
- Militarism, combined with new weapons, emerging technologies and developments in industrial production, fuelled a European arms race in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
- Influenced by nationalism and advice from military commanders, European governments ramped up military spending, purchasing new weaponry and increasing the size of armies and navies.
Conclusion:
The above three factors thus created a ground where the world war couldn’t be avoided.
Best answer: Rashmi
