Was nationalism to blame for the outbreak of the First World War?

The first 200 words of this essay...

Sabrina Sharawy

October 27, 2004

Modern Europe

Was nationalism to blame for the outbreak of the First World War?

The First World War was a long and tragic war that launched battles between European countries for four destructive years, leaving an appalling saga of a raped Europe. Ten million dead, millions of widows and orphans, countries and cities devastated. The horror of the conflict left emotionally tortured minds and suffering. The blame for this historically brutal conflict was attributed to Balkan nationalism, but to what extent is Balkan nationalism responsible?

In 1914 Europe was a melting pot of tension. The reason for this was the fact that the "Super Powers" of Europe were at the extreme in a power struggle. There were the "Entente" powers on one side with the United Kingdom, France, and Russia, and on the other side the "Central Powers" of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. There was a great deal of stress and rivalry in between the two factions which although had not resulted in an actual war it was very obvious that each side saw the other as a serious threat to their security and power. In the summer