How imperialism, nationalism and militarism contributed to the outbreak of World War One.

Robert Struk

How imperialism, nationalism and militarism contributed to the outbreak of World War One

The main causes of World War I were nationalism that spread throughout Europe in the 19th and into the 20th century, the economic and political rivalry among other nations, and the establishment in Europe after 1871 of large armaments and of two hostile military alliances.

A factor, which contributed to the increase in rivalry in Europe, was imperialism. European nations ruled smaller countries, which were called colonies. Imperialism is the tendency of rich and powerful nations to seek to extend their rule by invading or annexing territory controlled by another country. Collecting and gathering colonies became known as imperialism. Great Britain, Germany and France needed foreign markets after the increase in manufacturing caused by the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution took place in Great Britain at the end of the 18th century, then in France in the early 19th century, and then later in Germany after 1870, which caused a great increase in the manufactures of each country and a need for foreign markets. These countries competed for economic expansion in Africa. Although Britain and France resolved their differences in Africa, several crises indicated that the war involved the clash of Germany against Britain and France in North Africa. In the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire was collapsing and was attracting itself to Austria-Hungary, the Balkans and Russia. Both Britain and France had many colonies in Asia and Africa. Germany and Italy then decided they needed a colonial empire too.

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Nationalism is a strong sense of identification with one’s country. It led European nations to compete for the largest army and navy, and also the largest industrial development. It also gave people the idea of forming independent nations of their own. As the powers tried to dominate each other in Europe, their rivalries became regarded as one of the causes of the First World War. Germany was united in 1871 as a result of the Franco-Prussian War, and very quickly became the strongest economic and military power in Europe. From 1871 to 1890, Germany wanted to preserve its power in Europe by forming a series of peaceful alliances with other powers. Russia was the largest and most populated country in Europe and was very territorially ambitious. Two thirds of Russia’s people were Slavs. Russia wanted to expand in all directions. In 1870, Russia broke the Treaty of Paris and continued with its aggression in the Balkans. The unification of Slavic states into Yugoslavia and the formation of the Black Hand organization were both expressions of nationalism. The building of the Trans-Siberian railway was part of Russia’s expansion into Asia. France had always been the dominant power in Europe. In 1870, France was defeated by Germany. From 1871 onwards, France's greatest ambition was to recover Alsace and Lorraine from Germany and also wanted to prevent another defeat by Germany. In 1870 Britain was the most industrially advanced country in Europe and possessed the largest overseas empire and the largest navy in the world. Britain was able to maintain a strong financial position in the world because of her capital and wealth from her own and overseas enterprises. As the powers dominated each other in Europe, their rivalries can be regarded as one of the causes of the First World War.

Militarism was another cause of the war and it was similar to the arms race today. Militarism is the build up of military resources with the aim of using military action to achieve national goals. All the countries within the hostile camps were building large armies and navies during the pre-war years. Because Britain had a great navy, Germany also needed to have one too. Germany and France competed for larger armies. The more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same. Germany was the leader in military organization and efficiency; the universal conscription was copied by the great powers of Europe, large reserves and detailed planning of the Prussian system. Armies and navies were also greatly expanded. The standing armies of France and Germany doubled in size between 1870 and 1914. Naval expansion was also extremely competitive, particularly between Germany and Great Britain. By 1889, the British worked out that in order to maintain naval superiority war they would have to have a navy two and a half times as large as the second-largest navy. This motivated the British to launch the Dreadnought, invented by Admiral Sir John Fisher, in 1906. The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905 had demonstrated how effective these battleships were. As Britain increased their output of battleships, Germany correspondingly stepped up their naval production, including the Dreadnought. The European nations not only armed themselves for purposes of “self-defence”, but also, in order not to find themselves standing alone if war did break out, so they joined with other powers. The grouping of the great European powers into two hostile military alliances, the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy and the Triple Entente of Great Britain, France, and Russia. Shifts within these alliances added to the crises.

The murder of an Australian archduke by a Serb in June 1914 was enough to start World War 1. It caused Austria to threaten the Serbs, who were supported by Russia. Germany supporting Austria, declared war on Russia. France and Britain then joined in on Russia’s side. Italy began as an ally of Germany but changed sides in 1915. A number of other smaller countries were also involved. The build up of armies and naval ships made the countries ready for war. People’s patriotism and nationalism would not allow them to be dominated or threatened by another imperial country. Troops went off to fight in high spirits. Those who were not killed returned in a different mood. The number of casualties of the First World War was horrific. World War one resulted from the division of Europe into a system of alliances. They intended to build up strength for defence against the rising power of Germany. There was so much competition and rivalry that it brought tension to the political situation in Europe. The rising nationalism, the quickening pace of industrialisation and the build up of military forces were all factors, which contributed to the outbreak of World War 1.

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