Glorification Of War

In addition to being, at the time, the most devastating conflict to date, World War One was perhaps the most pivotal conflict in history. In the years prior 1914, there were many causes that contributed to the commencement of WWI. Nationalism and the glorification of war were the main forces which collaborated to foster an environment in which war was a desirable and likely prospect.
Nationalism was an integral part of European culture in the 19th and 20th centuries and was a significant cause of World War One. As Fromkin illustrated in Europe’s Last Summer, European leaders were constantly in competition with one another, gaging their wealth, power, and influence against each other: “But the European empires were of greatly unequal size and
In the years prior to 1914, European citizens weren’t exceptionally worried about the prospect of war. Roberts illustrated: “There was bound to be a war before long but it was not something to worry about since it too would be short, sharp and glorious for the victor” (Roberts, 49). The glorification of war caused citizens of Europe to be unconcerned about the idea of war, or the lives lost, because they thought a possible war would be over quickly and bring glory and power to the victor(s). Because war wasn’t something to be concerned about, people were more willing to fight and die for their country, and and were less eager to stop a possible
Roberts reported, “Politicians backed by public opinion were more and more ready to threaten war and to regard peaceful compromises as dishonourable” (Roberts, 49). The glorification of war in the 19th and 20th centuries lead to people thinking that, since war was noble, peace was disgraceful and dishonorable. This, combined with the idea of nationalism, made war a desirable prospect for both politicians and the public.
Not only was war viewed as not very consequential, and perhaps desirable, the notion of diplomacy and peace in favor of war was seen as ignominious. Some people thought that war was a conservative notion. In The Greatness of War (circa 1890), German historian Heinrich von Treitschke declared: “It is quite clear that the furtherance of an everlasting peace is fundamentally reactionary...to banish war from history would be to banish all progress” (Treitschke, 119). In the years leading up to World War I, the glorification of war lead to people thinking that only in times of war the world would progress. People like Treitschke thought only war would bring advancement, therefore peace would put the human race at a standstill.
In conclusion, in the years preceding 1914, the glorification of war combined with nationalism, cultivated an environment in which war was able to be formed, by making war a desirable prospect for both politicians and the