Imperialism: The Use Of Military Force In World War I

World War I was the result of the development of military strength and national pride.
Imperialism, the policy of extending one’s power over other nations by use of military force, was a very powerful force during the 19th century. During this time, countries were very determined to increase the size of their empires, and imperialism was prominent because many countries regarded it as a very effective method of acquiring more territory. French diplomat Eugene-Melchior de Vogue observed in 1903 that “what used to be a European balance of power is now a world balance of power” and that “any country that does not wish to become less important must obtain as much new territory relatively as our rivals are doing” (Vogue). Every European nation
By the start of the war, countries had already divided themselves into two distinct alliances and had established contracts that secured their alliances, which meant that opposition between only two countries would most likely mean war between them all. The second article of the Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy reads, “In case Italy, without direct provocation on her part, should be attacked by France for any reason whatsoever, the two other Contracting Parties shall be bound to lend help and assistance with all their forces to the party attacked. This same obligation shall devolve upon Italy in case of any aggression without direct provocation by France against Germany” (____). Rigid alliances such as this demanded a profound amount of obligation and reliability between countries. If one country was to be attacked by another country that was not an ally, countries that were allied with the country that was attacked would be obligated to lend assistance by providing military forces because of their alliances. Eventually, many countries would be catapulted into war to support their ally, resulting in a world war. Due to this reason, World War I was
Most pre-World War I countries took nationalism to very extreme levels because each nation believed in the economic, cultural, and military omnipotence of its empire. Nations were convinced that their empire was omnipotent due to expressions of nationalism that reinforced both the cause and continuation of the war. Such expressions of nationalism were newspapers, films, and theater, which were bursting with inflammatory rumors of envious nations that sought to decimate military strength or economic standing. Many countries were catapulted into the war either because they wanted to maintain their influence over other nations or because they wanted to preserve their