World War I: The Role Of Nationalism In The Late 19th Century

World War One was the final and explosive culmination of rising tensions within Europe, a result of the surge in nationalist ideology and related principles. During the years preceding the start of the war, the world was experiencing a division between states based on culture, ethnicity, and societal norms-- these attributes unified and formed identities of the collective within these states. Nationalism played a large role in shaping international relations during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with two differing interpretations of the same ideology rising to the forefront.
The first emphasized a nation’s right to independence and autonomy. This form of nationalism took on a large role during the late 19th century as colonialism
As Germany-- and other nations-- continued to expand their territories and trade, usurping Britain as the ultimate hegemon, the balance of power shifted. In the years immediately before the war, Germany posed a threat not just to any specific colony, but to Britain’s strategic lines of communication and global trade. This shift in the balance of global power contributed to European tensions and the overall destabilization that began the
To add to the already rising tensions, a majority of these treaties and alliances were made in secrecy-- secrecy that led to an entanglement of powers and heightened global suspicions. When the war began, these alliances generated moral commitment for a country to act, creating guarantees and the promise of nearly automatic action; in this way, what may have begun as a relatively small conflict was blown into a worldwide and extensive war. The issuance of the “blank check” that assured Germany’s support for Austria-Hungary brought German forces into the war; Britain joined the war in defense of Belgium, honoring a treaty that recognized and guaranteed Belgium’s independence and neutrality; France fought alongside Russia as a result of the Franco-Russian Alliance. Expanding on this idea, one of the largest moves in the war, the German Schlieffen Plan, was rooted in the fear of alliances. Germany acknowledged the possibility of a two-front war with Russia and France, but miscalculated Belgium’s neutrality and the involvement of other countries in defending it. This singular action resulted in the involvement of the United Kingdom and its colonies, furthering the expansiveness of the war drastically. The extensive militaries of these nations, as well as the fundamental aggression associated with