Comparison Of Nationalism, Arm Races And The Great War

Nationalism, Arm Races and The Great War

From the second half of the nineteenth century, nations in Europe had undergone enormous changes and conflicts that contributed to the outbreak of the disastrous war worldwide. The change of Ihering and other liberals’ attitude towards Bismarck’s Realpolitik signals the growing militant nationalism and public enthusiasm for war; as nationalism fueled the imperial rivalries in the following two decades, Ferry’s description of the tense competition of great powers signals the arm races, and all these three factors set the stage for World War I.

Ihering’s praise of Bismarck’s Realpolitik illustrates the growing support for militant nationalism and public enthusiasm. In the first letter, Ihering considered the Austro-Prussian War “so shamelessly and with such horrifying frivolity ;” he despised Bismarck’s policies for taking advantage of Austria and being immoral to its people. Nonetheless, when Prussia was triumphant, Although he was one of the liberals who opposed wars, Ihering praised that Realpolitik gave to “the name of Germany in Europe a lustre and a tone that is has not had for a thousand years .” His words implied

Jules Ferry’s defense of French expansionism signals the tension of imperial competitions, another factor to the outbreak of the war. In his speech delivered before the National Assembly in 1883, Ferry argued, “What is lacking for our great industry… is export markets. Why? Because next door to us Germany is surrounded by barriers, because beyond the ocean, the United States of America has been protectionist .” With this statement, Ferry explained the necessity of colonial expansion as the result of the imperial rivalries among great powers. Such international tension was difficult to be calmed as the nationalist atmosphere was heated up, and newcomers such as Italy and Germany made the imperial rivalries even worse