Nationalism Causes Ww1

World War one, known as being the Great War/Battle, not only shaped civilization but it also resulted in millions of deaths. Nationalism, defined as a excessive patriotism, was the factor to ignite its start. This extreme patriotism, bordering on hysteria, appealed to the egos of citizens prompting them to consider themselves superior and more powerful, than the other nations. The French ambassador to Russia Maurice Paleologue described nationalism as “world madness” (“W.Bruce Lincoln in Passage through Armageddon: The Russians in War and Revolution 1914-1918”). Nationalism was the core cause of World War One (WW1) because it brought in Imperialism, militarism and alliances/paranoia, which resulted in tension, violence and aggression.

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Nationalism creates a division in society as nations begin belonging to their own specific classes. The mindset of divided nations and conquering those of less worth, led to the necessity of militarism. That militaristic mindset, promoted aggression and approved violence. Militarism was funded on the idea of building a strong military in comparison to other, especially the neighboring nations (“The 4 Main Causes of World War One”). It created a culture of paranoia and a lust/need for competition, to prove their nations worth; which resulted in a larger pressure to act out aggression. The idea that nationalism increased the military was proven when in 1910 to 1914. This is around the same time the nationalistic mindset grew in popularity, Germany increased their military by 73% with Russia increasing it by 39% and Britain by 13% (“World War 1-Militarism”). Without militarism, the militaristic mindset would not have been a pushing factor towards violence, therefore reducing the likeness of a

However, without the seeds that nationalism left in its wake, there wouldn't be a need for alliances; since each nation would not want to be superior to one another. The so-called, loyalty, and, pride, which follows nationalism ideology, brought out the factors (militarism, imperialism) that lead to the war. Howard Zinn an American historian, playwright, and social activist stated that “Nationalism is a set of beliefs taught to each generation in which the Motherland or the Fatherland is an object of veneration and becomes a burning cause for which one becomes willing to kill the children of other Motherlands or Fatherlands” (“Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States: 1492-Present. HarperCollins,