The Importance Of Nationalism In World War I

World War 1 was known as the first modern war, it caused many improvements in military strategy and weapon technology. These improvements included trench warfare, machine guns, tanks, and radio communication. Many of these improvements are still used in wars today. World War 1 was one of the most destructive wars of all time. The fighting between the Central Powers and the Allied Forces caused over 16 million casualties. The Central Powers consisted of Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. The Allied Powers were Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States. The war began in 1914 after the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. It ended in 1918 after the Allied Powers were claimed victorious (“World War 1”). But, why did this war

“Nationalism is an extreme form of patriotism and loyalty to one’s country. Nationalists place the interest of their own country above the interests of other countries” (“Nationalism as cause”). This form of patriotism started in the early 20th century in Europe. Many nationalists were often exposed to the form of loyalty through newspapers, literature, and music. Nationalism often gave citizens over-confidence in their country’s government and military strength. These beliefs often led nationalist to demonize rival countries, and think of them as deceitful or uncivilized (“Nationalism as cause”). Nationalism led to World War 1 since it drove countries against each other, as nationalists were all trying to prove their country to be superior. For example, a nationalist action that relates to World War 1 was the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Many nationalist organizations such as the Black Hand inspired the assassination of Ferdinand, which was an event that directly led to World War 1. This is how nationalist actions contributed to the start of World War 1 (“Nationalism as