Nationalism as a Cause of World War I Essay Example

Before the unification of Germany in 1871 occurred, they existed as a collection of 38 sovereign states, 4 free cities, and 5 large kingdoms due to the Congress of Vienna and German Confederation (1814-1815). With the help of chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck Germany became a unified country. Most countries in Europe did not want a unified Germany because they believed they would be too powerful but it was Bismarck's goal. He believed that a strong government and army would lead to German unification. Nationalism is loyalty and devotion to your nation and Bismarck did just that. Nationalism had a positive effect by leading to the unification of Germany but on the other hand, it had negative effects on the entirety of Central Europe by contributing to the cause of World War I and World War II.

World War I started on July 28, 1914, and ended on November 11, 1918, the two sides fighting in this war were the Central Powers and the Allies. Although the immediate cause of World War I was the assassination of Austria’s Archduke, Franz Ferdinand, nationalism was a great cause of the war too. Nationalism shows you are proud of your country and want it to be the best but countries became greedy and would not negotiate. When people love their country they will do anything to make it better. The use of Nationalism caused nations to build up their armies increasing militarism and aggression between the Central European countries. To be specific, France, Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia each tried to prove their importance by building up their armies and weapons. Countries believed they had more power than their enemies which created false hope in Central Europe resulting in the First World War. 

World War 2 started on September 1, 1939, and ended on September 2, 1945, the two sides in this war were the Axis powers and the Allies. World War 2 broke out when Adolf Hitler invaded Poland causing France and Britain to declare war on Germany. Nationalism was taken entirely too far, especially by the German people. Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933, at this time Germany was very sensitive, they had just been through a depression causing them to lose all hope. Hitler was a dictator and brainwashed the people by using Nationalism and propaganda. During World War 2, Nationalism led nations to have competitive attitudes and goals of ruling over each other. For example, the Japanese worked to show the dominance of their country and wanted to have absolute power. Now, some countries had enough strength and power so Nationalism made them work harder but for others, it negatively affected them in the war. 

Nationalism had many effects on Central Europe between 1860 to 1945. A positive outcome would be the unification of Germany but it also had some brutal negative effects. During World War I, Nationalism led countries to believe that they had more power than they actually did, causing conflict between the Central Powers and the Allies. During World War II, Nationalism resulted in the Axis Powers and the Allied Powers with the individual goal of ruling over each other. As seen, in World War I and World War II Nationalism can have severe negative effects on the relations between countries.