Nationalism and Competition: A Devastating Combination during WWI & WWII

The first World War was costly, both in human lives, and money as it was drawn out for four years due to aggressive nationalism, and fierce feuds over industrial and imperial power. Beginning in 1914 and ending in 1918, the war was about four years, but it killed millions and resulted in the fall of a few empires in its time. Before the Great War, battle was seen as a glorious thing, as something to enjoy and cheer during. However, as the war continued to play out, the world realized how horrible it could be. During the war, nationalism emboldened many nations and caused countries to blindly believe that war was a benefit to their country, and would bring them power and pride. Meanwhile, industrial and imperial competition left countries resentful, making them even more reluctant to reconcile with the enemy. World War One was so devastating because of the high tensions between the countries to ensure world power through competing for lands, and military power, as well as the tendencies of nations to use to prove their nationalistic superiority.

Nationalism, while sometimes a good thing, caused the countries during the 1900s to want more power, in order to prove themselves to the world. The Slavic people wanted unity, and so these nationalistic feelings caused the formation of the terrorist group, The Black Hand. To achieve unity for all Serbians, they used underhand methods to influence politicians and the wealthy. They also carried out assassinations. One infamous assassination was a major factor in igniting the Great War. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914 was an act to show the people of the Austria-Hungary empire that Serbians were just as powerful, and deserved just as much importance as others in political matters (Doc 4). Nationalism spurred acts of violence, which then heightened tensions before the war. German nationalism was also a key factor to the war. The country of Germany wanted a place on the world stage, it wanted to “take its place in the sun”, as the Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany had said. To create more nationalistic pride, Germany began to look towards military victories, but the resulting violence was forgotten to the pride of winning as a country. The Germans saw their ways as fighting with “the good German Sword”, meaning that the wars they began was for a good cause and was to empower Germany as it became a world power. (Doc 2). For example, the battle waged against France for the territories Alsace and Lorraine were because of Germany’s nationalism. They believed that they deserved more power, and so, they took it, in the form of land. These battles, however, only created more enemies for Germany and increased the devastating losses during the war. Many of these losses, were the lives of the soldiers, who fought on the ideas of heroism, bravery, and nationalism. Countries often described their armies as a place for young men to find adventure, become a hero, and bring honor to his family. The famous “Blood and Iron” speech by Otto Von Bismarck reflects the deep nationalism in countries during that time period. Bismarck’s speech encourages Germany to do everything in its power to build a great military, use it to gain power, and then use that power to unite all German people. Ideals like this were not uncommon. Most countries sought to prove themselves in the arena of a battlefield, hoping to feel some pride in their victories. These ideas contributed to the willful involvement of countries in wars. Nationalism simply created a fevered excitement within countries to go to war, which resulted in horrible losses.

Competition between countries also had a hand in instigating the war, making rivals out of many countries due to industrialism, army size, and the number of colonies owned. Austria-Hungary and Italy, though technically bound in an alliance, still continued to attempt to add lands to their empires, and competing for the same land. This competition created tensions, which eventually caused Italy to switch to the side of the Allies, resulting in harsh punishment after the war was over. These tensions between countries, as they tried to outperform each other in acts of militarism, industrialism, and imperialism only prolonged the war, as countries tried to show the other their strength and bravery. Britain and Germany were bitter rivals, who desperately tried to build better navies, and improve their industrialist methods faster than the other. England focused on building a strong force to protect its colonies and lands from any outside attacks, while Germany did the same. This frenzied attempt to recruit more men, and gain the upper hand lead to recruitment posters seen everywhere. One such British poster claims, “[Join] the ranks…Don’t stay in the crowd and stare!” This poster shows how the government tries to make their armies appealing to young men looking for more in their lives, in order to protect their abundant colonies. These heavy imperial rivalries lead to the creation of large armies in order to protect their lands.( Doc 7). This in turn, caused their rivals to strengthen their army, continuing the never-ending cycle of competition. Soldiers within the countries also competed to excel against other soldiers. They not only saw the others as a rival of the country, but they saw them as a personal rival. Famous fighter pilot Manfred von Richthofen, famously known as the “Red Baron”, had said, “It is a pity that my collection of trophies contains not a single Russian” (Doc 8). Richthofen had a custom of ordering a silver cup for every fighter pilot he brought down. He feels sad that he was not able to shoot down a specific enemy. This shows the mentality during the war a not only one of enmity between countries, but also as a game to see who would win, and who would lose. This casual attitude towards war is what leads to a detrimental turn of events, where death in battle was finally realized as horrible.

The Great War was immensely destructive due to the high tensions between the countries to claim world power and recognition to boost their nationalism, and prove their superiority to other countries. Nationalism created a thirst for war for the countries, as they longed to prove themselves as the best. Competition for lands and riches lead to bitterness between countries, that only fed their need to battle. In addition, growing military competition caused suspicion throughout Europe as the armies of countries grew larger and larger as if they were planning on a war. Due to these factors, the tensions in Europe become high, causing the countries to ally with each other whom they had similar interests. This only fed into their beliefs that their alliance was superior, increasing tensions further. Eventually, war seemed inevitable, and unfortunately, the intense rivalry between countries lead to a horribly devastating war for all.

DBQ Analysis

Document 2

Germany, as a nation, strived to be acknowledged as a world power. Its goal during its battles was to gain land and power so that it would be respected as a nation. Germany’s goals were thought to be just and fair by themselves. The country of Germany wanted a place on the world stage, it wanted to “take its place in the sun”, as the Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany had said. To create more nationalistic pride, Germany began to look towards military victories, but the resulting violence was forgotten to the pride of winning as a country. They believed that they had a right to rule as a great nation, and they were only doing what they needed to make their destiny come true. The Germans saw their ways as fighting with “the good German Sword”, meaning that the wars they began was for a good cause and was to empower Germany as it became a world power. Germany’s quest for power, unfortunately, met a lot of resistance, causing it to gain many enemies.

Document 4

The Serbians Serbia believed in the unification of all Serbs, called pan-Serbianism. It was similar to nationalism, in the sense that they wanted to become a nation in the future. They held great pride in who they were and wanted to unite. However, the small size of Serbia compared to the owner of Bosnia, Austria-Hungary, made it difficult to achieve their goals through diplomatic means. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, was an act to show the people of the Austria-Hungary empire that Serbians were just as powerful, and deserved just as much importance as others in political matters.

Document 7

This poster shows how the government tries to make their armies appealing to young men looking for more in their lives, in order to protect their abundant colonies. These heavy imperial rivalries lead to the creation of large armies in order to protect their lands. They often fought on the ideas of heroism, bravery, and nationalism. Countries often described their armies as a place for young men to find adventure, become a hero, and bring honor to his family.

Document 8

The Red Baron had a custom of ordering a silver cup for every fighter pilot he brought down. He feels sad that he was not able to shoot down a specific enemy. This shows the mentality during the war a not only one of enmity between countries, but also as a game to see who would win, and who would lose. This casual attitude towards war is what lead to a detrimental turn of events, where death in battle was finally realized as horrible.