Causes of WWI
The force of nationalism was the most influential factor that led to World War I, as it transformed Europe into a group of feuding, war-hungry nations and led to the catastrophic assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. By the beginning of the twentieth century, many European nations were blinded by their pride and acted upon their own self-interest. States considered themselves as sovereign, and pursued foolish policies in order to protect and maintain national dignity. Within these nations, “...circles of political and military leaders...thought that war was inevitable and provided an opportunity to achieve their goals.” (Spielvogel 769) New means of communication like cheaply-produced newspapers served as tinder to the citizens’ …show more content…
Nationalism also created the aggressive arms race between the Great Powers--in order to rise to the top, each nation competed for having the largest army with the most weapons. The new mindsets of these nations threatened to destroy the peace in Europe and increased the likelihood of a major conflict. The often reckless decisions made by their governments that were meant to protect their pride and dignity resulted in competition and disputes that sparked the beginning of the Great War. Nationalism had a tremendous impact on the Slavs in the Balkans and parts of the Austrian Empire, and was the driving force behind the bullets shot from Gavrilo Princip’s gun. The pride the Slavs felt for their own people resulted in their aspiration of uniting into a single Slavic kingdom. Gavrilo Princip, the man who shot Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was a member of the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist organization dedicated to the creation of such an empire. Austria’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina--two Slavic-speaking territories--outraged Serbia, as it hindered their plans of including the southern Slavs in the kingdom. For that reason, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the Black Hand’s primary obstacle, so killing the heir to the Austrian throne was the obvious
The force of nationalism was the most influential factor that led to World War I, as it transformed Europe into a group of feuding, war-hungry nations and led to the catastrophic assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. By the beginning of the twentieth century, many European nations were blinded by their pride and acted upon their own self-interest. States considered themselves as sovereign, and pursued foolish policies in order to protect and maintain national dignity. Within these nations, “...circles of political and military leaders...thought that war was inevitable and provided an opportunity to achieve their goals.” (Spielvogel 769) New means of communication like cheaply-produced newspapers served as tinder to the citizens’ …show more content…
Nationalism also created the aggressive arms race between the Great Powers--in order to rise to the top, each nation competed for having the largest army with the most weapons. The new mindsets of these nations threatened to destroy the peace in Europe and increased the likelihood of a major conflict. The often reckless decisions made by their governments that were meant to protect their pride and dignity resulted in competition and disputes that sparked the beginning of the Great War. Nationalism had a tremendous impact on the Slavs in the Balkans and parts of the Austrian Empire, and was the driving force behind the bullets shot from Gavrilo Princip’s gun. The pride the Slavs felt for their own people resulted in their aspiration of uniting into a single Slavic kingdom. Gavrilo Princip, the man who shot Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was a member of the Black Hand, a Serbian nationalist organization dedicated to the creation of such an empire. Austria’s annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina--two Slavic-speaking territories--outraged Serbia, as it hindered their plans of including the southern Slavs in the kingdom. For that reason, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was the Black Hand’s primary obstacle, so killing the heir to the Austrian throne was the obvious