World War 1 Dbq Analysis

World War I is renowned and historically relevant due to the many stipulations of its beginning. While the initiation of its ‘successor’, World War II can be pinpointed to a single group, the instigation of World War I is surrounded with varying opinions and perspectives. Certain individuals may argue that militarism was the culprit, or that alliances provided the spark needed to ablaze warfare on a global scale. Despite this, many historians bring forth the rise of nationalism as the leading instigator of war. Nationalistic pride can be seen as a primary motivator in the development of secondary causes of war such as the formation of alliances, imperialism and militarism. Every action that contributed to the start of the war can be tied back to nationalism, thus making every other cause of war less immediate. Due to this, I believe that nationalism’s contribution to the war was most …show more content…
Document I highlights the assassination of Austria’s archduke as the main instigation for war. This is done by portraying Sarajevo as a match that would set fire to a pile of logs. In turn, the logs are a symbol of the less immediate causes of war such as alliances, imperialism and militarism. Document F strengthens Document I’s stance on the relationship between nationalistic uprising and war by providing context on the discontent Pan-Slavic body. Document F states that, “Serbia was the only Balkan nation to threaten a Great Power directly… To the Austrians, the rise of Pan-Slavic nationalism, and particularly Serbian aggression, was a direct threat to the future of the Austrian Empire.” The idea that the Pan-Slavic ethnic nation within Serbia would threaten the Austrian Empire was a nationalistic conflict. Due to the perceived threat, it can be assumed that Austria’s compensatory demands of Serbia was an act of national self-interest for their empire. This would in turn be a show of