How Did Nationalism Cause Ww1

Nationalism means to have a devotion and loyalty to one’s own country, an idea the was widely spread throughout Europe during World War (WWⅠ). Out of the several causes of WWⅠ such as Militarism, Alliances, Imperialism, and Nationalism (M.A.I.N.), Nationalism was the most influential which is shown through a series of events: The forming of Germany, The Balkan Powder Keg, and the assassination of Franz Ferdinand.
The first indirect cause of World War I which involves nationalism would be the overall formation of Germany. Nationalism spread throughout German-speaking areas and people fought to free land from the French rule (document I). This was due to the Chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck, who annexed the northern German states to unify them with the rest of Germany. Through nationalism, they were able to create the Second Reich and strengthen Germany to become an empire. It is easy to say that without the unification of Germany World war one would've never taken place, but nationalism also had a direct cause to WWI through the Balkan …show more content…
The assassins were inspired by nationalism to assassinate Franz Ferdinand as a sign of propaganda (document I). Their objective was for the south Slav to gain its independence. This way they could use their nationalism to unite and create Yugoslavia. This assassination was the spark that ignited the Powderkeg and ultimately started World War I.
Although all of the M.A.I.N. reasons were causes of World War I, nationalism had the most dramatic impact. Not only did it cause the unification of Germany, but it also created the Balkan Powder Keg. Without the unification of Germany, World War I would've never happened and without the Balkan Powderkeg, nationalism would've never caused the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. Overall, nationalism is credited with the most compelling causes of World War