The First World War was an incredibly complicated conflict involving numerous state actors each with their motivations and war aims. In this respect, it presents one of the greatest challenges for those who seek to prove theories of war in the international system. The first theory of the conflict we will examine is one of the most popular, the rise of European nationalism necessitating a grand struggle of nations. Instead of the traditionally dominant realist theories revolving around the breakdown of the multipolar balance of power, we will examine two more focused theories born of realist principles, one which finds the root of the conflict in an Anglo-German battle for dominance, the other which points instead to the weakened Eastern powers of Russia and Austria-Hungary.
The Nationalism Theory for the First World War centers around the principles that a state’s foreign policy is a reflection of its political culture and the perceptions of its population. Both of these assertions are supported by John Rourke in International Politics in the World Stage (Rourke 70-71 & 81). Nationalism Theory argues that the rise of nationalism across Europe created feelings of national superiority in political culture and distorted the perception of foreign rivals, which …show more content…
It is very broad, concerning itself with national and international moods, rather than the decision making of leaders and the maximization of power. It also has questionable value as a predictive theory. When discussing Europe, historians often first cite nationalism as a major social force in Revolutionary France and do not consider it a continent-wide phenomenon until the mid nineteenth century. While this model may be useful in understanding both World Wars and potentially even the Napoleonic Wars, it is fairly useless before 1789. It goes without saying that Europe fought many wars before King Louis lost his
The Nationalism Theory for the First World War centers around the principles that a state’s foreign policy is a reflection of its political culture and the perceptions of its population. Both of these assertions are supported by John Rourke in International Politics in the World Stage (Rourke 70-71 & 81). Nationalism Theory argues that the rise of nationalism across Europe created feelings of national superiority in political culture and distorted the perception of foreign rivals, which …show more content…
It is very broad, concerning itself with national and international moods, rather than the decision making of leaders and the maximization of power. It also has questionable value as a predictive theory. When discussing Europe, historians often first cite nationalism as a major social force in Revolutionary France and do not consider it a continent-wide phenomenon until the mid nineteenth century. While this model may be useful in understanding both World Wars and potentially even the Napoleonic Wars, it is fairly useless before 1789. It goes without saying that Europe fought many wars before King Louis lost his