1. Examine the role of Nationalism in causing
twentieth century warfare.
Megan Kedzlie.
26/4/2013
Entering the twentieth century, the major powers of Europe were large, colonial
empires. With the sun “never setting on the United Kingdom”, the island nation
was the ideal model for all nations that had the same colonizing dreams that
Britain had achieved. This nationalism, brought majorly from the warfare of the
nineteenth century (especially the Franco-Prussian War), created a mentality of
pride that bordered on xenophobia. This hatred of others was just one of the long
term causes of World War I and World War II that stems from the deep
nationalism the European empires exhibited.
Looking at the effects of Nationalism in the major conflicts of the twentieth
century, we must understand the effects of the Franco-Prussian War on these
decades. The clash of France and the Kingdom of Prussia was brutal and bloody,
but surprisingly for many, Prussia emerged victorious. Their skill in battle and
their advanced technology had given them an edge, and they easily defeated the
French troops in under a year. The biggest implication of this conflict was the
unification of Prussia and the other German states, leading to the proclamation
of the German Empire – led by Wilhelm I and Otto von Bismarck – and created a
new empire who’s ambitions would lead to the largest loss of life in centuries.
This newly formed Empire was born from Nationalism. The threat of loss to
France was enough to connect Prussia, Bavaria, Saxony and the twenty three
other duchies, territories and principalities that would make up the German
state.
As the sun never set on the British Empire in the nineteenth century, many
members of parliament in the early twentieth were concerned about how they
could continue their reign over nineteen commonwealth nations and over
twenty dominions. With 22% of the world under British Rule in 1922, it’s easy to
see why a newly formed empire like the German would want to emulate it. The
United Kingdom was also one of the most prideful nations in Europe. With a
monarchy that can be tracked through the Medieval Era and into the first settlers
of the British Isles, the connection and vigor that the people of the United
Kingdom exhibit is one that has rarely been seen in an Empire. This is the
strength that England was able to control when faced with the perils of World
War I, and the rise of Second German Empire.
The effort placed by these two great empires, alongside the strength that Russia
was also exerting (who’s imperialist and nationalist beliefs were almost large
enough to rival Britain), into the advancement of their social, political, military
and technological outputs are an obvious cause for the warfare of the twentieth
century, and a definite externality of the increased pressure on these empires.
The aims that Germany had began striving for – with the colonization of Samoa,
Ghana, Tanzania, Cameroon and other African nations and islands – had began to
worry these ancient powers, and both Russia and England increased their

2. dealings with Germany (not to aid, but to assess and hinder). With the
assassination of Arch Duke Ferdinand in Serbia, the dominos began to fall for the
start of World War I, which soon involved the majority of the Empires and their
commonwealths/colonies. The warfare was large and bloody, thanks to the
technological developments that the empires had been enjoying. After four years
of tireless battle, the Central Powers signed the armistice and faced the Treaty of
Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors, dictated and directed by the Allied Powers.
Even though the Paris Peace Conference had been created and undertaken with
the goal of a weakened Germany that would not be able to recover to the scale it
had enjoyed at the beginning of World War I, taking so much from the Second
German Empire and expecting them to sit in surrender seems unbelievable from
our view today. But after the Allies confiscated the majority of their arms, and
their ability to grow, German nationalism grew to unfathomable levels. An entire
nation had been told they lost the war (even though the Germans never actually
surrendered), and were desperate for vengeance and revenge. This is the
nationalism that stirred in all German and Austrian citizens, and allowed for the
rise of the Nazi Party – a group who swore on the pride and strength of the
former German Empire, and promised to allow for the Third Reich to rise again.
This nationalist desire to regain what they believed was theirs by right, after
such a degrading defeat, is the most essential power that lead the Germans to
initiate the desolate warfare of World War II. This passion that their countrymen
felt for the Lebensraum (the living space) was what drove them into Poland,
coupled with the pride they had for their empire, and their hatred of those whom
they believed orchestrated the Paris Peace Convention and signed the Treaty of
Versailles. This was the most important role that the nationalism played in the
twentieth century: in causing Germany to turn against the entirety of the Allied
Powers without being physically or militarily provoked.
We also cannot say that the Nationalism is what caused twentieth century
warfare solely. The wonderful developments that were being made with new
technology and heightened military capabilities created an uneasy stance
between these nations that had been harbouring concerns for decades, without
the proper weaponry to try and exert their control. These newfound advances,
such as poison gases and machine guns, alongside better planes, more intricate
radar systems and improved bombs allowed for nations to feel secure in waging
a war against others, and gave them the strength to follow through with any
threats or actions that they wanted to make.
When we grow up with our passports, constantly identifying ourselves with our
nations, it becomes a piece of us that we hold dear and true to our hearts. This is
what causes to many people to love their countries and to devote their lives to
improve their nations, but also what compels them to go onto the battlefield and
fight and kill other people for their countries and their homes. Never, in human
history, had there been so many large domains that were trying to exert their
powers across the globe, which is why there developed so much tension and so
much anger towards the “others”.