Imperialism and Nationalism in World War I

Mr. Johnson Due date: Friday 18th of October 861 words By Matthew Chin World war 1 was ultimately caused by imperialism. Different nations wanted control over more land and to be the dominant nation in Europe. The assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie was a small but very powerful event that led to the beginning of a very long chain of events. Alliances between lots of different countries also contributed to World War 1 .

The war first started Just In Europe, but alliances with many other countries outside of Europe caused the conflict In Europe to become a world war. The Arms Race was another factor of the war. Certain European countries competed against each other to see who would have the most powerful army. A large amount of money was spent and pretty much every country In the Arms Race adopted conscription. Global conflicts on such a large scale are rarely ever because of 1 simple cause.

Nation leaders acted unreasonably and the war could very easily have been prevented, and many lives saved. All the countries that were involved in World War 1 really had one primary desire, to main control of more land for their nation or country. They do this because they are trying to be loyal to their nation and want to do whatever they can for its benefit. This is called imperialism and nationalism. Imperialism and nationalism have been the cause of many long-term tensions and conflicts all around the world, even before the First World War.

Countries wanted to take land off other nations because of the raw materials the contained, take care of a threat or for some other need or want. This led to war between nations. As the opposing side were usually nationalists and cared or their country, they would defend it and fight back at the enemy. A very significant act of nationalism was when the Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated and Austria fought back. Austria then had an excuse to declare war on Serbia and this was the first step to world war.

This started the chain of events that eventually led to World War 1 . Sometimes, other countries even tried to take over other countries Just to show other nations their dominance and that they were powerful. No matter what the reason, imperialism eventually led to conflict. Imperialism also led to alliances sometimes, when a country wanted the reassurance of another country to make them feel safer and to Increase their chances of success. Alliances also helped the world war to happen.

They were not directly starting the war but once a conflict had started, alliances would be like a spark that would start out of control war if some of the nations were involved in an alliance. The countries that started the conflict may think making an alliance with other countries was a very smart decision at the time, but it Just causes more trouble for everybody because ore people being dragged into the war means more people will suffer. World War 1 started off as conflict between a few countries in Europe.

But as other countries stepped in, to protect allies, the solvable conflict became a world war. As the world entered into chaos as the war started, the Arms Race in Europe began. The Arms Race was a competition between some of the great powers in Europe for superiority in the army, Ana and air force, by accumulating more weapons, soldiers and developing weaponry. The air force at the time of WWW was not very powerful as technology was not as developed as it is today. Nearly all the countries in World War 1 were involved in the Arms Race. All the countries in the Arms Race had adopted conscription.

This is when all the men in that country are forced to enlist in the war as a soldier. This greatly increased the amount of people involved in the war. Large amounts of money were also spent for the purposes of the Arms Race. The great powers of Europe increased military expenditure by 300%! France’s standing army in 1913 was 690,000 but rapidly grew to 827,000 by 1914! When more weapons are accumulated, the likelihood of war increases, as the Race started before the war did. The Arms Race also led to nations wanting more power. Militarism was especially powerful during this time.

World War 1 was a massive war that could not have been the outcome of 1 simple cause. Imperialism, nationalism, the assassination of the Archduke and his wife, militarism, the Arms Race and alliances all played a part in the war. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie was a very significant even in the war that triggered a long chain of events. It started off with Austria declaring war on Serbia, then more countries declared war on each other because of he alliances they had made and the Arms Race Just made the war worse.