For the purposes of analysing the causes of WWI in any depth, I have chosen to focus our attention on the 4 key causes of: Nationalism, Neo-Imperialism, Militarism and the Moroccan Crisis. To bring a focus of this unit back to the core concept of German unification and its irreversible alteration of the European status-quo, we will also focus and study the personality of Otto von Bismarck and his influence on shaping the politically sensitive and militarily robust Europe which erupted into war in 1914.
NationalismNationalism refers to the devotion for one's own nation's interests over those of all other nations. It was an important factor in the development of Europe. In the 19th century, a immense wave of nationalism swept the European continent, transforming its countries. Some newly formed countries, such as Germany, Italy and Romania were formed by uniting various regional states with a common "national identity".
The unification of Germany changed the small conflicting German states and Principalities into a single political and administrative nation state under Otto von Bismarck. German Unification officially occurred on the 18th January 1871, at the Palace of Versailles following the German victory over France in the Franco-Prussian War. |
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MilitarismMilitarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests. Militarism has been a significant element of the imperialist or expansionist ideologies of several nations and empires throughout history.
The roots of German militarism can be found in 19th-century Prussia and the subsequent unification of Germany under Prussian leadership. After Napoleon conquered Prussia in 1806, one of the conditions of peace was that Prussia should reduce its army to no more than 42,000 men. In order that the country should not again be so easily conquered, the King of Prussia enrolled the permitted number of men for one year, then dismissed that group, and enrolled another of the same size, and so on. Thus, in the course of ten years, he was able to gather an army of 420,000 men who had at least one year of military training. |
Neo-ImperialismThe New Imperialism (Neo-Imperialism) was a period of colonial expansion—and its accompanying ideologies—by the European Powers, the USA and the Empire of Japan during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The period is distinguished by an unprecedented pursuit of overseas territorial acquisitions. At the time, states focused on building their empires with new technological advances and developments, making their territory bigger through conquest, and exploiting their resources.
The first Moroccan Crisis (also known as the Tangier Crisis) was an international crisis between March 1905 and May 1906 over the political and territorial status of the African nation of Morocco. The crisis worsened German relations with both France and the United Kingdom, and helped ensure the success of the new Anglo-French Alliance.
The Moroccan crisis is understood as one of the major influences which led to the outbreak of WWI. |
Gallery
“I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear, and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow. I see how peoples are set against one another, and in silence, unknowingly, foolishly, obediently, innocently slay one another.”
Erich Maria Remarque |
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