Imperialism , International Encyclopedia. German trenches on the Aisne , Library of Congress. Skip to main content. Norwich University Online. Search form. Request Info Apply Contact Us. Apply Request Info Click to Call. Contact Us Request Info Apply. Student Login Course Catalog Search form. August 1st, European Expansionism In the s, several European nations had empires across the globe, where they had control over vast swaths of lands.
Serbian Nationalism Nationalism was one of many political forces at play in the time leading up to World War I, with Serbian nationalism in particular, playing a key role.
Conflicts over Alliances In the age of imperialism prior to World War I, countries throughout Europe had created alliances. The result was some of the most horrific carnage the world had ever seen, with more than 16 million military personnel and civilians losing their lives. It also radically altered the map, leading to the collapse of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian, Ottoman and Russian empires that had existed for centuries, and the formation of new nations to take their place.
Long after the last shot had been fired, the political turmoil and social upheaval continued, and ultimately led to another, even bigger and bloodier global conflict two decades later. The event that sparked the conflagration was the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in But historians say that World War I actually was the culmination of a long series of events, stretching back to the late s.
The path to war included plenty of miscalculations and actions that turned out to have unforeseen consequences. Both Russia and France, which had been humiliated in the Franco-Prussian War of , feared the rising power of Germany, which had already formed alliances with Austria-Hungary and Italy. So the two nations decided to join forces for mutual protection as well.
Fogarty , an associate professor of history at University at Albany, explains. The resulting war, fought both at sea and on land in China, was won by the Japanese, and as Beiriger notes, it helped shift power the power balance in Europe. France later convinced the Russians to enter into an alliance with the British as well, laying the groundwork for their alliance in World War I.
Within Europe, imperialism occurred at the height of industrialization. As European countries were discovering more about the sciences and mass production benefits via industrialization, a demand and competition for more land and produce was developing, and this would create the tension needed to begin the First World War. Germany and Great Britain were two powerful European countries that had been trying to establish control in Africa and Asia, two countries that were not as strong as them, and relatively vulnerable.
Due to rebellions of the native people and interferences by each other and other countries, they were not entirely successful. This lack of cooperation between European countries in the attempt to govern and control weaker states so as to use their products for trade caused tension, and finally after it built up to a certain point, war was the only option left.
Imperialism led to the three other contributors to the war because without the tension induced by imperialism, secret alliances would not b Imperialism was a cause of WW1 because it developed the basis for tension to occur and after a continuous build-up of conflicts and frustrations; there was an outburst of war that was not only foreseeable, but also unstoppable. Different occurrences added to the pressure induced by the war, and led to the three other causes of war by means of threats, competition of power, and defense of nations.
Imperialism made it possible for this conflict between countries to grow, and it stemmed from the industrialist movements attempting to expand and grow within countries, mainly in Europe. Although some may argue that the other three contributors were the main factors leading to WW1, none would have occurred without the introduction of imperialism to the world. Get Access. Satisfactory Essays. Militarism within European countries was responsible for WWI.
To what extent do you agree with this statement? Read More. Good Essays. The Causes of World War One. Disillusionment in Europe During the years Words 2 Pages. Disillusionment in Europe During the years Nationalism can be defined as attitudes and beliefs held by an individual identifying with and supporting their own nation.
The attitude of superiority is proliferated through propaganda, and it is often to the detriment of other nations. Britain had been building its empire since the 17th century. Come the 19th century, industrial Britain sought to maintain and expand its colonies in order to increase the importation of raw materials such as timber, rubber and cotton, and expand manufacturing and exportation of finished products.
Other nations emerged as imperialistic newcomers in the midth century and leading up to WWI. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars and the Congress of Vienna , empire-building and international relations between the major powers the Austrian Empire, France, Prussia, Russia and Britain were increasingly put to the test. Imperialist competition for power, influence and prestige grew and is most famously exemplified in the Scramble for Africa of the s and s.
In , only 10 per cent of Africa fell under European control. By , however, as much as 90 per cent was formally under the control of various European powers. Motivations for claiming territories in Africa included resources, establishing infrastructure such as ports for improved trade and strategic military control, prestige, Christian missionary zeal, attitudes of superiority and civilisation, and exploitation of internal African politics. Such territorial claims were also facilitated by the Berlin Conference of Tensions between Major Powers over Imperialism As Italy and Germany were newly unified nations in the early 19th century, they quickly developed imperialist ambitions to meet the demand for land and resource, and economic limitations at home.
In the late 19th century, German organisations such as the Colonial League proliferated ideas of imperial expansion, which the Kaiser also supported.
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