(a) Causes of World War I with reference to Nationalism and Imperialism :
Nationalism : Nationalism was prevalent in early 20th century Europe and became a significant cause of World War I. Most pre-war Europeans believed in the cultural, economic and military supremacy of their nation. Their attitudes and over-confidence were fuelled by things like provocative speeches or press reports. The pages of newspapers were often packed with nationalist rhetoric and inflammatory stories, such as rumours about rival nations and their evil intentions. Nationalism was also present in other aspects of popular culture, including literature, music and theatre. Royals, politicians and diplomats did little to deflate nationalism – and some actively contributed to it with provocative remarks and rhetoric. Nationalism also gave citizens inflated confidence in their nation, their governments and their military strength. It assured them that their country was fair, righteous and without blame. In contrast, nationalist ideas demonised rival nations, caricaturing them as aggressive, scheming, deceitful, backward or uncivilised. Nationalist reporting convinced many that their country was being threatened by the plotting, scheming and hungry imperialism of its rivals. Nationalist and militarist rhetoric assured them that if war erupted, their nation was bound to emerge victorious. In concert with its dangerous brothers imperialism and militarism, nationalism contributed to a continental delusion where a **** war seemed both necessary and winnable.
Imperialism : Imperialism is when a powerful nation-state seizes territories outside its own borders, transforming and governing them as colonies. Several **** nations had empires in the late 19th century, though the British Empire was by far the largest of these. This ** saw a race to acquire the last territories open for colonisation. Much of this occurred in **, where Britain, France and Germany all competed for new colonial possessions. This ‘scramble for empire’ fuelled rivalry and led to several diplomatic incidents, such as two ‘Moroccan crises’ that were largely precipitated by the ** Kaiser. The deterioration of another imperial power, the Ottoman Empire, attracted the attention of **** powers, who sought territory, influence or access in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
(b) Territorial rearrangements as a result of the World War I : The political map of Europe was transformed after the peace treaties :
(i) Germany was forced to cede Alsace and Lorainne to France and surrender the areas of Eupin and Malmedy to Belgium.
(ii) Germany was also forced to hand over to Poland, large parts of industrial areas to Silesia.
(iii) New states such as Romania, Czechoslovakia, Finland and Yugoslavia were created.
(iv) The war ended the autocratic monarchies in Germany, Russia, Austria and Hungary. Hungary was recognized as a separate state after the Russian Revolution in 1917 when Czarist dictatorship came to an end.
(c) Four causes of the Second World War :
(i) The Treaty of Versailles signed in 1919 ended the World War I, but it could not establish real peace in Europe. This treaty was unjust and harsh to Germany which was sought to be crippled by the victorious Allied Powers forever. Quite naturally, the Germans could not accept the terms of the Treaty of Versailles from the depth of their heart. Hence, when ** opposed the Treaty of Versailles and sought to raise Germany once again to its former position of glory, he was supported by the Germans whole-heartedly. Thus, the Treaty of Versailles was responsible for World War II.
(ii) The democratic governments could not solve the varied problems which cropped up in countries such as Germany, Italy, etc. in the post-war **. As a consequence, in these countries, developed aggressive nationalism which aimed only at establishing the supremacy of the respective nations.
(iii) As a matter of fact, the rise of Nazism in Germany and Fascism in Italy may be regarded as one of the major causes of World War II. ** of Germany and Mussolini of Italy believed in imperialistic activities and the application of force for the realization of objectives. (iv) After his rise to power, ** adopted an aggressive policy, which was not opposed by powerful countries such as England and France. Their policy of appeasement increased **’* craving for the conquest of countries and paved the path for World War II.
