Europe on the Brink of Change at the Turn of the 20th Century

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Europe on the Brink of Change at the Turn of the 20th Century

By the turn of the 20th century Europe had undergone massive changes

which had eventually pushed it into war. The main forces behind these

changes were

1. Nationalism

2. Militarism

3. Imperialism

4. Socialism

5. Alliances

6. Unification

These ideas and systems threatened the balance of power which caused a

major war to break out.

Nationalism is the feeling of loyalty shared by a group of people

united by same language, race and culture; to express their loyalty to

their nation, they attempt to unite themselves into a larger nation

state with aspiration for independence. The Ottoman Empire was the

first to feel the effects of nationalism when in 1828 Greece gained

independence from the Ottoman Empire. Metternich, the Austrian

Ambassador commented on what he thought would happen after Greece

became independent,

"The day the Sultan's throne collapses, the empire itself will break

up into several parts."

During the 1800's nationalism took hold among people who shared a

common language, history, or culture. Such people began to view

themselves as members a national group or nation. By 1848 nationalist

feelings had erupted throughout Europe and people began to demand

their political freedom. Nationalism led to the creation of two new

powers - Italy and Germany - through the uniting of many small states.

On the other hand, nationalism weakened the eastern European empires

of Austria-Hungary, Russia, and Ottoman Turkey. Those empires ruled

many national groups that wanted independence. The leaders of the

Austrian empir...

... middle of paper ...

... on the way to becoming

one of the super powers in Europe. Kaiser William II envied Britain

for it militia. This led to militarism; German increased their navy by

building warships, so Britain increased theirs. This built up the

tension among all the great powers of Europe. The main reason for

Europe being on the brink of change at the turn of the 20th century is

that countries that had been enemies decided to forget their

differences and to unite. These changes have shaped Europe into a

place where countries can all work together (United Nations).

Bibliography

Dictionary, Oxford Press (1992).

H. Lord - The Origins of the War of 1870 (1966).

M. Howard - The Franco-Prussian War (1981).

A. Farmer - An Introduction to Modern European History (1890-1990)

J. M. Roberts - Europe 1880-1945 (Second edition)

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