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Clear Target: Describe examples of nationalism leading to WWI.
TASK #1: Describe nationalism.
Nationalism is displaying pride in one's country. It's quite similar to how football or soccer fans feel about their favorite teams. It is also often intertwined with patriotism. Nationalism can be displayed in a variety of ways but it sometimes involves a feeling that one's country is above all others. Such was the case in many countries prior to World War one.
TASK #2: Describe examples of nationalism prior to World War One.
Europe on the eve of World War One was very nationalistic. The English were dominant on the seas and had many colonial assets around the world. The German Empire was up and coming fast as a great power. France was starting to rise again after the losses of the Franco-Prussian War. Austria-Hungary had its old empire but had many ethnic groups that were very nationalistic within its borders (you will see how that fits in shortly!). It is no surprise that there was so much nationalist sentiment among these nations' citizens.
Songs such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory were sung in Great Britain. The Germans sang: Deutschland uber alles or "Germany Over All."
Newspapers and literature also espoused nationalistic feelings, publishing stories of mystery, intrigue, and even future invasions by rival countries.
There were ethnic tensions that led to higher senses of nationalism as well. For example, French politicians like Clemenceau and Poincare (who had been around for the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71) HATED the Germans. Serbian nationalist groups rose up to protest Austria's annexation of areas which had previously been under Serbian rule. As you will soon find out, extreme nationalism can lead to tragic events.
Perhaps the most infamous example of nationalism came on the eve of World War One when a young Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian empire and his wife Sophie as they were on their way back from visiting soldiers who had been wounded in an earlier assassination attempt that day. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a Serbian nationalist group, made up of mainly students who advocated pan-Slavism and freedom from the rule of nations such as Austria-Hungary.
Songs such as Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory were sung in Great Britain. The Germans sang: Deutschland uber alles or "Germany Over All."
Newspapers and literature also espoused nationalistic feelings, publishing stories of mystery, intrigue, and even future invasions by rival countries.
There were ethnic tensions that led to higher senses of nationalism as well. For example, French politicians like Clemenceau and Poincare (who had been around for the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-71) HATED the Germans. Serbian nationalist groups rose up to protest Austria's annexation of areas which had previously been under Serbian rule. As you will soon find out, extreme nationalism can lead to tragic events.
Perhaps the most infamous example of nationalism came on the eve of World War One when a young Serbian nationalist named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austrian empire and his wife Sophie as they were on their way back from visiting soldiers who had been wounded in an earlier assassination attempt that day. Princip was a member of Young Bosnia, a Serbian nationalist group, made up of mainly students who advocated pan-Slavism and freedom from the rule of nations such as Austria-Hungary.
"The political union of the Yugoslavs [..] was my basic idea [..] I am a Yugoslav nationalist, aiming for the unification of all Yugoslavs, and I do not care what form of state, but it must be free from Austria"
-Gavrilo Princip, the assassin, during his trial
-Gavrilo Princip, the assassin, during his trial