World War I was a global war which mainly took place in Europe, involving countries on the Triple Alliance such as Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy and their opposing countries, Russia, France and Great Britain, also known as the Triple Entente. The war took place from 28 July, 1914 until 11 November, 1918, killing more than 9 million combatants and impacting many aspects of a nation. Three of the underlying causes of World War 1 were militarism, alliance systems and nationalism. Militarism is a belief that a country should maintain a strong army which is prepared to defend its country. Countries involved in World War I believed that militarism was important for a country’s pride, success, and honor. As stated by Prince Bernhard von Bulow, “ We realize that without power, without a strong army and a strong navy, there can be no welfare for …show more content…
To show nationalism, some countries encouraged war and thrived dominance to prove they were strong. War was looked upon as a symbol of bravery to citizens. Leading to celebrations when their nation was at war. As a French citizen stated in document 2, “ better war than this perpetual waiting! In this wish there is no bitterness, but a secret hope.” This proved that people were deceived by seeing good in war. Both governments and citizens were constantly competing against each other about who is the best nation, by doing so, countries were satisfied at the state of war. National anthems were often sung and written to show support to soldiers fighting for their countries and to glorify their nationalism. Rule Britannia was a poem written to honor Britain’s power, declaring that “ Britons never will be slaves. The nations not so blest as thee, shall in their turns to tyrants fall; while thou shalt flourish great and free...” (document 5). This gave excessive confidence to their country, motivating them to fight for their country’s worth and