World War I: Nationalism and Imperialism

Causes of the First World War:

Nationalism and Imperialism

• Aggressive nationalism, or "competitive patriotism," fostered love for one's country and hatred for others.
• Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany proclaimed Germany would lead the world and sought to establish a vast German empire.
• France sought revenge and the return of Alsace and Lorraine, seized by Germany after defeating France in the Franco-Prussian war (1870-71).
• Italy aimed to reclaim Trentino Trieste from Austria.
• Balkan States like Serbia and Bulgaria, along with Poland and Austria-Hungary, possessed "unsatisfied national spirit".
• Political leaders exploited nationalism to incite hatred and passion.
• Aggressive nationalism led to imperialism, sparking a race for colonies, particularly in Africa and Asia in the 19th century.
• England and France established substantial colonial empires in Asia and Africa by the late 19th century.
• British imperialism, backed by a powerful navy, focused on trade expansion and resource exploitation in its colonies.
• Germany, Italy, Russia, and Japan sought to expand their influence and create colonies in Asia and Africa, causing clashes of interest and increasing global tensions.
• European powers began vying to expand their economic and political empires fueling international tension which contributed to the outbreak of World War I.

Division of Europe into Hostile Groups

• (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente):
• In 1879, Germany and Austria-Hungary formed an alliance for mutual defense against enemy attacks.
• Italy joined in 1882, creating the Triple Alliance.
• Britain, France, and Russia formed the Triple Entente in 1907 to counter German expansionism; "Entente" signifies "understanding or alliance" in French.
• Europe was divided into two major camps: England, France, and Russia versus Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, and Turkey.
• The rivalry between these camps significantly contributed to World War I.

Sarajevo Crisis

• Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia on June 28, 1914.
• The assassination was orchestrated by the "Black Hand" or "Union of Death", a Serbian nationalist group aiming to unite all Serbians.
• Austria issued Serbia an ultimatum with eleven demands on July 23.
• Serbia accepted most demands, except those compromising its sovereignty.
• Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914.
• Russia mobilized in support of Serbia.
• Germany declared war on Russia on August 1 and on France August 3.
• German troops invaded Belgium on August 4 to advance into France.
• Britain declared war on Germany on August 4 .

The Treaty of Versailles

• Signed June 28, 1919, at the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, France.
• Terms primarily framed by British Prime Minister Lloyd George, US President Woodrow Wilson, French Premier M. Clemenceau, and Italy's V. Orlando.
• Germany was declared guilty of aggression and had to pay $33 billion in reparations.
• Germany ceded merchant ships and supplied large quantities of coal to France, Italy, and Belgium for ten years.
• The Rhine valley was demilitarized, and Allied troops occupied German territory west of the Rhine for 15 years.
• Germany lost Alsace and Lorraine to France.
• Germany lost et- Malmedy to Belgium and Schleswig to Denmark.
• Germany ceded parts of pre-war territory to Denmark, Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and France.
• The coal mines in the Saar region went to France for 15 years, governed by the League of Nations.
• Germany forfeited all colonies to victorious Allies, including Britain, Belgium, South Africa, and Portugal.
• Germany's Pacific colonies and Chinese territories were given to Japan.
• The German army was restricted to 100,000 soldiers, the Navy to 15,000 men and 24 ships, and the Air Force and submarines were banned.
• The Treaty affirmed the complete independence of Belgium, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, and the Covenant of the League of Nations was added.

Fascism

• Derived from the Italian term 'fasces', meaning "a bundle of rods," symbolizing unity, strength, and authority.
• The “axe” symbolized “State Authority”.
• Fascism opposes all opposition, operates with a one-party system, and is controlled by a personal dictator.
• Fascism signifies autocracy or dictatorship, vesting state power in a single leader whom all must obey.
• Fascism was an intensely nationalistic, anti-communist, and anti-democratic movement.
• Fascists advocated a powerful dictator with total and unlimited power.

Nazism

• An anti-democratic movement with racialism at its core which was 'Racialism'
• Could be defined as 'Fascism plus Racialism'
• The Nazi Party depicted the Germans as a 'Master Race' that was destined for world domination.

Dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles

• The Peace Settlement at Paris created more problems than it solved.
• Germans believed the Treaty of Versailles was unjust.
• Germany was deprived of significant territory and colonies in East and Southwest Africa.
• Military strength was severely reduced, with the army capped at 100,000 soldiers and the air force totally banned.
• Germany was burdened with a $33 billion war indemnity.
• Germany had to give up to the Allies her merchant ships as compensation and supply coal to France, Italy, and Belgium for 10 years.
• Germany's humiliation fueled the rise of Nazism.
• Italians were also dissatisfied because Britain and France didn’t satisfy Italy's colonial ambitions but it did gain a few territories in Europe at Austria's expense.
• The dissatisfaction with the Treaty of Versailles led to aggressive policies in Germany and Italy, sparking World War II.

Rise of Fascism and Nazism

• Extreme nationalism in Italy and Germany led to Fascism and Nazism and contributed to World War II.

Italy

• Italy had high wartime expenses and debt, leading to poverty, hunger, disease, and unemployment.
• Fascists seized power amidst general lawlessness.
• Italy wanted to revive the Roman Empire.
• Italy joined the Anti-Comintern Pact in 1937 and allied with Germany in 1939 to strengthen its position.
• Mussolini established a dictatorship opposing the Treaty of Versailles.
• Italy attacked Abyssinia, demonstrating its imperialistic goals.
• The League of Nations' inaction against Italy revealed its weakness.

Germany

• Hitler preached the "Victorious Sword".
• Hitler wanted to re-establish Germany's international prestige.
• He violated the Treaty of Versailles by re-arming.
• In March 1936, Hitler reoccupied the demilitarized Rhineland.
• Germany captured Vienna, Austria's capital.
• Germany then focused on conquering Sudetenland, which was mostly inhabited by Germans.
• The President of Czechoslovakia’s refusal to yield to Hitler's pressure made the war seem inevitable.
• The Heads of Germany, Italy, Britain and France decided to hand over Sudetenland to Germany at Munich on 29 September, 1938.
• The Czech government was persuaded to accept the Munich Pact to attain Peace.
• Hitler's troops occupied Sudetenland on October 5, 1938 and invaded the rest of Czechoslovakia in March 1939.
• Mussolini and Hitler propelled the nations toward another World War.

Japanese invasion of China

• Japan's expansionist policy was a key cause of World War II.
• Japan was determined to dominate the Far East after World War I.
• Japan invaded China in 1931.
• Japan intervened in Manchuria, establishing a government and initiating an undeclared war against China in 1931.
• China appealed to the League of Nations, but Britain and France paid no attention to the appeal.
• Japan joined the Berlin-Rome Axis forming the Berlin-Rome-Tokyo Axis.
• Japan left the League of Nations in 1933, occupying British and American properties in China.
• Britain and France adopted appeasement, hoping to use Japan to weaken China making the war was inevitable.

Failure of the League of Nations

• One of the causes of World War II was the failure of the League of Nations to prevent future wars.
• The League suffered when the USA did not join, and members weren't interested in collective security.
• The League's only weapon was economic sanctions, ineffective against determined aggressors.
• The world could have been spared the horrors of war had the League acted against Italy's aggression in Ethiopia or Japan's invasion of Manchuria.
• The League failed to maintain international peace, and European countries lost faith and entered mutual political and military alliances and ultimately resulted in World War II.

Hitler's invasion of Poland

• Hitler demanded the Danzig Corridor for access to Danzig, mostly inhabited by Germans, and to connect Prussia with Germany.
• Britain and France pledged assistance to Poland to prevent German aggression.
• Germany and Russia (Soviet Union) signed a Non-Aggression Pact in August 1939, that secretly divided Poland.
• Poland was accused of atrocities against Germans living there.
• German troops stormed Poland on September 1, 1939.
• Britain and France declared war on Germany on September 3 marking the beginning of World War II.

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM)

• NAM is the international policy where a sovereign state doesn't align with power blocs but actively promotes global peace, harmony, and cooperation.
• Objectives: To prevent war, protect new Asian and African countries from colonial domination, oppose colonialism, promote equality, encourage global relations, advocate peaceful dispute resolution, oppose force, strengthen the UN, protect human rights, and build a New International Economic Order.
• Panchsheel: In 1954, China and India agreed on five principles for peaceful coexistence.
• Those principles include, mutual non-interference, mutual non-aggression, equality for mutual benefit, mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
• Founding Fathers: Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Joseph Broze Tito, and Abdel Gamal Nasser were the founding fathers of NAM.
• The first conference was held in Belgrade, Yugoslavia in September 1961.
• Nehru's Role: Advocated that Asian and African nations not become pawns of superpowers and promoted peace and disarmament.
• Nehru held Asian and Peaceful Co-existence conference and strongly condemned power blocs.
• India refused to be drawn into military blocs and handled the SEATO Alliance situation.
• He helped to reduce tensions.

Indian History - Socio-Religious Reform Movements

• 19th-century socio-religious reforms fostered Indian nationalism through Western education.
• The leaders recognized the need to reform in their society and religion
• Significant movements included Brahmo Samaj, Arya Samaj, Ramkrishna Mission, and Satya Sodhak Samaj.

Raja Rammohan Roy

• heralded India's Modern Age and brought in a New Awakening.
• stressed the unity of all religions and setup a moral code for needed social peace.
• His social reforms included attacking the caste system, polygamy, child marriage, and Sati with Roy's anti-Sati crusade leading to its ban in 1829 and women's property rights.
• He recognized press freedom and started the weekly called the Samvad Kaumudi and led to legal action to be taken against Press Regulations.
• wanted reduced military spending and addressed economic conditions to a British Parliament.

Jyotiba Phule

• A social reformer in Maharashtra who thought the caste structure was slavery.
• His key actions included Uplifting lower castes and book slavery.
• He was committed to gender equality and one of the first Girls schools in India.
• He founded the Satya Shodhak Samaj in 1873 to help dalits and women with his wife as head of women.

Indian National Congress

• Was the first All India Association with a permanent nature.
• Mr. A.O. addresses circular to graduates and that if 50 men founded it can be established easily.
• The Indian National Union founded in 1884 transformed to the Indian National Congress in 1985
• The first congress was held at W.C. Bonnerjee where eminent people all met.
• This was to safe guard the British interests and accepted leadership in launching movement to achieve freedom in 1947.
• The aimes of the congress started off moderate to gradually increase and promote self-government.

Early Nationalists or Moderates

• The Congress was led by a group of leaders known as the Early Nationalists.
• The Educated drew inspiration from Western thought but were unaware of India's true British affairs.
• They had unlimited faith in the British but the leaders had no sympathy.
• The Congress was dominated with moderate views but wanted larger good for both places.
• Their agitation was carried through petitions and resolutions, and felt the Government can conceed.

Early Nationalist Leaders

Dadabhai Naoroji

• September, 1825 born and was known as the 'Grand Old Man of India'
• His main contributions were founded
• He founded British in England and won in the 1892 election.
• He was known for one of the founder members of Indian National Congress and 3 times he presided in Congress.

Surendranath Banerjee

• He was known for fighting injustice and reperssion, and taking measures like Arms and Press against it.
• His elective offices were means to people and Convened Indian National Conference to Indian character.
• He played a Journalist role and believed in self-government and was also firm and constitutional.

Gopal Krishna Gokhale

• was best known as “the Political Guru of Gandhiji", because violence had no place in his plan
• His belief was constitutional and he would achive equality through peitions
• To help the people, he established the Servants of India Society and aroused national awakening.

Partition of Bengal

• The presidency in Bengal was the most populated state but the British authority thought of reducing the the size to reduce
• In 1903 it drafted and announced division, but wanted to hurt the Bengali speaking -class who took lead
• The Reasons behind the Partition according to British civillians point to problems with the growing Indian administration.
• According to the nationalists, division was intended to curb Bengali influence and make Bengalis suffer on many level
• The actual state breaking was given effect on of October of breaking up 4 million state for partitioning.

Swadeshi

• idea was popularised by bonfires of cloth and all different types.
• Bipcott was much than boycoot means there was boycoott to government as well.
• National Education. During the Swadeshi Movement many new educational institutions and Religious or Moral.
• The Radicals had an abiding faith in the masses and proposed to win freedom through mass action.

Gangadhar Tilak

• contribution to the freedom revoltions with Swaraj means swaraj is by birth.
• Also, in agitation he mobilized Masses Ganapati Festival , Lathi Clubs, 'No rent campaign' due to to famine
• Lastly to what came to be , attack on Government that influenced the congress