Imperialism In The 19th Century

The 19th Century was characterized first by revolutions, then intense nationalism, imperialism, and a web of alliances. A series of revolutions throughout Europe erupted in the first half of the century as either liberals or minority groups struggled against their governments. These minority groups were embracing their own nationality and rejecting that of their rulers. Many revolutions occurred in 1848, and after them many rulers wanted to decrease the threat of war within their own countries and with other countries. They did this through nationalism and a complex web of alliances. In order to prevent war within their countries, rulers sought to spread a unitedness throughout the country and expand the nationalism of the majority. To accomplish this goal, rulers began to expand their countries into empires. Imperialism allowed citizens
He first humiliated the French in the Franco-Prussian War and by crowning the German emperor in the palace of Versailles. Next, Bismarck isolated France through entangling treaties with countries such as Austria and Russia, because he knew that the French would want revenge. However, when King Wilhelm II fired Bismarck in 1890, the system of treaties fell apart. France and Great Britain created the Entente Cordiale in 1904, and Russia joined them in the Triple Entente in 1907. European countries felt threatened by each other, leading to an arms race. Tensions from ended alliances, nationalism, and imperialism eventually rose so high that countries began to mobilize for war, even though war had not yet been declared. When Austria eventually declared war on Serbia, the strings of alliances pulled most of Europe into World War I. However, World War I did not resolve the issues from the 19th century, and it created a new series of problems within Europe. All of these issues eventually culminated in World War