World War I: The Pursuit Of National Interest

Superior Essays
The pursuit of national interest is always in the formula for the calculations of the rational decisions made by a nation. National interest is something each nation is thinking about when they go into war. World War I was the sacrifice of millions of lives to fulfill each nation’s national interest. William Kirby argues that, countries enter war because of their “rational calculations and national interests”. The source points out how the purpose of war is not irrational, it is rationalized by the beliefs of a nation and the benefits of military conflict. Many people would agree with this perspective, the intervention of military in international affairs is justified by a country’s national interest and calculations. Alternatively, some may …show more content…
This idea of nationalism, the idealism presented by the quote, should be supported and embraced by us because of the events in World War I, the national interest and idealism of war within Britain, the idealism and national interest of Germany was the leading cause of World War I, and the contradicting interests between the countries for the control of the Balkans.

The cause of war is ultimately dominated by the ideas of nationalism. Nationalism influenced each country’s national interests and became the rope that pulled Britain into the Great War, this war would lead to towering consequences. The upheld national interest of Britain was the reason they joined this “irrational” war, their treaty signed with Belgium and making sure they would not break their agreement with Belgium, and the propaganda that was spread within the society of Britain. The nationalistic perspective of people within Britain at the time would be the ropes that would cause World War I. The Treaty of London (1839) was the main reason Britain joined the war, because the treaty stated Britain had an
…show more content…
With advanced weaponry and new tactics, this war tested the newly developed war tactics, new weaponry, and advanced machinery. Germany’s national interest was to develop an advanced army that rivaled Great Britain, this would prove to be one of the reasons of the outbreak of a large scale war. The newly unified Germany by Otto von Bismarck meant that they did not have the benefits that the other European powers had, the lack of colonies throughout Europe meant that they would be economically inferior to other countries. Germany’s economic inferiority rallied for the support of using their superior military to show their strength to other European nations. Nationalism became the leading force in the certification of the German identity, and the newly created German superpower wanted to look for “their place in the sun”. Nationalistic ideologies and national self-interest became the reason this large scale war broke out and tore away at Europe. Their decision to go into a “irrational” war was largely based on their “rational calculations” and national interest, and the armistice that lead to the Treaty of Versailles would prove that national interest is always in the mind of nations when they go into war, and when they end the war. At the time, Germany was allied with Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire, while the source of the

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Legalist Paradigm Analysis

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The exception of intervention in other conflicts is categorized into three main subfields. Primarily, war is justified when a set of boundaries contains two or more political communities, one of whom is engaged in the struggle for independence. This is the issue of secession or “national liberation.” Subsequently, the next revision is that of counter-intervention stating when the boundaries have already been crossed by the military force of another foreign power, intervention is justified. The last revision to the Legalist Paradigm deems a just intervention when there are large scale violations of human rights within a set of boundaries.…

    • 1540 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    1914 To 1918 Dbq Analysis

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages

    It was a war brought into being by a huge military build-up. Germany was determined not to be outgunned by anybody else’s army and be able to hold their own when the time comes. Also, come the summer of 1918 Germany was ready to give up on everything, little if any of the war had been fought on German soil resulting in that many of the German people, didn’t know they were losing throughout the war. For example, stated in document B, “The army shall be devoted exclusively to the maintenance of order within the territory and to the control of the frontiers” expressing how Germany was determined and wanted a military that was ready for any obstacle thrown at them. This ensured that Germany would not have support from the smaller countries in Europe said from (Document B).…

    • 807 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Ap Euro Dbq Imperialism

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages

    During the 1990’s Europe thought they were better than every country, but that feeling didn’t last long. Due to the assassination of the Archduke of Austria-Hungary, alliances, imperialism, militarism and also the independence of countries in Europe, War had begun. A reason that caused the war to start was imperialism. Imperialism is the act of building an Empire by founding colonies and conquering weaker nations.…

    • 357 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Becki Wittman Dbq Essay

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Becki Wittman Before World War I, Germany had territories all over Europe, wealth, influence, and a powerful military. They lost all of this and their dignity after the war, due to the Treaty of Versailles. Once Germany was torn down by other European countries, they were bitter and even vengeful. They had no pride or trust in their nation, until they were inspired by someone to fight for it.…

    • 726 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    WW1 The real cause of World War I was mostly the different alliances and the growth of armaments. The alliance of the triple entente included Britain, France, and Russia. Then for the triple alliance it included Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. America ended up coming into the war but came in to help the triple entente.…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War 1 began on July 28, 1914 when Franz Ferdinand who was the Archduke of Austria-Hungary was assassinated. The emergence of two alliances the allied powers, and the central powers are to blame for the leading factor that caused this war. The United States on the other hand, believed that it was only right for them to try to stay out of trouble. Soon, the United Sates adopted The Neutrality Policy in 1914 and later in World War 2 also adopted numerous neutrality policies in 1935 to 1939. In some ways, those policies have very limited differences and much similarity as time periods affected each.…

    • 806 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    World War 1 Dbq Analysis

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages

    World War I is renowned and historically relevant due to the many stipulations of its beginning. While the initiation of its ‘successor’, World War II can be pinpointed to a single group, the instigation of World War I is surrounded with varying opinions and perspectives. Certain individuals may argue that militarism was the culprit, or that alliances provided the spark needed to ablaze warfare on a global scale. Despite this, many historians bring forth the rise of nationalism as the leading instigator of war. Nationalistic pride can be seen as a primary motivator in the development of secondary causes of war such as the formation of alliances, imperialism and militarism.…

    • 1410 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On April 6th, 1917, America entered World War I. Before this date America had tried to stay out of the war and was an important supplier to most of the Allies. The final straw that made Woodrow Wilson ask Congress to declare war against Germany was when American ships were being targeted by unrestricted warfare, or U-boats, introduced into the war by the Germans. A couple of days later America joined World War I on the side of the Allies. America's primary purpose for participation in the war was as Wilson stated, to “make the world safe for democracy”. Wilson wanted all the nations to just live in peace.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Causes Of Ww2 Dbq

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The German people, in dire need of any improvements regarding their debt and collapsed economy, wanted a trustworthy leader. Adolf Hitler, a skilled politician and veteran of the Great War, appealed to most with his nationalistic and anti-Treaty of Versailles ideas. With Hitler increasingly gaining the popularity that the Treaty of Versailles was able to provide, it allowed for a perfect condition to grow towards World War…

    • 1098 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    World War 1 Dbq Analysis

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages

    In the early hours of June, on the 28th day, in the year of 1914, this tragic event would begin a domino-effect which would lead Europe and the United States into what is now known as… World War I. On this day, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were assassinated by a Serbian group known as the “Black Hand” while visiting the country. The group’s intent was to gain independence from Austria-Hungary. But unbeknownst to them, it would turn into a large-scale battle that in essence, could have been settled locally. However, this event was considered the spark yet the question we are trying to answer is, “What was the underlying cause of World War I (WWI)?”…

    • 764 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Many things contributed to the cause of World War 1. Some of which were imperialism, nationalism, militarism, and alliances. Nationalism is belief that your country is above all other countries and nations. Imperialism is the controlling of another nation or country by the power of military. Militarism is the belief that a country or nation should have a strong military and be prepared to use it.…

    • 452 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The underlying causes of World War 1 were alliances, nationalism, and powerlust. One of the underlying causes of World War 1 was the alliances. When Russia, France and the United Kingdom began making alliance this made the surrounding countries feel threatened. Since some countries were left out of the alliances, they felt uneasy about the situation. There wasn’t a war going on but they felt as though this would be the start of one.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Nationalism caused the First World War because if a country believes in nationalism, then conflict can happen because the country will think they are better than anyone…

    • 1160 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    If you ask me World War One was the cause of Imperialistic nations, ambitious territory expansion,independence, power and wealth. These factors are the key cause of the War that would stain the world with blood and destruction. The war itself last root cause was the death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand who was the archduke of Austria Hungary. Most of the European nations were Imperialistic nations inflicting political power and influence through their vast military forces. After the Archdukes death many different countries had defensive treaties with each other to prevent a group of nations or one nation from taking over Europe.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Which was dangerous because it gave rise to new military technologies and increased defence spending. It is the belief of building a strong army and prepare for war whenever they need to start war for their country. France, Germany, Africa, and Britain were all areas where they had used militarism but had has outbreaks. It was mainly in all European nations in the years prior to World War One. Nationalism is a strong love for your country.…

    • 253 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays