World
History
Global Nationalism
Why did nationalism rise?
Europe
• Common cause against an uncertain
future (unification)
• self determination (independence)
Non-Western (India, SE Asia, etc.)
• Educated native elite sent to Europe to
study
• brought back nationalist views
• became leadership of independence
movements

Otto von Bismarck, 1815-98.
 Premier of Prussia (1862-90), chancellor
of Germany (1871-90).
 To expel Austria from German
Confederation (as a first step toward
unification of the German states),
provoked war with Denmark and then
Austria (1864-1866) over the SchleswigHolstein question.
AUSTRO-PRUSSIAN WAR--1866
• quick defeat of Austria (aka Seven
Weeks War)
• Bismarck formed the North German
Confederation without Austria and with
Prussian leadership
FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR 1870-71
• Exploited German states’ fears of
France to ally with Prussia
• France humiliatingly defeated, AlsaceLorraine annexed

Used notion of united Germany as
catalyst for all of these actions.
 Now easily brought German states
under crown of Prussia
 William I proclaimed German emperor
 Bismarck empire's first chancellor-ruled thereafter as virtual dictator.
aka “The Iron Chancellor”
Architect of the German Empire
Credited with the 1871 unification of
Germany
Was warned against taking the
provinces of Alsace-Lorraine from
France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian
War (led to WW I)
Was warned against the violation of
Belgian neutrality as dictated by the
von Schlieffen Plan for the invasion of
France
Had difficulty winning approval of
alliance with Austria-Hungary (Wilhelm I
was worried it would offend Russia)
Dismissed as Chancellor by Wilhelm II
in Mar-1890
His system of alliances made him the
acknowledged leader of Europe (THREE
EMPERORS' LEAGUE; TRIPLE
ALLIANCE AND TRIPLE ENTENTE)
His alliances proved difficult for his
successors to manage.
Non-Western Nationalism
India
 Indian
Turkey
 Young
National
Congress,
Muslim
League
Turks
 Trend
in country is to send
promising students to Europe for
education.
 Returned to India to lead
nationalist movements such as
Indian National Congress (Hindu)
and Muslim League (Muslim).
Excerpts from The Young Turks: Proclamation for the Ottoman Empire, 1908
1. The basis for the Constitution will be respect for the predominance of the national
will. One of the consequences of this principle will be to require without delay the
responsibility of the minister before the Chamber, and, consequently, to consider the
minister as having resigned, when he does not have a majority of the votes of the
Chamber.
2. Provided that the number of senators does not exceed one-third the number of
deputies, the Senate will be named as follows: one-third by the Sultan and two-thirds
by the nation, and the term of senators will be of limited duration.
3. It will be demanded that all Ottoman subjects having completed their twentieth
year, regardless of whether they possess property or fortune, shall have the right to
vote. Those who have lost their civil rights will naturally be deprived of this right.
4. It will be demanded that the right freely to constitute political groups be inserted in
a precise fashion in the constitutional charter, in order that article 1 of the
Constitution of 1293 A.H. [Anno Hegira=] be respected.
7. The Turkish tongue will remain the official state language. Official correspondence
and discussion will take place in Turkish.
9. Every citizen will enjoy complete liberty and equality, regardless of nationality or
religion, and be submitted to the same obligations. All Ottomans, being equal before the
law as regards rights and duties relative to the State, are eligible for government posts,
according to their individual capacity and their education. Non-Muslims will be equally
liable to the military law.
10. The free exercise of the religious privileges which have been accorded to different
nationalities will remain intact.
Source. From: "The Young Turks," trans. A. Sarrou, in Civilization since Waterloo,
Rondo Cameron, ed. (Paris, 1912), pp. 40-42 Scanned by Jerome S. Arkenberg, Cal.
State Fullerton. The text has been modernized by Prof. Arkenberg.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1908youngturk.html
Zionism

Zionism, the national movement for the return of the
Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of
Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel, advocated, from
its inception, tangible as well as spiritual aims. Jews of all
persuasions, left and right, religious and secular, joined
to form the Zionist movement and worked together
toward these goals. Disagreements led to rifts, but
ultimately, the common goal of a Jewish state in its
ancient homeland was attained.

Balkans before World War I
– Many new nations (Serbia, Greece,
Romania, etc) recently independent
from Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian
Empire.
– Made alliance with great powers of
Europe (GB, Russia, Germany, France).
– Tensions in region led to WW I.
Global Nationalism
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