Question

name:
europe moves toward war
after napoleon was defeated, the congress of vienna met in 1814. the group wanted to create peace and a balance of power in europe. the congress took apart the french empire and gave monarchs back their thrones. however, a new political ideal was taking shape. nationalism swept through europe. nationalists thought nations should be formed based on people who shared common heritage, language, and customs. monarchs had gained their land by winning wars, signing treaties, and arranging marriages. as a result, europe had empires that each included many nationalities. the austro - hungarian empire, russian empire, and ottoman empire each included many ethnic groups. for example, in addition to ruling over russians, the russian czar ruled over ukrainians, poles, jews, and turks. each of these groups had its own culture. nationalists thought each of these ethnic groups deserved its own country.

1. why did nationalist not like empires?

nationalism tore apart empires, but it built nations. by 1870, italy was a unified nation. germany also achieved national unity in the mid - 1800s. people felt patriotic and devoted to their countries. however, nationalism also set the stage for war because it caused competition between nations. european nations competed for materials to use in their factories and for markets to sell their goods in. the nations competed with each other for colonies in africa and asia. for example, germany and france nearly went to war twice over who would control morocco in northern africa. when most of europe supported france, germany backed down.

1. why did germany and france almost go to war twice?

as distrust between countries grew, the european powers built up their militaries. the rivalries led to the creation of military alliances. countries had alliances that would back each other up if one of their allies was attacked. in the 1880s, germany, austria - hungary, and italy formed the triple alliance. britain, france, and russia joined together under the triple entente in the early 1900s. the french word \entente\ means \alliance\ or \agreement.\ the alliances were designed to keep peace. however, a disagreement between two rival powers could now drag the whole continent to war. in 1914, a chain reaction would lead to world war i. it would be the largest war europe and the world had ever seen.

1. what did the rivalries between european countries lead to?
2. what was a major problem with alliances?

Explanation:

1. Nationalists believed nations should be formed based on people with shared heritage, language, and customs. Empires, like the Austro - Hungarian, Russian, and Ottoman Empires, included many ethnic groups. Nationalists thought each ethnic group deserved its own country, so they disliked empires that grouped different ethnicities under one rule.
2. Germany and France almost went to war twice over who would control Morocco in Northern Africa. This was part of the competition between European nations for colonies (in Africa and Asia in general) as they vied for materials for their factories and markets to sell their goods.
3. The rivalries between European countries led to the creation of military alliances. For example, the Triple Alliance (Germany, Austria - Hungary, Italy) and the Triple Entente (Britain, France, Russia). These alliances were supposed to keep peace but instead, a disagreement between two rival powers could drag the whole continent into war (as seen in 1914 with the chain reaction that led to World War I).
4. A major problem with alliances was that they were designed to keep peace but instead, if there was a disagreement between two rival powers (who were part of different alliances), it could lead to a large - scale war. A disagreement in one part of the alliance system could trigger a chain reaction (like in 1914) and draw in many other countries, as each alliance was supposed to back their allies if attacked.

Answer:

1. Nationalists thought nations should be based on shared heritage, etc., and empires had multiple ethnic groups.
2. Over control of Morocco (as part of colonial competition).
3. Creation of military alliances (Triple Alliance and Triple Entente) that could lead to large - scale war.
4. A disagreement could trigger a chain reaction and draw many countries into war.