d been possible previously.Therefore the armies of 1914 - 1918 came to be counted in their millions compared withthe hundreds of thousands of half a century earlier. (Captain Sir Basil Liddell Hart, 1984)The essential causes of World War I were the attitude of intense nationalism thatpermeated Europe throughout the 19th and into the 20th century, the political andeconomic rivalry among the nations, and the establishment and maintenance in Europeafter 1871 of large armaments and of two hostile military alliances.The French Revolution and the Napoleonic era had spread throughout most ofEurope the idea of political democracy, with the resulting idea that the people of the sameethnic origin, language, and political ideals had the right to independent states. Theprinciple of national self - determination, however, was largely ignored by the dynastic andretrogressive forces that dominated in the settlement of European affairs at the Congressof Vienna in 1815. Several peoples who desired national independence were made subjectto local dynasts or to other nations. Notable examples were the German people, whomthe Congress of Vienna left divided into numerous duchies, principalities, and kingdoms;Italy, also left divided into many parts, some of which were under foreign control; and theFlemish - and French - speaking Belgians of the Austrian Netherlands, whom the congressplaced under Dutch rule. Revolutions and strong nationalistic movements during the 19thcentury succeeded in canceling much of the retrogressive and antinationalist work of thecongress. Belgium won its independence from the Netherlands in 1830, the unification ofItaly was accomplished in 1861, and that of Germany in 1871. At the close of the century,however, the problem of nationalism was still unresolved in other areas of Europe,resulting in tensions both within the regions involved and between various Europeannations. One particularly noticeable nationalistic movement, Panslavis...
