By the turn of the 20th century Europe had undergone massive changes which had eventually pushed it into war. The main forces behind these changes were

1. Nationalism
2. Militarism
3. Imperialism
4. Socialism
5. Alliances
6. Unification

These ideas and systems threatened the balance of power which caused a major war to break out.

Nationalism is the feeling of loyalty shared by a group of people united by same language, race and culture; to express their loyalty to their nation, they attempt to unite themselves into a larger nation state with aspiration for independence. The Ottoman Empire was the first to feel the effects of nationalism when in 1828 Greece gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. Metternich, the Austrian Ambassador commented on what he thought would happen after Greece became independent,

"The day the Sultan's throne collapses, the empire itself will break up into several parts."

During the 1800's nationalism took hold among people who......

Join Now to view the rest of this term paper!
Members: Login to view this research paper.

Title: Why Was Europe On The Brink Of Change At The Turn Of The 20th Century?
Approximate Word Count: 1873
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

With the Term Papers Lab Membership Pass, you get instant access to every essay on this site, including this essay on Why Was Europe On The Brink Of Change At The Turn Of The 20th Century?, for as long as you remain a member.

Other essays sites charge almost $100 for a single term paper. At Term Papers Lab, you can get instant access to over 100,000 research papers for as little as $29.95!