European history, like the history of many other countries, has heavily influenced how we live today. One of the things that European history can clarify is the history of nationalism.
According to India Today 3: "An excess of patriotism in the defense of a nation is called
chauvism or jingoism. The difference between patriotism and nationalism is simple - a
patriot loves his country and a nationalist loves his country no matter what it does."
Britannica 4 also states that nationalism is "The ideology based on the promise that the individual's loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other idividual or group interests."
With this definition, one can state that nationanlism was a root cause for World War I. The first action that (indirectly) instigated WWI was the Austria-Hungarian Empire's army expanding into Bosnia, where Serbia wanted to expand into as well. This is the first example of nationalism - Austria-Hungarian, despite being the bigger empire, expanding into a land where Serbia wanted to expand to. This is looking into only the group's interests, rather than what was best for the other countries who may have wanted their share.
Of course, this "caused" the Serbians to assassinate Archduke Franz Ferdinand, in a fight back to show their displeasure.
Events escalated until it became something multiple countries were involved in, especially between France and Germany, where it became a fight over dominance. This feud is a perfect example of nationalism, as it was in each group's interest to beat the other and prove who was better.
According to BBC UK 5, WWI changed the world by
ushering in new governmental methods. These changes affected the entire world as North American countries were still
influenced by Europe.
World War I did not accomplish its purpose - it was called "The War to End All Wars". However, countries did not stay united as proved by WWII, which started nearly 3 decades later.
3 India Today: Article about Nationalism vs Patriotism