The emergence of new political forces and ideas was enormously

significant to the overall atmosphere at the beginning of the 20th

century. This era saw the rise of complex ideologies all around the
globe. The accomplishment of rapid industrialization led to mass
urbanization and the empowerment of the middle and working
classes, and an unprecedented rise in technology that connected all
corners of the globe. Society was increasing in complexity
exponentially. All of these factors combined caused the rise to
popularity of many new and existing political ideologies and
movements, in particular: Liberalism, Nationalism, Socialism and
Imperialism. These influential new forces affected the attitudes of
numerous powerful nations, and set up an environment that
harboured the outbreak of was in 1914.
The recent innovations and abundance of technology was the main
catalyst for the emergence of socialism and liberalism. The
industrialised world at the beginning of the 20th century (Western
Europe, Russia, USA, Japan) saw a rapid increase in the middle and
working classes. The Middle class were growing; both in wealth and
in numbers. They lived in comfort, due to the outcome of capitalism
in the west. Though they had earned prosperous lives, they did not
until the start of the 20th century gain political rights and freedoms.
Unlike the conservatism of the upper class, the middle class
liberalists believed in the individuals freedoms. They wanted to be
able to fully function in society, without the limitations of
yesteryear1. Liberalists wanted a balance between humanitys
goodness and a sense of intellectual rationality2. An example of this
is that liberalists believed in a lassiez faire economy, but also
wanted to eradicate poverty. Liberalists sought change, however not
rapid change, as it would upset a nations stability. Socialism,
founded by Karl Marx in the late 19th century, took personal freedom
a step further. They believed that all the products of a nation should
be shared out equally, and that enterprise and industry should be
owned collectively. The government should play a larger role in
planning the economy3. These changes were meant to bring about a
classless society. Due to the nature of this ideology, the working and
middle classes tended to associate with socialism, as it would bring
them equality and financial gain. As these classes were growing
rapidly, socialism was an emerging force to be reckoned with,
causing chaos for conservative governments4 with the advent of the
1 Infoplease website: Liberalism in the 20th century. last updated
2012. accessed 10/8/14 from:
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/liberalismliberalism-twentieth-century.html
2 ibid, Section: Classical Liberalism
3 McNally, D. (1984). Socialism from below: From Mark to Lenin East
End Offset: London
4 Clegg, Hugh Armstrong, Alan Fox, and A. F. Thompson. A History of
British Trade Unions Since 1889: 1911-1933. Clarendon Press, 1985.

trade unionism movements. The relatively new concepts of

liberalism and socialism gave a newly found voice to the everyday
person that empowered them, filling them with hope and
nationalism.
The traditional ideas of imperialism and nationalism took on a
powerful new role at the turn of the 20th century. The increasingly
available technology to Western European powers meant that the
west ruled the world. Globalization connected almost all continents
with innovations in communications such as the telephone and rapid
transportation such as rail and steam ships. Governments took
advantage of this by colonizing much of Asia and Africa in this era.
The mindset of imperialism came complementary with these
established European empires. Colonies were seen as places to
exploit resources and labour, in return for massive wealth. Though
the systems of empires were somewhat unjust to the regions
colonized, the imperialists justified their actions through the concept
of civilisation to the savages5. Imperialism caused rivalry between
the European powers, as the rushes to grab land in Africa and Asia
intensified. Imperialism caused nations to transcend each other in
their plight for power, each with the aim of being top dog6. This
leads to the idea of nationalism. Loyalty to a higher power is a well
establish concept, dating back numerous millennia, with the power
being the lord of the land or the monarch7, although nationalism was
a relatively new idea in the era. Countries started to become united
and stabilized, with centralized governments that were increasingly
democratic. This, coupled with nationalistic campaigns caused the
rise in popularity of pride and nationalism. Subsequent feelings of
mistrust and prejudice towards neighboring nations soon became
apparent, creating a tense atmosphere in Europe.
The ideas of Liberalism, socialism, imperialism and nationalism all
affected the overall political atmosphere of Europe at the start of
the 20th century. They, all in different ways, created tense
relationships between the nations, in particular the five major
powers8. While imperialism helped to create nationalism in the
upper classes through the massive financial gains made though
exploitation of resources, liberalism and even socialism brought
5 Grant, K. (2014). A civilised savagery: Britain and the new
slaveries in Africa, 1884-1926. Routledge.
6 Ferguson, N. (2003) Empire: How Britain made the modern World.
Penguin books: London pp xx
7 Stoessinger, John. Why nations go to war. Cengage Learning,
2010, pp 33-4.
8 Illies, F. (2012) 1913: The Year before the Storm. The Clerkenwell
press: London pp 61-3

about entitlement and the need for unity9. The working and middle
classes were becoming progressively important in the political
sphere, therefore creating a sense of gratitude within this section of
the population. Thus, all classes and major societal groups were
acclimatizing to nationalism, which in turn pitched European nations
against each other, in the fight for superiority10. This was
consolidated with the advent of the triple Alliance and the triple
Entente. It is evident that emerging forces and ideas of the early
20th did play a major role in the outbreak of WW1.
The emerging political ideas of the early 20th century were
extremely significant to the general atmosphere of Europe, and the
attitude of international relations at the time. The political ideologies
that gained traction in the early 1900s came about due to the
booming western European economies, boosted by technology and
successful imperialism. All societal classes were becoming
increasingly empowered, causing nations to have a supportive
population if they were to engage in war. These forces, radical or
not, shaped the atmosphere of Europe into one of paranoia and
ultra-nationalism11, so that it would only take a minor upset to cause
a major war.
1075 words

9 ibid, p 93
10 Gellner, E. (2008). Nations and nationalism. Cornell University
Press.
11 Illies, F. op. cit. pp 221-2

Bibliography
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2012. accessed 10/8/14 from:
http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/history/liberalismliberalism-twentieth-century.html
McNally, D. (1984). Socialism from below: From Mark to Lenin East
End Offset: London
Grant, K. (2014). A civilised savagery: Britain and the new slaveries
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Ferguson, N. (2003) Empire: How Britain made the modern World.
Penguin books: London
Stoessinger, John. Why nations go to war. Cengage Learning, 2010
Gellner, E. (2008). Nations and nationalism. Cornell University Press.
Clegg, Hugh Armstrong, Alan Fox, and A. F. Thompson. A History of
British Trade Unions Since 1889: 1911-1933. Clarendon Press, 1985.