Darwin, Marx, Nationalism and the Roots of World War I

19th-Century Ideas and Causes of World War I

Item 5: Evolution, Marxism and Nationalism

Darwin and Evolution

Darwin published On the Origin of Species, creating controversy between evolutionists and their critics until scientists gradually accepted Darwin's theories. He used the hypothetical-deductive method and applied the ideas of Malthus to explain the struggle for survival.

Marx and Materialism

Marx and historical materialism considered the relations of production to be the key to explaining how society was organized. The owners of the means of production were the dominant class, a condition that produced imbalance and led to class struggle. Marx argued that different modes of production had succeeded one another: slave, feudal, and capitalist.

International Workingmen's Association (AIT)

The AIT (International Workingmen's Association) was founded in 1864 and sought to unite workers worldwide with the following objectives:

• Unity of the proletariat
• Abolition of class society
• Right to strike
• Defense of political action
• Abolition of private property
• Removal of standing armies

Nationalism: French and German Schools

Nationalism was a dominant nineteenth-century ideology. Two opposing schools coexisted:

• French school: The idea that individuals born in a country acquire the right to citizenship (jus soli).
• German school: The idea that members of a nation share a common language, culture, and blood (jus sanguinis).

Item 6: Imperialism and Causes of World War I

Imperialism and Colonies

Imperialism is the expansion of a state beyond its borders to dominate other territories—colonies—that are exploited by the metropolitan power.

Causes of Imperialism

Major causes of imperialism included:

• Economic: search for new markets and the need for raw materials.
• Social: population growth and social pressures at home.
• Political: search for national prestige and territorial rivalries between powers.
• Ideological: nationalism and belief in racial superiority.

Causes of World War I (PGM / WWI)

Causes of the PGM (Primera Guerra Mundial / World War I) included multiple factors:

• Socioeconomic: economic competition between countries.
• Political: territorial rivalries and confrontations (for example, tensions between Germany and France, and between Italy and Austria).
• Diplomatic: the formation of two opposing blocs—the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance.
• Ideological: nationalism and related belief systems that heightened tensions.

Trench Warfare and Gallipoli

Trench warfare emerged once the front stabilized: the war mobilized large numbers of troops and introduced new weapons. It became a war of attrition, as soldiers lived and fought in trenches. On the Western Front, repeated attempts to break enemy lines failed. On other fronts, the Allies attacked the Ottoman Empire at Gallipoli but met strong resistance.