Imperialism, World War 1 and Anti-Colonialism Essay

Imperialism, World War 1 and Anti-Colonialism - Essay Example Great Britain was the greatest imperialist nation in history. In fact, â€Å"By 1914, the British Empire included one-fourth of all the land and people of the Earth† (Lecture 5, 5). As tension built up in the prelude to World War 1, Britain countered the threat of the ‘Triple Alliance’ composed of Germany, Austria- Hungary and Italy, through its ‘Triple Entente,’ with France and Russia and a further alliance with Japan in 1902. When the Entente declared war on Germany in August 1914, all Britain’s colonial possessions and dominions, including Australia, were incorporated into the war. The Australian recruiting poster, which serves as Source # 2, demonstrates that nationalism played a major role in instigating war. Although Australia is separated geographically from Europe, it very definitely identified itself as a ‘white’ nation with strong ties to the mother-country, Britain. It is evident that the excessive nationalism, termed th e â€Å"fatal flaw in the European system† is prevalent in Australia too and Australians saw the war from Britain’s point of view and adopted the â€Å"my country-right-or wrong† variety of nationalism† (Lecture 6, 2). The poster shows the national flag as a rousing, revered symbol, glorifies the soldier and emphasizes that the nation’s World War 1 effort requires the patriotic contribution of every man and woman, through taxes, factory work or nursing. World War I was ‘great’ in every aspect, including the large number of casualties. Roughly 9 million were killed and 21 million wounded.