The American people really came together after
September 11th. Citizens from all areas of the nation raised the
American flag, supported the soldiers in a war against terrorism, and displayed
their patriotism in any way that they could. This sudden rise in nationalism
sent a clear message to the rest of the world—the United States was still going
strong.
It has been several years since the September 11th
attacks, but the American people are still concerned for their country. The
presidential election of 2004, combined with the challenging occupation of Iraq, has prompted millions of Americans to take a harsh stand on some sensitive issues.
Even in the midst of disagreement, however, you
can still see plenty of “God Bless America” license plates in mid-day traffic,
and even a number “Support our Troops” bumper stickers (many times, these
are displayed by people who disagree with the War in Iraq but are thankful for
the young men and women who are willing to help defend the nation).
So is all of this patriotism a good thing? For
the most part—yes. It helps give Americans a unique identity, as well as a
sense of pride. But patriotism can go to far. It can eventually convince the
people of a nation to adopt the attitude, “whatever I do is right, and
whatever you do is wrong.”
It would be unfair to say that the American
people have gotten to this point. There is still plenty of healthy debate over
all of the major issues, both foreign and domestic. However, it’s easy to get
a “historical perspective” of a time when a high dose of nationalism and
patriotism proved to be destructive. Just look at World War I.
By the early 1900s, many European nations (such
as England and France) had already been established world powers for
centuries. It was only natural for the people in these nations to have great
pride for their longstanding history and national greatness. Unfortunately,
this respect led to a certain amount of disrespect for surrounding nations.
The close proximity of so many nations in Europe led to tensions across the
continent.
These tensions were only intensified by economic
trade, colonization and expansion, and different alliances. Added to this
mixture was the feeling of outright jealousy, which all of the great European
nations had for one another. The citizens of each nation thought that their
nation was the best, and most were willing to take up arms to prove it.
In 1914, the tensions turned to war. Francis
Ferdinand, the archduke of Austria, was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist.
While tragic, this event should not have been enough to start a World War. But
it did.
Austria-Hungary, infuriated by the attack,
threatened the Serbians. Backed by the powerful Russians, the Serbians did not
back down. When Austria-Hungary declared war, an alliance required Germany to join them. Germany quickly declared war on Russia (remember, the Russians
supported the Serbians), and a world war was underway. The “Great War,” as
it was known, lasted from 1914 to 1918, and claimed over 8,000,000 lives (and
30,000,000 casualties).
History shows that the assassination of Archduke
Ferdinand didn’t really start World War I. Instead, it was a several decade
build-up of nationalism and alliances. The United States was not very involved
in the pre-war politics, so it was able to avoid entering World War I until
1917.