Nationalism. Students analyze the causes and course of the First World War.

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1 Nationalism Standard 10.5 Students analyze the causes and course of the First World War. 1. Analyze the arguments for entering into war presented by leaders from all sides of the Great War and the role of political and economic rivalries, ethnic, and ideological conflicts, domestic discontent and disorder, and propaganda and nationalism in mobilizing the civilian population in support of total war. Time Frame: Objectives: Materials: Procedures: Follow-up 2 90 minutes blocks Students will understand nationalism and its various effects and uses for and by nations. The Nationalism worksheet Construction paper, scissors, crayons, colored pencils, and Marking pens The World War I simulation about alliances i.e., Penland, Monrovia, etc. (optional) Students need to be in collaborative groups. Students will follow and read information and instructions in handout. If you use the WWI Alliance simulation with your students, you can attach this activity to that one. Students will present findings and creations. Class discussion/note taking tied to real countries and events

2 Nationalism and School Spirit Nationalism can perhaps be better understood by comparing it to school spirit. Citizens who are proud of their country are no different than students who are proud of their school. Armies on the battlefield win territory and prestige for their country in much of the same way as boys and girls sports teams win victories and fame and respect for their school. Armies have generals and teams have coaches. Both use uniforms to distinguish themselves from the opposition. Both have heroes and give awards for outstanding achievement. A country has its national anthem and a school its alma mater. While a strong believer in nationalism thinks his country is the best, a student with school spirit believes their school is better than any other. Modern nationalism began with the French Revolution. When kings of European countries sent armies to end the revolution and return a monarch to the French throne, citizens of France united in a spirit of nationalism to defend their homeland. Years later, after Napoleon had risen to power and threatened the security of Europe, feelings of nationalism aroused Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Spain to defeat Napoleon and protect their territory and the rest of Europe. Nationalism remained a strong force through the rest of the nineteenth century and into the 20 th century. Nationalism showed itself in different ways. In some countries, citizens united in an effort to gain a voice in their government, human rights, and even independence. On other occasions, nationalism led countries to compete for colonies and control of world trade routes. At its best, nationalism was a healthy form of patriotism but at its worst, it led to warfare and to the persecution of certain national groups by foreign countries that governed them.

3 Nationalism in the 1800 s Pretend that you are living in the mid to late 1800 s/early 1900 s and that you have just become the leader of a country in Europe. Your nation has suffered through years of poor government, hard economic times, and disastrous wars. You have decided to use nationalism to rally your discouraged people and raise the country to a level of respect, power, and leadership in world affairs. This goal can only be reached by getting people to be proud of their country, and by convincing them that they should put their country ahead of their own selfinterests. You have a number of ideas in mind to achieve your objective. There are also many important decisions that you must make regarding your nations government, armed forces, foreign trade, system of taxation, etc. 1. To create the impression of a new beginning for your country, you have decided to change the country s name. What will the new name be? 2. Design a flag for your new nation. 3. What would be a good national slogan that people could identify with and rally behind? (example: My country right or wrong!) 4. Do you believe warfare should be used to gain more territory and achieve your national interests? (explain your answer)

4 5. How important is it to have a powerful army and navy? 6. How will you raise money to equip an army and build a navy? (mention specific ideas) 7. Design two medals that will be awarded to national heroes one for bravery on the battlefield and the other for important contributions by citizens. 8. Will there be freedom of the press, or will newspapers be controlled by the government? (Give a reason for your decision,) 9. Will military service be required, or will there be a volunteer army? (Explain your decision.) Will both men and women serve? What ages are eligible for military service? 10. How can you achieve a favorable balance of trade that is export more than you import?

5 11. Your country s people are of different races and religions. Some even speak different languages. How are you going to overcome these differences and create a strong, unified nation? 12. Will liberals be satisfied with the type of government you establish? Liberals want a constitution which protects freedom of speech, press, and religion. And they want a law-making parliament and the right to elect its members. (Briefly explain your answer.) 13. What will you do with reactionaries who demand that your country have a strong King and a privileged nobility and clergy as it did before the period of the French Revolution?

6 If you intend to attach this to the World Wor I simulation, the following page may be of help to you. I skip question number one and have them still do all the other questions as well as the following page. They must use the information given them for their fictitious country but may infer if information is missing or incomplete.

7 The Nationalism Experience World War I Simulation Look at the map carefully. Study the World Summary and World Facts Sheet. Know your confidential information. As a group, thoroughly answer questions Those answers will go into your file folder. Your teacher will discuss those answers with you as a group and individually. For your presentation, please prepare the following to share with your fellow classmates. The presentation must be based on your particular country s information and your answers to questions 2-13: A flag for your country A pledge of allegiance A handshake A national anthem with words and music A speech declaring how proud you are of your country, why you loove it so, why your country is so outstanding, etc. Questions #3 and #7 You will be presenting as a group next time we meet. In addition, elect a leader and two ambassadors. Your leader should be a good speaker who inspires confidence, loyalty, and pride. The ambassadors need to be polite and adept at making deals. Some in your group need to thoroughly understand the world situation. They need to study your confidential papers. A strategy need to be developed to ensure the security and the eventual triumph of your country. Next time we meet you will be involved in very sensitive and potentially threatening negotiations. The experts on the world situation and your country s strategies will need to teach this information to the rest of your group.