CHAPTER
1
‹^171
Politics of the Extreme
and World War I
IN THIS CHAPTER
Summary: This chapter describes how political parties on both the extreme
left and right of the political spectrum gained ground at the turn of the twen-
tieth century, as the gradual reform of liberalism lost its appeal. Also included
in this chapter is an explanation of how the great powers of Europe con-
structed an alliance system that divided Europe into two armed camps, lead-
ing to a total war of attrition (World War I) with disastrous consequences.Key Terms:
✪^ Ultranationalists Political parties which argued that political theories that
put class solidarity ahead of loyalty to a nation threatened the very fabric of
civilization. Thus, they vowed to fight liberalism and socialism (see Chapter 19
for nationalism).
✪^ Zionism A movement for the creation of an independent state for Jews,
which came into being in 1896 when Theodor Herzl published The Jewish
State, a pamphlet that urged an international movement to make Palestine
the Jewish homeland.
✪^ Triple Alliance A military alliance among Germany, Austria-Hungary, and
Italy, forged by Bismarck after the unification of Germany in 1871.
✪^ Triple Entente A military alliance among Britain, France, and Russia, which
countered the Triple Alliance.KEY IDEA21
CHAPTER
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