The Age of Mass Politics 647Nationalism merged easily with imperialism, which was
predicated on the assumption that the people of one nation
were superior to others, and therefore entitled to dominate
“inferior” peoples through the expansion of empire. The “new
imperialism” of the powers began in the 1880s. By 1914, they
had divided up three-quarters of the worlds surface. Imperial
ism helped sharpen international rivalries. Entangling alliances
led the European powers into two heavily armed camps, linking
Germany and Austria-Hungary against Britain, France, and
Russia. The growth of nationalism in the Balkans fueled the
rivalry between Russia and Austria-Hungary, each backed by
strongly committed allies.