To what extent did nationalism cause World War One?

For: Nationalism can be defined as an intense form of patriotism and those with nationalist tendencies in the early 20th century celebrated the culture and achievements of their own country and placed its interests above those of other nations. There was an emerging problem of aggressive patriotism in Europe in the lead up to WW1. 1) In France, there was still a powerful feeling of resentment, since France had to give up Alsace and Lorraine to Germany in the Franco-Prussian war. 2) In Austria-Hungary, a large number of ethnic groups lived under the Austro-Hungarian Empire. These minorities wished for independence. This created tension between the government and these smaller regions. 3) Young Serbs were aggravated by Austria-Hungary's annexation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and some joined radical nationalist groups like the ‘Black Hand’. These groups hoped to drive Austria-Hungary from the area and establish a ‘Greater Serbia’. It was this nationalism that inspired the trigger factor of WW1: the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo in June 1914. This is the event that led directly to the outbreak of World War I. Against: Although arguably nationalism was the cause that led to the trigger factor (the assassination of Franz Ferdinand), this trigger would not have had the effect of starting WW1 without a number of other long-term factors being present. The other main causes of WW1 are: Imperialism (the race for Empire building and the Scramble for Africa), the Alliances (in 1882, The Triple Alliance was formed between Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary and in 1907, Britain, France and Russia formed the Triple Entente) and Militarism (the arms race between Britain and Germany).