What is Militarism?
Militarism is the state of belief by a government to establish and maintain a robust military capacity and aggressively use it to expand its territories. The definition of militarism is coined from the theoretical opinion of people who hold that a country or state should use its military prowess to seize power and achieve its objective. There are multiple definitions that can be utilized when discussing militarism.
Goals
20th Century Militarism
Soviet Union
Chinese Militarism
Miltarism in World War I
Militarism is one of the factors that caused World War I. All European countries had established their armies and were ready to stage battles with any country, which meant that a small conflict in the Balkans easily led to widespread war across the continent. Examples of militarism in World War I include German militarism as well as Prussian militarism.
Modern Militarism
In western countries, militarism is viewed as a strong tool to capture power, expand territories, and access valuable resources in weaker countries. Westerners also view militarism as an important framework, especially for seeking a superpower.
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact was signed in August 1939. It paved the way for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to invade and occupy Poland that September. The pact was an agreement of convenience between the two bitter enemies. It permitted them to carve up spheres of influence in eastern Europe, while pledging not to attack each other for 10 years. Less than two years later, however, Hitler launched an invasion of the Soviet Union.
00:30
00:30
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact consisted of two-parts, one public and one secret. The public part was a non-aggression pact in which each country promised not to attack the other. They also agreed not to provide assistance to a third country that attacked either of them. In addition, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to participate with other countries in an arrangement that would affect the other, directly or indirectly. The non-aggression agreement was to last for ten years. It could be automatically renewed for an additional five years if neither party moved to end it. The secret part of the pact was a protocol that established Soviet and German spheres of influence in eastern Europe. Estonia, Latvia, and Bessarabia fell within the Soviet sphere, according to the pact. The signatories agreed to divide Poland along the line of the Narec, Vistula, and San rivers.
The German-Soviet Pact
With the pact in effect, Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, without fear of Soviet intervention. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany. They were fulfilling a promise they had made five months earlier to protect Poland’s borders. On September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east. These events mark the beginning of World War II. Germany and the Soviet Union then moved to take control of the spheres of influence outlined in the secret protocol. They amended the protocol so that Lithuania and the city of Vilnius fell within the Soviet sphere. They also adjusted the boundary they had set in Poland. On September 29, 1939, the partitioned Poland between them. Germany occupied western and most of central Poland. It proceeded to annex the western provinces to the Reich. The Soviet Union occupied and annexed the rest of Poland.
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact enabled the Soviet Union to annex other territories in its sphere of influence. On November 30, 1939, the Soviets attacked Finland. After a four-month war. The annexed Finnish territory along the Soviet border. This territory included the area near Leningrad. In the summer of 1940, the Soviets occupied and incorporated the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They also seized the Romanian provinces of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia.
End of the German-Soviet Pact
Hitler regarded the German-Soviet non-aggression pact as a tactical and temporary maneuver. He never intended to uphold the terms of the agreement for 10 years. His long-range plan was for German forces to attack the Soviet Union and establish Lebensraum (living space) for the Germans in the territories they seized. Before taking this step, however, Hitler intended to subdue Poland and defeat France and Great Britain. The non-aggression pact allowed Germany to focus on those goals without fear of a Soviet attack. The pact enabled Nazi Germany to avoid war on two fronts – western and eastern – for a while.
July 1940
Dec. 1940
November 1940
June 1941
Fantastic!
Now, complete your graphic organizers in your booklet about the policy of militarism and the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Chinese Militarism
Since the great revolt of 1911, China’s history of local politics has been a militaristic rule. After establishing a communist government in 1949, the atmosphere of civil war and the Sino-Japanese war led to a great military in China. Yuan Shih-kai took power from Sun, who stepped down following the revolution; the military general then ruled the largest portion of the Chinese forces. The significance of Chinese militarism was to win the Sino-Japanese war, and it also sparked the greatest revolution of the Manchu government.
North Korea
North Korea is a modern militaristic country where media news headlines the latest activities of the military. The country has prioritized military expenses and has the largest military. The role of North Korea’s militarism is to protect its territory and establish a ready military parade for any possible invasion.
- spending 25% of the government’s budget on the military
- 40% of its population either actively or in the military reservation
German Militarism
Germany began to compete with the British, who had the largest naval army globally and were on the verge of developing more advanced weapons like submarines and poisonous gas. The competition in the arms race between Germany and Great Britain began in 1906. Kaiser Wilhelm announced his intentions to build a vaster [bigger], more powerful naval army that would rival the British navy, and this move threatened the security of Great Britain. Militarism in Germany was influenced by the Nazis, who believed the country was supposed to be ready for war at any time.
Militarism in the Soviet Union
The militarization of the Soviet Union was pushed by Stalin’s desire for industrialization in the 1930s. The invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler’s Nazi army prompted the Soviet Union to fight against Germany. Hitler was obsessed with turning Russia into a German colony; however, he was met with early resistance from the Soviet militarized government. The Soviet Union later invaded Eastern Europe (Poland) after annexing the Karelia and Salla regions of Finland. Stalin’s Red Army drove across Eastern Europe to fight the Nazis. This way, Germany would not be able to use countries like Poland as a staging post to invade. The Soviet Union later failed, likely because of excessive spending on weapons rather than on the basic needs of its citizens.
Goal of Militarism
The general purpose of militaristic governments includes shaping cultures, public opinions, and the press; it also aims to fuel arms [weapon] races and take control when legitimate governments cannot exercise their functions.
[in the 19th century] There was a rise in military technologies and significant spending on the military capacity to expand territories and gain political power. Militarism can be understood as the philosophy of exalting war, excessive influence of the military on social relations, and the urge to use force aggressively…
July 1940
One month after Germany defeated France, Hitler ordered preparations for war against the Soviet Union. German diplomats worked to secure Germany’s flank in southeast Europe.
November 1940
Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the Axis alliance. During the spring of 1941, Hitler initiated his European allies into plans to invade the Soviet Union.
December 18, 1940
Hitler signed Directive 21. This directive was the first operational order for the invasion of the Soviet Union. From the time they began planning the invasion, German military and police authorities intended to wage a war of annihilation. They considered their enemies to be the Soviet Union’s “Judeo-Bolshevik” Communist government as well as Soviet citizens, particularly the Jews.
June 22, 1941
German forces invaded the Soviet Union. This marked the end of the German-Soviet Pact. It lasted for less than two years.
Policies and Treaties leading to International Conflict
Amanda Hufham
Created on October 22, 2025
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Transcript
What is Militarism?
Militarism is the state of belief by a government to establish and maintain a robust military capacity and aggressively use it to expand its territories. The definition of militarism is coined from the theoretical opinion of people who hold that a country or state should use its military prowess to seize power and achieve its objective. There are multiple definitions that can be utilized when discussing militarism.
Goals
20th Century Militarism
Soviet Union
Chinese Militarism
Miltarism in World War I
Militarism is one of the factors that caused World War I. All European countries had established their armies and were ready to stage battles with any country, which meant that a small conflict in the Balkans easily led to widespread war across the continent. Examples of militarism in World War I include German militarism as well as Prussian militarism.
Modern Militarism
In western countries, militarism is viewed as a strong tool to capture power, expand territories, and access valuable resources in weaker countries. Westerners also view militarism as an important framework, especially for seeking a superpower.
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact was signed in August 1939. It paved the way for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to invade and occupy Poland that September. The pact was an agreement of convenience between the two bitter enemies. It permitted them to carve up spheres of influence in eastern Europe, while pledging not to attack each other for 10 years. Less than two years later, however, Hitler launched an invasion of the Soviet Union.
00:30
00:30
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact consisted of two-parts, one public and one secret. The public part was a non-aggression pact in which each country promised not to attack the other. They also agreed not to provide assistance to a third country that attacked either of them. In addition, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union agreed not to participate with other countries in an arrangement that would affect the other, directly or indirectly. The non-aggression agreement was to last for ten years. It could be automatically renewed for an additional five years if neither party moved to end it. The secret part of the pact was a protocol that established Soviet and German spheres of influence in eastern Europe. Estonia, Latvia, and Bessarabia fell within the Soviet sphere, according to the pact. The signatories agreed to divide Poland along the line of the Narec, Vistula, and San rivers.
The German-Soviet Pact
With the pact in effect, Germany attacked Poland on September 1, 1939, without fear of Soviet intervention. On September 3, Britain and France declared war on Germany. They were fulfilling a promise they had made five months earlier to protect Poland’s borders. On September 17, the Soviet Union invaded Poland from the east. These events mark the beginning of World War II. Germany and the Soviet Union then moved to take control of the spheres of influence outlined in the secret protocol. They amended the protocol so that Lithuania and the city of Vilnius fell within the Soviet sphere. They also adjusted the boundary they had set in Poland. On September 29, 1939, the partitioned Poland between them. Germany occupied western and most of central Poland. It proceeded to annex the western provinces to the Reich. The Soviet Union occupied and annexed the rest of Poland.
The German-Soviet Pact
The German-Soviet Pact enabled the Soviet Union to annex other territories in its sphere of influence. On November 30, 1939, the Soviets attacked Finland. After a four-month war. The annexed Finnish territory along the Soviet border. This territory included the area near Leningrad. In the summer of 1940, the Soviets occupied and incorporated the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They also seized the Romanian provinces of Northern Bukovina and Bessarabia.
End of the German-Soviet Pact
Hitler regarded the German-Soviet non-aggression pact as a tactical and temporary maneuver. He never intended to uphold the terms of the agreement for 10 years. His long-range plan was for German forces to attack the Soviet Union and establish Lebensraum (living space) for the Germans in the territories they seized. Before taking this step, however, Hitler intended to subdue Poland and defeat France and Great Britain. The non-aggression pact allowed Germany to focus on those goals without fear of a Soviet attack. The pact enabled Nazi Germany to avoid war on two fronts – western and eastern – for a while.
July 1940
Dec. 1940
November 1940
June 1941
Fantastic!
Now, complete your graphic organizers in your booklet about the policy of militarism and the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact
Chinese Militarism
Since the great revolt of 1911, China’s history of local politics has been a militaristic rule. After establishing a communist government in 1949, the atmosphere of civil war and the Sino-Japanese war led to a great military in China. Yuan Shih-kai took power from Sun, who stepped down following the revolution; the military general then ruled the largest portion of the Chinese forces. The significance of Chinese militarism was to win the Sino-Japanese war, and it also sparked the greatest revolution of the Manchu government.
North Korea
North Korea is a modern militaristic country where media news headlines the latest activities of the military. The country has prioritized military expenses and has the largest military. The role of North Korea’s militarism is to protect its territory and establish a ready military parade for any possible invasion.
German Militarism
Germany began to compete with the British, who had the largest naval army globally and were on the verge of developing more advanced weapons like submarines and poisonous gas. The competition in the arms race between Germany and Great Britain began in 1906. Kaiser Wilhelm announced his intentions to build a vaster [bigger], more powerful naval army that would rival the British navy, and this move threatened the security of Great Britain. Militarism in Germany was influenced by the Nazis, who believed the country was supposed to be ready for war at any time.
Militarism in the Soviet Union
The militarization of the Soviet Union was pushed by Stalin’s desire for industrialization in the 1930s. The invasion of the Soviet Union by Hitler’s Nazi army prompted the Soviet Union to fight against Germany. Hitler was obsessed with turning Russia into a German colony; however, he was met with early resistance from the Soviet militarized government. The Soviet Union later invaded Eastern Europe (Poland) after annexing the Karelia and Salla regions of Finland. Stalin’s Red Army drove across Eastern Europe to fight the Nazis. This way, Germany would not be able to use countries like Poland as a staging post to invade. The Soviet Union later failed, likely because of excessive spending on weapons rather than on the basic needs of its citizens.
Goal of Militarism
The general purpose of militaristic governments includes shaping cultures, public opinions, and the press; it also aims to fuel arms [weapon] races and take control when legitimate governments cannot exercise their functions.
[in the 19th century] There was a rise in military technologies and significant spending on the military capacity to expand territories and gain political power. Militarism can be understood as the philosophy of exalting war, excessive influence of the military on social relations, and the urge to use force aggressively…
July 1940
One month after Germany defeated France, Hitler ordered preparations for war against the Soviet Union. German diplomats worked to secure Germany’s flank in southeast Europe.
November 1940
Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia joined the Axis alliance. During the spring of 1941, Hitler initiated his European allies into plans to invade the Soviet Union.
December 18, 1940
Hitler signed Directive 21. This directive was the first operational order for the invasion of the Soviet Union. From the time they began planning the invasion, German military and police authorities intended to wage a war of annihilation. They considered their enemies to be the Soviet Union’s “Judeo-Bolshevik” Communist government as well as Soviet citizens, particularly the Jews.
June 22, 1941
German forces invaded the Soviet Union. This marked the end of the German-Soviet Pact. It lasted for less than two years.