How did aggressive nationalism push France and Germany to the brink of war in the early 1900s?

Question

anonymous · Answer

France wanted back Alsace-Lorraine which they had lost in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870. They therefore felt a deep resentment and sense of humiliation and that manifested itself in aggressive nationalism in their dealings with Germany. The French sought military alliances with Russia and the UK which gave the Germans the impression that they were surrounded by hostile neighbours.