Militarists increasingly viewed their nations’ armed forces as above criticism. Russia and France reached a similar agreement. Germany, fearful of being hemmed in by enemies on its east and west, signed an agreement with Austria-Hungary to support each other in a European war. No country wanted to be without allies if war broke out, so two major military alliances took hold. Naval budgets increased every year, especially in Britain and Germany. Conscript armies grew in most countries, in which young men were required to undergo a year or two of military training and were then sent home as reserves to be mobilized or called to action when needed for fighting. The leaders of many countries believed that a nation could only achieve its political and economic goals if it had a strong military, a belief known as militarism. The strength of a nation was measured by the scope of its wealth and resources, the amount of land it held, and the size of its army and navy. Frantic competition among European powers marked the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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