European Imperialism Challenged

Anti-Semitism was only one sign that the conditions of modern life were deeply troubling and that the rule of law and other liberal values like tolerance were threatened. Militant nationalism across the West made it difficult for nations to calm international tensions. This nationalist atmosphere heated up, and newcomers Italy and Germany now fought for a place at the imperial table, making imperial rivalries among the European powers alarmingly worse. As colonized peoples challenged European control, in 1904–1905, Japanese expansionism came close to toppling the mighty Russian Empire. Chaos dotted the imperial world.