<P> The territorial changes of Germany after World War II can be interpreted in the context of the evolution of global nationalism and European nationalism . </P> <P> The latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century saw the rise of nationalism in Europe . Previously, a country consisted largely of whatever peoples lived on the land that was under the dominion of a particular ruler . As principalities and kingdoms grew through conquest and marriage, a ruler could wind up with many different ethnicities under his dominion . </P> <P> The concept of nationalism was based on the idea of a "people" who shared a common bond through race, religion, language and culture . Furthermore, nationalism asserted that each "people" had a right to its own state . Thus, much of European history in the latter half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century can be understood as efforts to realign national boundaries with this concept of "one people, one state". Many interior conflicts were a result of more or less pressurising citizens of alternative ethnicities and / or other native languages to assimilate to the ethnicity dominant in the state . Switzerland was the exception, lacking a common native language . </P> <P> Much conflict would arise when one nation asserted territorial rights to land outside its borders on the basis of an ethnic bond with the people living on the land . Another source of conflict arose when a group of people who constituted a minority in one nation would seek to secede from the nation either to form an independent nation or join another nation with whom they felt stronger ties . Yet another source of conflict was the desire of some nations to expel people from territory within its borders because people did not share a common bond with the majority of people of that nation . </P>

By what percent was germany's territory reduced after ww1