PRESENTED BY AMIT SINGH( PGT HISTORY) History Chapter-1

The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

Frederic Sorrieu’ dream on Nationalism

1. In 1848, Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared a series of four prints visualising his
dream of a world made up of ‘democratic and social Republics’.
2. It shows that the peoples of Europe and America marching in a long train, and offering
homage to the statue of Liberty as they pass by it.
3. In the foreground of the image lie the shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist
institutions (Palace , large prisons etc) .
4. United States and Switzerland became nation-states ( united territory under one rule).
France has just reached the statue.
5. Following the French people, Germany, Austria, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and
Russia are marching in the long train.
6. From the heavens above, Christ, saints and angels bless the people.

Nation-state

Nation-state was one in which the majority of its citizens came to develop a sense of
common identity( culture, language, dress, food) and shared history.

The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could
create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
1. The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasized the notion
of a united community enjoying equal rights under a new constitution.
2. A new French flag with blue, red and white colours was chosen to replace the former
royal standard.
3. The Estates General was renamed as the National Assembly and its members were
elected.
4. New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name
of the nation.
5. A centralized administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for
all citizens.
6. Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and
measures was adopted.
7. Regional dialects were discouraged and French became the National language of the
nation.

Marseillaise

1. Marseillaise was a song composed by the poet Roget de L Isle

2. It was sung for the first time by volunteers from Marseilles( town) as they marched
into Paris and so got its name.
3. The Marseillaise is now the national anthem of France

Napoleon introduced various reforms in France

1. Napoleon had destroyed democracy in France and reintroduced Monarchy.

2. In the administrative field he had incorporated revolutionary principles in order to make
the whole system more rational and efficient.
3. The Civil Code of 1804 – usually known as the Napoleonic Code was introduced.
4. The Civil Code did away with all privileges based on birth.
5. The Civil Code established equality among all the citizens before the law
6. The Civil Code secured the right to property.

Napoleon introduced various reforms in the territories that came under his control

1. The Civil Code of 1804 – usually known as the Napoleonic Code was exported to the
regions which came under French control.
2. In Dutch Republic, Switzerland, Italy and Germany, Napoleon simplified administration,
abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.
3. In the towns guild( Traders union) restrictions were removed. Transport and
communication systems were improved.
4. Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new-found freedom.
5. He introduced uniform laws, standardised weights and measures, and a common
national currency was also introduced.
What were the mixed reactions of the local populations to Napoleonic rule or French
rule in the territories ruled by Napoleon?

1. Initially, in Holland, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, Italy and Poland, the French armies
were welcomed as harbingers of liberty.
2. But the initial enthusiasm soon turned to hostility, as it became clear that the new
administrative arrangements did not go hand in hand with political freedom.
3. Because Napoleon increased taxation in these regions.
4. Napoleon introduced censorship
5. Napoleon also introduced forced recruitment of people into the French armies for
conquering the rest of Europe.

The Habsburg Empire that ruled over Austria-Hungary was a patchwork of many
different regions and peoples- Discuss

1. Austria-Hungary included the Alpine regions, Tyrol, Austria, Sudetenland and Bohemia
where the aristocracy was mostly German-speaking.
2. Austria-Hungary also included the Italian-speaking provinces of Lombardy and Venetia.
3. In Hungary, half of the population spoke Magyar while the other half spoke a variety of
dialects.
4. In Galicia, the aristocracy spoke Polish language.
5. Besides these three dominant groups, Bohemians, Slovaks, Slovenes and Roumans
also lived there.

How did nationalism and the idea of the nation-state emerge in Europe?

a)Growth of New Middle Class

1. In Western and Central Europe development of industries and trade led to the growth
of towns and cities.
2. This led to the emergence of commercial classes and new social groups such as
middle class. (Middle classes made up of industrialists, businessmen, professionals)
3. The liberal middle classes developed ideas of national unity by abolishing aristocratic
privileges based on birth..

b)Liberal Nationalism

1. The term ‘liberalism’ derived from the Latin word liber, meaning free.
2. Socially, liberalism stood for freedom of individual and equality of before the law.
3. Politically, liberalism emphasised the end of autocracy, end of privileges based on birth,
a written constitution and democratic government through parliament.
4. Economically, liberalism stood for the freedom of markets, abolition of customs duties,
uniform currency, uniform weights and measures for free movement of goods and capital.

c) New Conservatism
1. Conservatism – A political philosophy that stressed the importance of old traditions like
monarchy, bureaucracy , Church, social hierarchies etc should be preserved and practiced.
2. New Conservatism – A political idea that establishment of strong monarchy, modern
army, bureaucracy, a dynamic economy, the abolition of feudalism and serfdom could
strengthen the autocracies in Europe.
3. In 1815, representatives of Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria – who had collectively
defeated Napoleon, met at Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe. (The Congress(
meeting) was hosted by the Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich.)

They made Treaty of Vienna of 1815 with the object of undoing( taking back) most of the
changes introduced by Napoleon.

a. The Bourbon dynasty, which had been deposed during the French Revolution, was
restored to power in France.
b. France lost the territories it had annexed under Napoleon.
c. A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent French expansion in
future.
d. Thus the kingdom of the Netherlands in the north and Piedmont in the south were setup.
e. Prussia was given important new territories on its western frontiers, while Austria was
given control of northern Italy and Russia was given a part of Poland.
f. But the German confederation of 39 states that had been set up by Napoleon was left
untouched.

e)The Revolutionaries

1. After 1815, many Secret societies were set up to train revolutionaries and spread their
ideas in Europe.
2. To be a revolutionary one has to have a commitment to oppose monarchical forms, fight
for liberty and freedom. Most of these revolutionaries also saw the creation of nation-state as
a necessary part of this struggle for freedom.
3. Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini was born in Genoa in 1807and became a
member of the secret society of the Carbonari. He was sent into exile in1831 for attempting
a revolution in Liguria.
4. He subsequently founded two Secret Societies- Young Italy in Marseilles and Young
Europe in Berne.
5. Mazzini believed that Italy to be unified and this unification alone could be the basis of
Italian liberty. (Metternich described Giuseppe Mazziini as ‘the most dangerous enemy of our
social order)

Period from1830-1848 was described as the Age of Revolutions (1830s were the years
of great economic hardship in Europe)

1. The first upheaval took place in France in July 1830. The Bourbon kings, who had been
restored to power after 1815, were overthrown by revolutionaries and Louis Philippe
became head of constitutional monarchy.
2. An uprising broke out in Brussels( now it is the capital of Belgium) which led to Belgium
breaking away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
3. Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire and a struggle for independence began in
1821 and it got support from other Greeks living in exile. The Treaty of Constantinople of
1832 recognized Greece as an independent nation. (This is called Greek War of
Independence)
4. Earlier, in 1845, weavers of Silesia had led a revolt against contractors for low wages
by marching to contractors houses. Weavers attacked contractor’s houses and destroyed
their properties.

(The year 1848 is described in History as the revolution of liberals)

1. In 1848 food shortages and wide spread unemployment brought the population of
Paris out on the roads. Louis Philippe (head of the government from 1830 to1848 in France)
was forced to flee.
2. A National Assembly proclaimed that France is a Republic, granted right to vote to all
adult males above 21.
3. On May 18 (1848) 831 elected representatives of German Confederation marched to
St. Paul Church which was converted as Frankfurt parliament to make all German National
Assembly. They drafted a constitution, invited King of Prussia to be the head of constitutional
monarchy but he refused.
4. After 1848, the autocratic monarchies of Central and Eastern Europe began to
introduce some changes like abolition of serfdom, bonded labour, censorship etc.

The Romantic Imagination and National Feeling ( Role of culture for the growth of
Nationalism in Europe)

1. Romanticism, a cultural movement in which art, poetry, stories and music played an
important role in developing nationalism and creating the idea of the nation.
2. German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder claimed that true German culture was to
be discovered from folk songs, folk poetry and folk dances. So he collected and recorded
folk culture to promote nation-building.
3. Romantics of Poland emphasized on vernacular language and the collection of folklore
to recover an ancient national spirit. National feelings were kept alive through music and
language in Poland.
4. Karol Kurpinski celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music. He
turned folk dances like the polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbols.
5. After Russian occupation, the Polish language was forced out of schools and churches.
Russian language was imposed everywhere. In 1831, an armed rebellion against Russian
rule took place. Following this, Polish was used for Church gatherings, schools and all
religious instructions.

Silesian Revolt (The journalist Wilhelm Wolff described the events of Silesian Revolt)

1. In Silesian village weaving was the most widespread occupation. The contractors
reduced the wages of weavers.
2. On 4th June 1845 a large crowd of weavers marched in pairs up to the mansion of their
contractor demanding higher wages. But the weavers were ill treated by him.
3. Following this, weavers broke houses, smashed windowpanes, furniture, storehouse
and plundered cloth and properties of the contractor.
4. The contractor fled with his family to neighbouring village but villagers refused to shelter
such a person.
5. After 24 hours he returned with an army. In the exchange that followed eleven weavers
were shot dead by the army.

Role of women in nationalist struggles of Europe

1. Women had formed their own political associations (Clubs)

2. They founded newspapers
3. They had taken part in political meetings and demonstrations.
4 They demanded voting right
5. They also demanded right to get elected to National Assemblies

Unification of Germany

1. On 18th May (1848), 831 elected representatives of German Confederation marched

to St. Paul Church which was converted as Frankfurt parliament to make all German
National Assembly. They drafted a constitution, invited King of Prussia to be the head of the
constitutional monarchy, but he refused.
2. Prussia’s chief minister, Otto von Bismarck, was the architect of unification process with
the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy.
3. He waged three wars over seven years – with Austria, Denmark and France. All the
wars ended in Prussian victory and completed the process of unification.
4. In January 1871, the Prussian king, William I was proclaimed as the German Emperor
in a ceremony held at Versailles.
5. The nation-building process in Germany had demonstrated the dominance of Prussian
state power. Prussian measures and practices often became a model for the rest of
Germany.

Unification of Italy

1. Italy was divided into seven states, of which Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian
princely house. (The north was under Austrian Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by the Pope
and the southern regions were under the domination of the Bourbon kings of Spain.)
2. During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini formed two secret societies called Young Italy and
young Europe and organized two revolutions for the unification of Italy but both the attempts
failed.
3. Cavour, the Chief Minister of Sardinia-Piedmont led the movement to unify the regions
of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat.
4. Through a tactful diplomatic alliance with France, Cavour defeated the Austrian forces
in 1859 and captured northern region.
5. A large number of armed volunteers under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi joined
with Cavour. In 1860, they marched into the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and defeated
Spanish rulers.
6. In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed as the king of united Italy.

Unification of Britain and its strange way for unification

1. The primary identities of the people were ethnic ones – such as English, Welsh, Scot
and Irish. All of these ethnic groups had their own cultural and political traditions. But the
English nation was wealthy and powerful.
2. The English parliament seized power from the monarchy in 1688 and England became
instrument for unification of Britain.
3. The Act of Union (1707) was passed in English Parliament which resulted in unification
of Scotland with England.(How did England suppress Scottish culture? England imposed its
influence on Scotland.# English members dominated the British parliament# Scotland’s
distinctive culture and political institutions were systematically suppressed #Catholics of
Scotland suffered terrible repression, they were forbidden to speak their Gaelic language#
wear their national dress #large numbers were forcibly driven out of their homeland)
4. Ireland was a country deeply divided between Catholics and Protestants. The English
helped the Protestants of Ireland to establish their dominance over Catholics. Catholic
revolts against British dominance were suppressed. Ireland also suffered like Scotland. (How
did England suppress Irish culture? England imposed its influence on Ireland.# English
members dominated the British parliament# Ireland’s distinctive culture and political
institutions were systematically suppressed #Catholics of Ireland suffered terrible
repression, they were forbidden to speak their Irish language# wear their national dress
#large numbers were forcibly driven out of their homeland)
5. After a failed revolt led by Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen (1798),Ireland was
forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801.A new ‘British nation’ was forged
through the propagation of a dominant English culture.
6. The British flag, the national anthem, the English language – were actively promoted
and Scotland and Ireland survived only as subordinate partners in this union.

Visualizing or personifying the Nation

1. Artists of 18th and 19thcenturies found a way to personify a nation as female figure.
The female form that was chosen to personify the nation did not stand for any woman in real
life. This female figure became an allegory (symbol)of the nation.
2. During the French Revolution artists used the female allegory to portray ideas of
Liberty, Justice and Republic. These ideals were represented through specific objects or
symbols.
3. The symbols of Liberty are red cap and broken chain. Justice is generally a blind folded
woman carrying a pair of weighing scales.
4. In France female allegory was Marianne, a popular Christian name. Statues of
Marianne were erected in public places. Marianne images were marked on coins and
stamps.
5. Germania became the allegory of the German nation. In visual representations,
Germania wears a crown of oak leaves, a sword, national flag, breastplate etc. These
objects stand for heroism.

Balkans became the most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe after 1871
(OR) Nationalism aligned with imperialism led Europe to disaster in 1914

1. The Balkans was a region comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece,
Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro whose
inhabitants were broadly known as the Slavs.
2. A large part of the Balkans was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The spread of
the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans and disintegration of the Ottoman Empire
made this region very explosive.
3. To define their identity and independence the Slavs made Balkan into an area of
intense conflict. The Balkan states were fiercely jealous of each other and each hoped to
gain more territory at the expense of the others.
4. Matters were further complicated because the big European powers ( Russia,
Germany, France, Britain and Austria- Hungary)had rivalry over trade and colonies and to
hold power over the Balkans and extending their control over the area. ( In 1914 Austria’s
crown prince and his wife were assassinated by a young revolutionary in Serbia. So Austria
declared war on Serbia. Russia, France and Britain came to support Serbia. Germany and
Ottoman Empire cam to support Austria)
5. This led to a series of wars in the region and finally the First World War between Allied
powers and central powers.. Nationalism, aligned with imperialism, led Europe to disaster in
1914.

Zollverein

1. A customs union formed by Prussia.

2. The union abolished tariff barriers between the states.
3. The union reduced the number of currencies from 30 to 2.
Assignment--1
1. Explain the painting made by Frederic Sorrieu’ dream on Nationalism
2. What is Nation-state?
3. The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could
create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people- Explain any six points
4. Write a short note on Marseillaise
5. What were the various reforms introduced by Napoleon in France?
6. Napoleon introduced various reforms in the territories that came under his control What
are they?
7. What were the mixed reactions of the local populations to Napoleonic rule or French
rule in the territories ruled by Napoleon?
8. The Habsburg Empire that ruled over Austria-Hungary was a patchwork of many
different regions and peoples- Discuss
9. How did nationalism and the idea of the nation-state emerge in Europe?
10. Write a short note on role of New Middle Class in developing Nationalism?
11. What is Liberal Nationalism?
12. What is New Conservatism?
13. What were the decisions taken in Vienna according to the Treaty of Vienna of 1815?
14. What is Conservatism?
15. Explain the role of the Revolutionaries in developing nationalism in Europe.
16. Period from1830-1848 was described as the Age of Revolutions- Why?
17. 1830s were the years of great economic hardship in Europe- Give reasons
18. The year 1848 is described in History as the revolution of liberals- support the
statement.
19. Explain the role of culture for the growth of Nationalism in Europe.
20. How did the journalist Wilhelm Wolff describe the events of Silesian Revolt?
21. What was role of women in nationalist struggles of Europe?
22. Explain the Unification of Germany in five points.
23. Explain the Unification of Italy in five points.
24. Explain the strange way of unification of Britain.
25. How did England suppress Scottish culture?
26. How did England suppress Irish culture?
27. How did artists visualize or personify the Nation in 18th and 19th centuries?
28. Balkans became the most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe after 1871-
Explain the statement
29. Write a note on Zollverein.
30. Write a note on Civil Code of 1804.