Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Concept of Nation State
During the 19th century nationalism emerged as a force in Europe. It brought about sweeping changes in the political and mental world of Europe which resulted in emergence of the nation-state.
Frederic Sorrieu, a French artist drew a series of four prints which depicted his dream of a world made up of ‘Democratic and Social Republics’ in 1848.
The French Revolution and the Idea of Nation
● The first idea of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789.
● The French Revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices and introduced the ideas like, la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) amongst the French people.
● A centralised administrative system and a uniform law for all citizens was introduced.
Napoleonic Code
● Napoleon had incorporated revolutionary principle by introducing the Civil Code of 1804, which was known as Napoleonic Code.
● This civil code removed all privileges based on birth, established equality before law and secured the right to property. It abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues. It simplified administrative divisions, removed guild system, improved transport and communication system, introduced standardised weights and measures and common national currency.
The Making of Nationalism in Europe
● There were no nation-states in the mid-18th century Europe.
● Germany, Italy and Switzerland were divided into kingdoms, duchies and cantons whose rulers had their autonomous territories. They did not see themselves as sharing a collective unity or a common culture.
Aristocracy and the New Middle Class
● Aristocracy, was a small group but it was the dominant class in the continent. They owned estates and property.
● Due to industrialisation the new social groups of working class and middle class population, including industrialists, businessmen, professionals came into existence.
Liberal Nationalism
● In the early 19th century, ideas of national unity were closely related to the ideology of liberalism.
● For the new middle classes, liberalism meant freedom for individual and equality of all before law.
● In France, the right to vote and to get elected was granted exclusively to persons who owned property.
● In the economic sphere, liberalism stood for the freedom of markets and the abolition of state imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.
● In 1834, a Customs Union or Zollverein was formed by Prussia and accepted by most of the German state.
● The union abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two.
A New Conservatism After 1815
● Following the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, European
governments were driven by a spirit of conservatism.
● Conservatism stressed on the importance of tradition,
established institutions and customs and preferred
gradual development to quick change.
● The European powers like Britain, Russia, Prussia and
Austria who had collectively defeated Napoleon met at
Vienna and signed up the Treaty of Vienna in 1815.
The Congress was hosted by the Austrian Chancellor
Duke Metternich and they drew up the Treaty of
Vienna of 1815.
● The major outcomes of the treaty are the Bourbon
dynasty restored power, France lost all the territories,
annexed by Napoleon and a series of states were set
up on the boundaries of France to prevent its
expansion in future.
● The main intention of Congress was to restore the
monarchies that has been overthrown by Napoleon
and create a new conservative order in Europe.
The Revolutionaries
● The liberal nationalists opposed monarchial forms that
had been established after Vienna Congress and fight
for liberty and freedom.
● In Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini became a
member of Secret Society and founded two
underground societies, viz, Young Italy and Young
Europe.
● He was described as ‘the most dangerous enemy of
our social order’.
The Age of Revolution: 1830-1848
● Liberalism and nationalism was associated with the
revolution in many regions of Europe such as the
Italian and German states, the provinces of Ottoman
Empire, Ireland and Poland. These revolutions were
led by liberal nationalists.
● The first upheaval took place in France in
July 1830. The Bourbon kings were overthrown by liberal revolutionaries, who installed Louis Philippe as
the constitutional monarch.
● There was a struggle for independence in Greece and
the Treaty of Constantinople of 1832 recognised
Greece as an independent nation.
The Romantic Imagination
and National Feeling
● Romanticism was a cultural movement that tried to
create a sense of a shared collective heritage as a
basis of a nation.
● Some countries like Poland kept nationalist feeling alive
through music and language. The clergies in Poland
used Polish language for religious instruction.
Hunger, Hardship and Popular Revolt
● The 1830s were the years of great economic hardship in
Europe. There was enormous increase in population all
over the Europe.
● The conditions of the workers in town was extreme. In
1845, there was a revolt of weavers in Silesia village
against the contractors.
● In 1848, population of Paris revolted due to food
shortage and widespread unemployment. Barricades
were erected and Louis Philippe was forced to flee.
● As a result, a National Assembly proclaimed a republic
and granted suffrage to adult males above 21 and
guaranteed them the right to work. National workshop
were set-up to provide employment.
● It was because the contractors supplied raw material
to weaver and reduced their payments.
● As a result, suffrage (right to vote) was granted to
males above 21 by the National Assembly. This gave
them the right to work.
1848 : The Revolution of the Liberals
● In Germany, Italy, Poland and Austro-Hungarian
empire demanded for constitutionalism with national
unification. The liberal took advantage of the growing
popular unrest to push their demands for the creation of nation-state.
● In 1848 France, Germany, Italy, Poland etc demanded
for a nation state based on Constitution, freedom of the
press and freedom of association.
May Revolution
● On 18th May, 1848, 831 elected representatives
assembled in the Church of St Paul. They drafted a
Constitution for German nation. According to this
Constitution, the nation was to be headed by a
monarchy under a parliamentary control.
● The highest position was offered to Friedrich Wilhelm
IV (King of Prussia), but he rejected it and joined other
monarchs to oppose the elected assembly.
● The Parliament also lost its support as demands of
workers and artisans were ignored and the assembly
was disbanded.
Issue of Political Rights to Women
● Women were not given any political rights so large
number of women participated actively in the liberal
movements to demand for their rights.
● They formed their own political associations, founded
newspaper and took actively in political meeting and
demonstrations.
The Making of Germany and Italy
After 1848, nationalist sentiments were widespread in
Germany and Italy which led to their unification.
● Otto von Bismarck aimed to achieve the unification
with the help of Prussian army and bureaucracy.
● Prussian victory in three wars with Austria, Denmark
and France ended and completed the process of its
unification.
● Chief Minister Otto von Bismarck along with princes
of German states, representatives of the army,
Prussian ministers declared the new German Empire
on 18th January, 1871. It was headed by Kaiser
William I of Prussia.
● Newly formed state, Germany emphasised on modernising the
currency, banking, legal and judicial systems.
● Italy was divided into seven states of which only
Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian Princely state.
● Giuseppe Mazzini, Count Camillo de Cavour, Giuseppe
Garibaldi took responsibilities to unite Italy. Due to their effort
Italy was united in 1861.
● In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed the king of
United Italy.
● The states of Tuscany, Modena, Parma and the Papal were
joined with Sardinia.
● The final unification of Italy was achieved in 1871 and Rome
became a part of Sardinia.
The Strange Case of Britain
● There was no British nation prior to the 18th century.
● In 1688, England was established as a Nation-state. English
Parliament seized power from Monarchy.
● The Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland
resulted in the formation of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain. By this Act, Scotland was incorporated in England.
● Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United
Kingdom of Britain in 1801.
● The symbols of the new Britain were the British
flag (Union Jack), the National Anthem (God
save our Nobel King) and the English language.
Visualising the Nation
● Artists in the 18th and 19th century started to
personify nations as female figures.
● These female figures became known as allegory
of nations, viz in France, Marianne was the
allegory and in Germany, Germania was the
allegory.
Nationalism and Imperialism
● A large part of the Balkans was under the controls of the Ottoman Empire.
● Each European power i.e. Germany, Russia, England, Austro-Hungary wanted to extend their control over the Balkans. This led to series of
war and finally the First World War.
