RISE OF NATIONALISM IN

EUROPE
FREDERIC SORRIEU
●In 1848,Frederic Sorrieu, a French artist prepared a
series of four print visualising his dream of world
–’democratic and social republic’.
●A long train of people marching towards the Statue
of Liberty,offering homage.Above we can see Christ
and angels also giving their blessings for the
fulfillment of their vision and spreading the feeling of
fraternity,on the earth in the foreground lie the
shattered remains of the symbol of absolutists
institutions.
●Leading the procession are the USA and
Switzerland(already nation states)followed by France
and then by the people of Germany carrying black,red
and gold flag,who yet did not exist as nation state.
DEVELOPMENT OF NATION STATES IN
EUROPE
th
So,19 century saw the emergence of nationalism
in Europe,bringing about political and mental
changes in European world. It led to :
●A)emergence of nation- states.
●B) Nation-states-was one in which majority of its
citizens ,and not only its rulers, came to develop a
sense of common identity and shared history or
descent.
●Here we will witness diverse processes through
which nation-states and nationalism came into
th
being in the 19 century Europe.
ALL ABOUT THE CHAPTER
● The French Revolution and the idea of
the Nation.
● The making of nationalism in Europe.
● The Age of Revolutions :1830-1848
● The making of Germany and Italy.
● Visualising the Nation.
● Nationalism and Imperialism
1.THE FRENCH REVOLUTION
AND THE IDEA OF THE NATION
● The French Revolution started in
1789,and was the first expressionth
of
nationalism in Europe in the 18
century.
● French people demanded abolition of
monarchy and establishment of
democracy.
● Initially,France was under the
absolute monarchy.
● However,the French Revolution led to
the transfer of sovereignty from the
The French revolution-Storming of
the Bastille 1789
Changes that took place during
1789.
● Transfer of ruling power from monarchy to the French people.
● Ideas like ‘La Patrie’(the fatherland) and ‘Le Citoyen’(the citizen)
were adopted.
● New French flag.
● The Estates General was elected and renamed as the National
Assembly.
● French became the spoken language.
● Centralised administrative system with uniform laws.
● Internal custom duties abolished.
● Uniform system of weights and measures.
● New national anthem composed and oath taken.
● The idea of nationalism taken abroad.
NAPOLEONIC CODE-1804
●In1799,Napolean
seized political power.
●He gave the Civil Code
of 1804 also known as
Napoleanic Code.It
envisaged:
●Equality before law.
●Right to property.
●Abolishment of all
privileges based on
birth rights.
Napoleonic Code
● Simplification of administrative law.
● Removed restrictions on guilds in towns.
● Abolishment of feudal system and serfdom.
● Improvement in transport and
communications.
● *Increased taxes.
● *Censorship.
● *Forced to join French army.
● However these changes were not liked by
some empires Like Prussia,Russia,Austria and
Britain ,so the collectively defeated Napolean
in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815,restored the
Bourborn dynasty.
2.The making of Nationalism in
Europe
th
●Till the mid 18 century no nation states in Europe.
●Germany,Italy and Switzerland all divided into
duchies ,kingdoms and cantons.
●Eastern Europe and Central Europe-autocratic
rulers.
●THE HAPSBURG EMPIRE-ruled over Austria-
Hungary-a patchwork of different regions and
people,
●It included –the Tyrols,Austria and Sudetenland-
Bohemia –aristocracy German speaking
●It also included Italian speaking provinces-
Lombardy and Venetia.
●Included mass of subject peasant people.The only
binding tie was the common allegiance to the
 ARISTOCRACY PEASANTRY

● High class lords .

DIVERSITY-STRUCTURE OF EUROPEAN
SOCIETY
 The New Middle Class
● Besides the aristocracy and the
peasantry a new class emerged in the
Western and Central Europe due to
the development-industrial growth.
● Comprised of
industrialists,businessmen,
,Professionals and educated liberal
middle class.Though
th
their number was
small till 19 century but their ideas of
national unity and abolition of
aristocratic privileges gained
LIBERAL NATIONALISM
●The term liberalism derived from the latin
word’liber’,meaning free.
●The new middle class in fact demanded
●IN POLITICAL SPHERE:
●equality of all before the law .
● freedom for the individuals.
●Not against the private property
●Government by consent.
●Revolutionary France –right to vote and get elected
exclusively to property owning men.
●Men without property and all women excluded from
political rights.
th th
●So throughout 19 and 20 century women and non-
propertied men organised opposition movements
demanding equal political rights.
 Economic Liberalism
●Stood for freedom of markets and the abolition of state-
imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and
capital.
●In German speaking regions during Napolean’s rule,there
were 39 states each of it possessed its own currency and
weights and measures…creating lot of problems.
●1834-saw the formation of ‘Zollverein’a customs union
formed in Prussia and joined by most of the German
states.
●It abolished tariff barriers.
●Reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two.
●Network of railways stimulated mobility harnessing
economic interest to national unification.
A New Conservatism after
1815
● Emergence of Conservatism-believed in
traditional institutions of state and
society,wanted to continue with monarchy
as it gave them more powers and
privileges.
● 1815-after the defeat of Napolean-
representatives from –
Prussia,Russia,Austria and Britain met at
Vienna to draw up settlement for Europe.
●The Congress was hosted by Duke Metternich,the
Austrian Chancellor -CONGRESS OF VIENNA.
CONGRESS OF VIENNA -1815
● Hosted by Duke
Metternich,the Austrian
Chancellor.Recreated the
map of Europe
● TERMS :
*The Bourborn dynasty
restored.
*France lost its territories
annexed under Napolean
*A series of states set up on the
boundaries of France to
prevent French extension.
*Kingdom of the
Netherlands ,incuded Belgium
was set up.
*Prussia was given important
new territories on its western
frontiers.
CONGRESS OF VIENNA
● Austria got control of Northern Italy.
● German confederation of 39 states
remained untouched.
● Russia given a part of Poland,Prussia
was given a part of Saxony.
● Main objective of Congress of Vienna:
● To restore the monarchies ,create a
new conservative order in Europe.
CONSERVATIVE REGIMES -1815
● Established autocracies.
● Did not tolerate dissent and criticism.
● Censorship laws to curb the news.
● Curb activities which questioned
legitmacy of autocratic government.
● So,one of the foremost issues taken
up by the liberal-nationalists------
Freedom of press.
The Revolutionaries
● The years following 1815-fear of
repression,many liberal –nationalists
underground.
● Secret societies sprang up in many
parts of Europe to train
revolutionaries to oppose monarchy.
● To fight for liberty and freedom.
Importance of nation-states in the
freedom struggle.
 Giuseppe Mazzini
●An Italian revolutionary.
●Born in Genoa in 1807,member of the secret society
Carbonari.
●Exiled in 1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria.
●Founded Young Italy in Marseilles &Young Europe in
Berne.
●Believed that God had intended nations to be the natural
unit of mankind
●So Italy could not continue as a patchwork of small
states and kingdoms.It had to be forged into a single
unified republic.
●His opposition to monarchy and his vision of democratic
republic frightened the conservatives.
●Metternich described him as ’the most dangerous enemy
of our social order’.
3.The Age of Revolutions: 1830-
1848
● 2 Ideas became very popular in Europe-
Liberalism and Nationalism(especially
by educated middle class)
● Period of hardship-hunger,shortage of
food,population
increased,unemployment due to
machines
● Followed by a period of upheavels---
1. JulyRevolution.(1830)
2. Revolution of Brussels
3. Greek war of Independence (1821)
JULY REVOLUTION (1830)
July Revolution
● The Bourborn dynasty overthrown.
● Constitutional monarchy set up under
Louis Philippe at its head.
● Metternich once remarked’When
France sneezes the rest of Europe
catches cold.’
● REVOLUTION OF BRUSSELS
● The July revolution sparked an
uprising in Brussels which led
Belgium breaking away from the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The Greek War of
Independence
● Greece had been
th
a part of Ottoman Empire
since the 15 century.
● Greeks wanted freedom from Ottoman empire
so started a revolution in 1821.
● Greece supported by Greeks living in exile,west
Europeans,poets and artists who mobilised
public opinion to support its struggle against a
Muslim empire.
● The English poet Lord Byron also fought for
their cause ,died of fever in1824.
● The Treaty of Constantinople of 1832
recognised Greece as an independent nation.
The Romantic Imagination and
National feeling.
●Culture played an important role in creating the idea of
nation,art and poetry,stories and music.Helped to
express and shape nationalists feeling.
●Romantic artist criticised reason and
science,insteadfocussed on emotions,intuitions and
mystical feelings.
●The German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder
popularised the true spirit of nation(volksgeist) through
folksongs ,folk poetry and folk dance.
●Even though Poland has been partitioned but the feeling
of nationalism was kept alive through music and
language.
●Karol Kurpinsiki ,celebrated the national struggle through
his operas and music,turning folk dances like the
polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbol.
Language :
● Language too played an important role in
developing nationalist sentiments.
● After the Russian occupation ,the Polish
language was forced out of schools and the
Russian language was imposed.
● 1831 an armed rebellion against the Russian,
suppressed.Now language used as a weapon of
national resistance.
Polish used for church gatherings and all
religious instructions. Many priest and bishop
punished and banished also.
So the use of Polish,seen as a symbol of
struggle against Russian dominance.
Condition of France in 1848
● 1830---Year of hardships like---increase in
population,unemployment,industrialisation(
replacing men to machines)rise in food
prices and peasantry overburdened with
feudal dues and obligations.
● 1848- again saw ------food shortage
+unemployment.
● Due to which population on the streets of
Paris
● Louis Philippe forced to flee.
● National Assembly proclaimed REPUBLIC,
● granted suffrage to all,right to work.
SILESIAN UPRISING -1845
● 1845-Weavers revolted against the
contractors who supplied raw material and
gave the orders to finish textiles because
of less payments.
● 4 June at 2 p.m ----a large crowd of
weavers marched to the mansion of the
contractors demanding high wages.
● Created ruckus damaging the
property,contractor fled with his family to a
neighbouring village which however
refused to give shelter.He returned 24
hours later,called the army ,eleven weavers
shot.
FRANKFURT PARLIAMENT
●Seeing the unrest in the country in 1848,the
LIBERALS demanded the creation of a nation state
on parliamentary principles-a constitution,freedom
of press and association.
●IN GERMANY:
●Political associations of middle classes came
together in the city of Frankfurt and voted for all-
GERMAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY.
●18 MAY 1848- 831 elected representatives took
their place in the Frankfurt parliament convened in
the church of St.Paul.
●Drafted a constitution for a German nation,headed
by a constitutional monarchy.
Frankfurt……..
●The crown was offered to Fredrich Wilhelm
IV ,King of Prussia,he rejected it.
●Opposition of aristocracy and military increased.
●Parliament dominated by the middle
classes,resisted the demands of the workers soon
lost the support .
●Women were denied the political rights. Women
admitted just as observers in the visitors gallery.
●Liberal suppressed by the Conservatives ,however
the old order of monarchy understood ,that
changes required now-----Serfdom and bonded
labour abolished.
●The Hapsburg rulers granted more freedom to the
Hungarians in1867.
4.The making of Germany and
Italy
● GERMAN UNIFICATION:
● Otto von Bismarck ---
● the architect of
German Unification in
1871.
The first German
Chancellor till 1890.
Used the term ‘Blood
and Iron’.
GERMAN UNIFICATION- 1871
● After 1848,nationalism in Europe moved
away from democracy and revolution.AS
liberals lost their objective.
● Conservatives often mobilised nationalist
sentiments ,promoting state power,gained
political domination in Europe.
● Nationalist feeling were dominant
th
in the
middle class Germans in 19 century.
● 1848-they tried to unite the different
regions of the German Confederationinto a
nation-state governed by an elected
Parliament.
German unification…….
● This effort of liberals however suppressed by
the combined forces of the monarchy +military
supported by big landowners (JUNKERS).
● The leadership for the unifivation came
in the hands of Bismarck,who took the
help of Prussian army and bureaucracy.
● Fought 3 wars within 7 years---Austria,
Denmark and France.
● Prussia won ,completed unification,
proclaimed in January 1871,the
Prussian king,William I,as the German
Emperor in a ceremony held at
Versailles.
UNIFICATION OF ITALY-1861
● Architects of Italian Unification:
● *Giuseppe Mazzini----Young
Italy(Marseilles) and Young Europe
(Berne).Soul.
● *Count Camillo de Cavour---- Prime
Minister,led to unification.
● *Giuseppe Garibaldi---also known as
Bismarck of Italy, formed armed
volunteers.
● *Victor Emmanuel II proclaimed king of
Italy.
ARCHITECTS
UNIFICATION OF ITALY
PROCESS OF UNIFICATION
● Political Fragmentation-Italy also
fragmented like
th
Germany.During the
middle of 19 century it was divided into 7
states,of which only Sardinia-Piedmont
ruled by an Italian prince.
● North----Austrian Hapsburg.
● Centre----Pope.
● Southern regions----Bourborn kings of
Spain.
● Regional languages spoken.
● 1830-Mazzini made efforts to unite Italian
Republic,formed secret societies like
Young Italy to achieve his goal.
Process (contd)
● Cavour who was the chief minister led
the movement to unify Italy.He formed a
tactful alliance with France ,Sardinia-
Piedmont and defeated Austrian forces
in 1859.
● Garibaldi also joined with huge armed
forces.In 1860 marched into South Italy
and the kingdom of Two Sicilies and
succeeded in driving out the Spanish
rulers.
● 1861-Victor Emmanuel proclaimed the
king of united Italy.
UNIFICATION OF BRITAIN
● No British nation before the 18th century.
● The British Isles comprised of English,
Welsh, Scot and Irish ethnic groups.
● Due to industrialisation ,concentration of
wealth English dominated other groups.
● National symbols like English
language,British flag and National Anthem
were promoted.
● Unlike French revolution, in Britain was the
result of long drawn dissatisfaction
amongst the ethnic groups.
● Britain achieved this by Parliamentary Acts.
THE ACT OF UNION -1707
● The English Parliament seized power from
monarchy in 1688(Glorious Revolution).
● 1707 –Act of Union formed by SCOTLAND
AND ENGLAND,resulted in the formation of
the ‘UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT BRITAIN’
Meant that England was able to impose its
influence on Scotland.(England+Scotland).
However,the Scottish culture and political
institution was suppressed.
Ireland too suffered the same fate,later
incorporated into the United Kingdom in
1801.
5. VISUALISING THE NATION
● ALLEGORY-When an abstract idea (like
greed,envy,love ,nation)is expressed
through a peron or a thing.An allegorical
story has two meanings one literal and one
symbolic.
● Nations portrayed as female figures.
● Personification- did not stand for any
particular woman in real life.
● E.g during the French Revolution artists
used the female allegory to show
LIBERTY ,EQUALITY AND
FRATERNITY.
GERMANIA(GERMANY) MARIANNA(FRANCE)

ALLEGORIES
 GERMANIA MARIANNE

● Red cap---worn by a
slave on becoming free.
● Tricolour(Blue-white-
red)
● The female figure The national colours of
wears a crown of oak France.
leaves---HEROISM
The Cockade---a knot of
ribbons worn in a hat.

ALLEGORIES
Meanings of the Symbols
●SIGNIFICANCE
●ATTRIBUTE
●Being freed.
●Broken chains--------------
Breastplate with ●Symbol of the German
eagle..... empire-strength
●Heroism.
●Crown of oak ●Readiness to fight.
leaves........ ●Willingness to make
●Sword............................... peace.
.. ●Flag of the liberal-
●Olive branch around nationalist-1848.
the ●Beginning of a new era.
sword...............................
..
6.NATIONALISM AND IMPERIALISM
th
● By the end of the 19 century the
feeling of Nationalism started
changing into Imperialism.
● Imperialism-The policy of expanding
countries power by military or any
other means is known as Imperialism.
● The most serious nationalist tension
in Europe after 1871 was the area
called Balkans.
 Balkan tension
● BALKANS-region of geographical and
ethnic diversities.
● Comprised of---Romania, Bulgaria,
Albania,Greece,Macedonia,Croatia,Bosnia-
Herzegovina,Slovenia,Serbia and
Montenegro.
● These all were under the control of
Ottoman Empire.
● However ,with the weakening of the
Ottoman Empire all these nationalities
started declaring themselves
independent ,but this region of Balkan
became a source of intense rivalries and
jealousies.
Balkan......
●At the same time intense rivalry between
the great European powers for trade and colonies
as well as naval and military might.

This led these powers –Russia, Germany, England

Anti-imperial movements developed and many