RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE NOTES, Class 10(History)

WHAT YOU WILL READ IN THIS CHAPTER- 

What is nationalism?

Nationalism is a feeling of belonging and loyalty that causes people think of themselves as a Nation.

During 19th & 20th centuries Nationalism was a powerful force that could create:

One Nation from many separate countries (Ex. Italy & Germany)

Break one nation up into many countries (Ex. Austria- Hungary and Turkey )

The story began with the vision of FREDERIC SORRIEU-

1. The French revolution and the idea of nation

French revolution started in 1789.

France was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under rule of a monarch.

Political and constitutional changes that came in wake of the French revolution led to the  transfer of sovereignty from monarchy to a body of French citizens.

Various practices adopted to develop a sense of collective identity among people.

Declaration of mission to liberate Europe from despotism.

Steps taken to create collective belonging among the people of France

Idea of La Patrie (the fatherland) Le Citoyen (the citizen)were emphasized.

Adopted tri color as new French flag replacing royal standards.

Adoption of new constitution were citizens can enjoy equal rights.

New hymns were composed oaths were taken & martyrs remembered in the name of nation.

Uniform system of weights & measures were adopted.

Centralized administrative system was formulized.

French become the national language and regional dialects were discouraged.

Imaginary female allegories were used to show united nation. Such as : Marianna  &Germania

Nationalism spread in Europe.

Jacobin clubs setup by the students and the educated middle class.

French army Could move to Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy.

REACTION TOWARDS NAPOLEON

French French army we're welcome to another regions.

Later later this turned into hostility.

Increase taxation censorship and forced conscription into the army was caused to hostility.

FALL OF NAPOLEON

NAPOLEON HAD TO RETREAT DUE TO COLD BITTER WINTER IN MOSCOW

Alliance against France formed by Britain Russia and Russia.

Napoleon was exiled to Elba in 1815, Bourbon dynasty was restored.

2. THE MAKING OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE

Till mid 18th century there was no concept of “Nation State” in Europe. But during the 19th  century especially from 1830 to 1848 as nationalism spread all over the Europe.

Germany Italy and Switzerland red divided into kingdoms duches and cantones whose rulers had their autonomous territories.

ARISTOCRACY AND THE NEW MIDDLE CLASS.

 The aristocracy was the dominant class on the continent politically and socially socially the majority of the population was made up of the Peasantry.

Industrialization begin in England in the second half of the 18th century.

New social groups came into being a working class population and middle classes made up of industrialist businessman professionals.

LIBERAL NATIONALISM

European society

THE UPPER CLASS :

• The landed aristocracy were the dominant group.

• They had common interest and lifestyle. Owned large country estates and town houses.

• Most of them spoke French

LOWER CLASS :

• Majority of the people were peasants.

• Most were landless and worked as serfs.

WHAT DID LIBERAL NATIONALISM STANDS FOR?

The term liberalism derives from the Latin word liber meaning free.

For the new middle class liberalism stood for freedom of the individual and equality of all before the law.

Politically it emphasized on the concept of government by consent.

Equality before law did not necessarily stands for universal.

In the economic sphere liberalism stand for the freedom of markets and evolution of state imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.

The union abolished tariffs barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over 30 to 2

NEW CONSERVATISM AFTER (1815)

The Revolutionaries

Establishment of Secret Societies to spread the Ideas of nationalism and

oppose conservatism.

Mazzini viewed “ Nation States” to be necessary and opposed Monarchy.

Inspired other secret societies in Germany, France, Switzerland and Poland.

Giuseppe Mazzini joined one such society at Carbonan.

Later, he established two more Secret societies “Young Italy” in Marseilles, and then, “Young Europe” in Berne.

Conservative frightened by his move.

 

ROMANTIC IMAGINATION AND NATIONAL FEELING

Use of culture to create idea of a Nation.

Romantic artists and poets generally criticized the glorification of reason and science.

Focused instead on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings.

Used Art Poetry Stories & Music to shape nationalists feelings.

Collected Folklores to spread Nationalism even among illiterates.

Language also played a vital role for e.g. The use of Polish language in Poland came to be seen as a symbol of the struggle against Russian dominance.

HUNGER, HARDSHIP AND REVOLT

The 1830s were years of great economic hardship in Europe.

The first half of the nineteenth century saw an enormous increase in population all over Europe.

Large Scale rural migration to cities led to overcrowded cities and reduced Jobs

Stiff competition between hand made goods and cheap machine made goods

Peasants burdened with feudal dues as in rural areas aristocracy was still enjoying the power.

The rise of food prices or a year of bad harvest led to widespread pauperism in town and country.

Peasants and weavers revolted and Louis Philippe was forced to flee.

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. 

1848: revolution of the liberals- this revoltion was led by educated middle classes.

The poor unemployment and pigeons and workers in many European countries in the year 1848 a revolution led by the educated middle classes was underway.

Men and women of the liberal middle classes combined their demands for constitutionalism with National unification. ( National assembly in Frankfort).

831 elected representatives marched to take their places in the Frankfort parliament (st. Paul church) on 18th May, 1848.

they drafted a constitution for German nation based on constitutional monarchy.

 

But their demands were rejected by the Prussian king Friedrich WilHelm iv- as he oppose the elected assembly along with other monarchs.

Finally, troops forcibly disbanded the assembly.

Liberal Movement and Movement rights-

Women had formed their own political associations.

Women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors gallery.

Result of liberal MOVEMENT-

Monarchs where beginning to realise that the cycles if revolution and repression could be ended by granting concessions to the liberal nationalists revolutionaries.

So serfdom and bonded labour were abolished both in Habsburg dominions and in Russia.

Unification of Germany(1866-1871)

In May 1848, the liberal attempts to set up a constitutional monarchy at Frankfurt was suppressed by the monarchy military  .

After the failure of the German national assembly prussian chief minister otto van Bismarck takes this lead in German unification,. he is the architect of the leading role of Prussia in the process of nation building.

He planned the unification with the help of Prussian army and bureaucracy.

He conducted three wars Against the combined forces of France Austria and Denmark over 7 years does ensuring German unification was completed.

Finally on 18th January 1871, the new German Empire (Prussia) headed by German emperor Kaiser William I in the hall of mirrors in the place of Versailles

.

The new German Empire now focussed on modernizing the currency, banking, legal and judicial systems.

Unification of  Italy-

During 19th century Italy was divided into seven states with under different rulers.

Only sardinia- Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house. 

The North was under Austrian Habsburg's. The center was under pope. The south was under the bourbon kings of Spain.

Italian language had varieties of dialects, therefore it was not stable in its form.

The idea of Italian unification first given by Giuseppe Mazzini in the year 1830s.

He formed a coherent program for uniting the Italian Republic.

He also formed a secret society called young Italy.

But failure Revolutions in 1831 and 1848, lead was taken by the king of Sardinia, Victor Emmanuel II.

His chief minister count cavour, led movement for the unification. 

With the diplomatic alliance with France to defeated the Austria forces and unify it's Northern territories. 

Large no of people( local peasants) under the leadership  of Giuseppe Garibaldi(peasant leader) joined the movement.

Finally, in 1861 Victor Emanuel II was declared as the king of United Italy and rome was declared as the capital of Italy.

Unification of Great Britain (Britain as a nation)

Britain was not a nation state prior to 18th century. It was known as English, weish scot or Irish(Ethic regions).

This steady growth of power made English nation extended its influence over The other Nations and Islands.

The decision for unification was taken by the British Parliament.

In 1688 English parliament seized power from the monarchy, it was known as bloodless revolution.

In 1707, the act of union between England and Scotland that resulted in the formation of the United Kingdom of great Britain meant in effect that England was able to impose its influence on Scotland.

 British parliament was dominated by English members.

In 1801 Ireland was forcefully taken by the British after the failed revolution led by wolfe tone  (1798).

THE NEW GREAT BRITAIN-

British flag(union Jack) the national anthem ("God save our noble kings") and the English language.

VISUALIZATION AS NATION -

Nation was personified by a female figure which was known as allegory.

In France she was Christened Marrianne, a popular Christian name which underlined the idea of a peoples nation.

Her characteristics were drawn from those of liberty and the republic-  the red cap the tricolour and the cockade.

The statue of Marianne were placed in public squares to remind the public of the national symbol of unity and to persuade to identify with it.

Marianne images were marked on coins and stamps.

Germany- Germania

 became the allegory of the German nation

In visual representation Germania wears a  crown of oak leaves, as the German oak leaves as the German oak stands for heroism.

NATIONALISM AND IMPERIALISM 

By the last quarter of the 19th century nationalism no longer retained its idealistic, liberal- democratic sentiments  but became a narrow creed with limited ends.

It turned into imperialism or to conquer more and more Areas to expand their territories.

The most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe, after 1871 was the area called the Balkans.

The Balkans was the region of geographical and ethnic variations comprising Modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia Croatia, Bosnia& Herzegovina, Slovania, sebia and Montenegro who's inhabitants where broadly known as the slaves. 

It was under the control of  Ottoman Empire but with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive.

One by one it's European subjects nationalities broke away from its control and declared independence.

The  Balkans area became an era of intense conflict.

The Balkan States were jealous of each other and each other hoped to gain more Territory at the expense of each other.

 

At the same time, the European Powers like Russia, Germany, England, Austro- Hungary- were keen to control over the Balkans . 

This led to a series of wars in the region and finally the 1st world war occurred. So we can say that the problem of Balkans created the situation of 1st world war.

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