The Rise Of Nationalism In Europe

The Theme Of Frederic Sorrieu's Painting

-> In 1848, Friedric Sorrieu,a french artist, prepared a series of four prints visualizing his dream of a world made up of 'Democractic and social republics', as he called them.

-> The first print of the series to the people of Europe and America- men and women of all ages and social classes- marching in a long train and offering homemade to the Statue of Liberty as the pass by it.

-> a figures was shown with the torch of enlightment in one hand and the charter of the Rights of man in the other.

-> on the earth in the foreground of the image lie the remains of the symbol of absolutist institutions.

The French Revolution and the idea of nation.

• Steps taken by French Revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people-

Ideas of La Patrie and Le citoyen, new french flag, Estate general was elected and renamed National Assembly,new hymns, oaths taken, centralized administration, uniform system of weights and measurements wear introduced,  regional dialects discouraged and French become the common language.

• Civil code of 1804/ Napoleonic code:

Equality before the law of as established secured the right to property, simplified administrative measures, abolished fedual system, freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues, Guild restrictions were removed, transport and communication systems wear improved. 

• The reaction of people were mixed : 

Initial enthusiasm soon turned to hostility because Napoleon took away political freedom, increased taxes, imposed censorship and forced french people to join army.

The Making of Nationalism in Europe

'Habsburg Empire was a patchwork of many different regions and people.'

Different people residing in different areas spoke different languages. In Alpine and Bohemia region people spoke German language, In Lombardy and venetia- italian language, Hungry half of the population spoke Magyar, other half spoke variety of dialects, in Galicia people spoke polish. other than these also lived a mass of subject peasant people.  such differences didn't easily promote a sense of political Unity.

• The Aristocracy and the new Middle class:

Aristocracy- lived a common way of life, owned e-states and town houses, spoke French connected by ties of marriages, numerically a small group.

Peasantry- Majority of Population.

Middle class- with the growth of towns and emergence of commercial classes, new social groups came into being these were smaller in number, among the educated liberal middle classes the idea of nationality gained popularity.

• What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for?

Liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality for all before the law ,the end of autocracy and clerical privileges, a constitution and representative government through Parliament. 

Drawback- Equality before law did not necessarily stand for everyone, right to vote, was granted only to property owning men, it reduced women to the status of a minor.

In the economics sphere liberalism for the freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the moment of goods and capital. This was a difficult task as each state possessed its own currency and weights and measures

 Zollverein (custom Union gaps)-  It abolished tariff barriers, reduced the number of currencies to 2 ,and promoted, a network railway to stimulate mobility.

A New Conservatism After 1815.

• vienna congress

In 1815, representatives of the European powers (Britain,Russia,Prussia,Austria) who had collectively defected Napoleon, met at vienna to draw a settlement of Europe. The Congress was hosted by the Austrian chancellor Duke Maternich.

-> the Bourbon dynasty, which had been desposed during the French revolution, was restore to power 

-> A series of a States where state up on the boundaries of France to prevent French expansion in future.

-> The German configuration of 39 states that had been set up by Napoleon was left untouched.

-> The main intention of the Congress was to restore the monarchies that had been over thrown by Napoleon.

• criticism of conservative regimes

-> conservative designs set up in 1815 was Autocratic, didn't tolerate criticism and dissent, and Sought to curb activities that questioned the legitimacy of autocratic governments.

• The Revolutionaries: 

A commitment to oppose monarchial forms and to fight for liberty and freedom creation of nation States.

Giuseppe Mazzini- a member of the secret society of carbonary, attempted a revolution in leguria, founded young Italy in marsellies, young Europe in berne. He believed that God intended nations to be the natural units of mankind, small states and kingdoms had to be forget into a single unified republic within a wider aliens of nations.

The Age Of Revolution 1830-1848

• upheaval in France

The first of upheaval took place in France in July 1830. The Bourbon Kings overthrown by liberal revolutionaries who installed a constitutional monarchy with Louis Philippe as its head.

Maternich once remarked-'' when French sneezes, The rest of Europe catches cold.''

• uprising in brussels

The July Revolution sparked and apprising in Brussels which led to Belgium breaking away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

• uprising in greece

-> Greece had been part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century. struggle for independence amongst the greeks which begin in 1821.

-> Nationalists in Greece got support from the other greeks living in exile and also from many West Europeans who had sympathy for ancient Greek culture.

-> The English poet lord byron organised funds and letter went to fight in the war where he died of fever in 1824.

-> Finally the Treaty of constantinople of 1832 recognise the greece as an independent nation.

• The romantic imagination and national feeling

A cultural movement which Sought to develop a particular form of Nationalist sentiment, criticized the glorification of reason and Science and focused instead of emotions, intuition and mystical feelings.

German philosopher Johann Gottfried herder tried to discover culture among common people, through folk songss, folk poetry and folk dances.

Karol Kurpinsko celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music.

The clergy in poland began to use language as a weapon of national resistance.

• Hunger, hardship and popular revolt:

There were more seekers of jobs than employment. The rise of food prices or a year of bad harvest led to Widespread pauperism in town and country.

In 1848, the population of Paris came out on the roads and Louis Philippe was forced to flee and National Assembly proclaimed Republic.

 In 1845, Weavers in slasia Revolt against contractors.

• 1848 : The Revolution of the Liberals: 

Men and women of the liberal middle classes combined their demands for the constitutionalism with national unification.

Frankfurt parliament:

Members of political associations elected 831 representative in 18 May 1848 these representative took their place in the frankfurt Parliament Convened in the church of Saint Paul and drafted a constitution for a German Nation. It was opposed by the king of Russia as well as it lost at its social basis (no rights were given to workers and women). It forced the autocratic Monarch to introduce some changes- Serfdom and bonded labour was abolished, hungarians were granted more autonomy.

Unification of Germany

-> Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national unification. its Chief Minister, Otto Von Bismarck was the architect of this process carried out with the help of croatian Army and Bureaucracy. Three wars over 7 years - Austria, Denmark and France ended with prussian victory and completed the process of unification. In January 1871, The prussian King William I was proclaimed German emperor in a ceremony held at versailles.

-> The new state it laid strong emphasis on modernising the currency, banking, legal and judicial systems in Germany.

Unification of Italy

• obstacles in the way of Italian unification

Fragmented society,Foreign rule, The Pope of Rome and its adjoining territories in his control.

Italian Language- 

The Italian language has not acquired a common form and had many regional and local variations.

• Stages of Unification

-> During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini had sought to put together a coherent programme for a unitary Italian Republic.

-> The failure of Revolutionary Uprising both in 1831 and 1848 meant that the mantle now fell on sardinia piedmont under its ruler King Victor Emmanual II to unify the Italian states through war.

-> Unification of Italy have was done under the leadership of Cavour, the chief minister of Sardinia Piedmont. He followed the policy of War and diplomacy and was assisted by Patriots like a Garibaldi and Mazzini.

-> Cavour got support of France against Austria. In 1859 he attacked Austria and acquired Lombardy.

->In 1860, Garibaldi marched into Sicily and Naples with his Revolutionary forces and liberted these two kingdoms.

-> In 1861, victory Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of United Italy.

->France Vacated rome and it become a part of United Italy.

-> Thus in 1870 the unification of Italy was completed with Victor Emmanuel II as the monarch.

• Giuseppe Garibaldi (1807-82)

The most celebrated Italian freedom fighters. Garibaldi led a famous expedition of the thousand to South Italy. In 1867, Garibaldi led an army of volunteers to Rome to fight the last obstacle to the unification of Italy.

The Red shirts proved to be no match for the combined French and purple troops.

The Strange Case of Britain

-> The primary identities of the people who inhabited the British Isles were ethnic ones- such as English, Welsh, Scott or Iris.

-> The act of union (1707) between England and Scotland that resulted in the formation of ''United Kingdom of Great Britain'' meant, in effect that England was able to impose its influence on Scotland.

->Ireland suffered a similar fate. After a field Revolt led by Wolf Tone and his United Irishmen (1798). Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801.

 

-> A new 'British Nation' was first through the propagation of a dominant English culture. The symbols of the new Britain- the British flag (union jack), the national anthem (God save our Noble King), the English language where actively promoted.

Visualising The Nation

Nations were portrayed as female figure (allegory), it did not stand for any particular women in real life, it South to give the Abstract idea of the nation in a concrete form.

In France the allegory was Mariannae, in Germany- Germania became the allegory.

Nationalism and Imperialism

• Balkans led to the first world war

Balkans was a reason of geographical and ethnic variation was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. The idea of Romantic nationalism made this reason very explosive. Balkan States were fierecly jealous of each other and each hoped to gain more territory at the expense of each other. European powers were also looking for the extension of their control over the area. This led to a series of wars in the reigon and finally the first world war.