Class-10th (history) chapter-1 (The Rise of Nationalism In Europe) Notes Part-1

History 

Class-10th 

The rise of nationalism in Europe  

Notes for exam purpose

Part-1

The french revolution and the idea of nation.

During the 19th century,nationalism emerged as a forced which brought about changes like the emergence of the nation-states in place of the different dynastic empires of Europe.In 1848,Frederic sorrieu,a French Artist,visulaised world as democratic and social republic.

The first idea of nationalism cam with the French revolution in 1789.French revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.

The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could create a sense of collective identity amongest the French people. The french revolution introduced new ideas like la partrie(the fatherland) and le citoyen(the citizen) and a new French flag replacing the former royal standard amongest the French people. It introduced a centralised administrative system with uniform law for all citizens.

Other measures were new hymns were composed and oaths were taken,martys were remebered in the name of the nation, internal customs duties and dues were abolished and estates general was elected by the body of citizens and renamed as national assembly.Regional dialects were discouarged.French language for speaking and paris language for writing were accepted as a common language of the country.

Napoleonic code

Napoleon destroyed democracy in France and introduced the Civil Code of 1804,which came to be known as Napoleonic code

The main features of this code were-

• It removed all privileges based on birth,established equality before law and secured the right to property.
• It simplified administrative divisons in Dutch republic,Switzerland,Italy and Germany.
• It abolished the feudal system and freed peasents from serfdom and manorial dues.
• It removed guild system in the town areas and transport and communication system were improved.
• It led to the establishment of universal laws, standardlised weights and measures and common national currency which facilitate the movement and exchange of goods from one region to another.

The making of nationalism in Europe

In mid 18th century,there were no nation states in Europe.Germany,Italy amd switzerland were divided into kingdom,duchies and cantons, whose rulers had their autonomous territories. They did not share a collective identity or a common culture.

The habsburg Empire that ruled over Austria-Hungary was a combination of many different regions and people.

In hungary.half of the population spoke Magyar,while the other half spoke a variety of dialects.In Galicia,the aristocracy spoke Polish language.

The Aristocracy and the new middle class

The aristocracy was socially and politically,the dominant class in the continent.They owned estates and property both in countryside and town houses.

In western and Central parts of Europe,there was an emergence of commercial classes.Their existence was based on production for the market.

As  a result of industrialisation,the new social groups of working class population and middle classes including industrialists,businessman and professionals came into existence.

The idea of national unity gained popularity among the educated liberal middle class.

New defination of nation state given by Ernest renon

According to Ernest Renan."a nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours,sacrifice and devotion."A nation is large scale solidarity,its existence is a daily Plebiscite".

Meaning of Liberal Nationalism.

Ideas of national unity in the early 19th centuray Europe were closely related to the ideology of liberalism.For the new middle classes,liberalism meant for freedom for indiviual and equality of all before the law.

In france,the right to vote and to get elected was granted exclusively to persons who owned property.Men without properties and women were excluded from this right.

During early 18th and 19th centuries women and non propertied men organised opposition movements,demanding equal political rights.

In the economic sphere,liberlism meant for the freedom of markets and abolition of restrictions imposed by the state on the movement of goods and capital.

In 1834, a custom union or Zollverein was formed which abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from thirty to two.

A new conservatism after 1815

After the defeat of napoleon in 1815,European governments were inspired by a spirit of conservatism

Conservatives believed that established traditional institution of states and society like the monarchy,the chruch,social hierarchies,property and the family should be preserved.

The European powers like Britain,Russia,Prussia and Austria,who had collectively defeated Napoleon met at Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe.

The Congress was hosted by the Austrain Chancellor Duke Metternich and they drew up the Treaty of Vienna of 1815.

Major points of the treaty of Vienna

• The bourbon dynasty,which had been deposed during the French revolution,was restored to power.
• France lost the territories which it had annexed under Napoleon.
• A series of states were set up on the boundaries of France to prevent its expension in future.
• The kingdom of Netherlands,which included Belgium was set up in the North and Genoa was added to piedmont in the South.
• Prussia was given new territories on its Western frontiers,including Saxony while Austria was given control of Northern Italy.
• German confederation of 39 states that had been set up by Napoleon was not affected by the treaty
• In the East,Rusiia was given part of poland.

The main intention of the congress was to restore the monarchies that had been overthrown by Napoleon and create a new conservative order in Europe.Conservative regimes that were set up in 1815,were autocratic.

The revolutionaries

The liberal-nationalists opposed monarchial forms that had been established after the Vienna Congress and fight for liberty and freedom.Most of the revolutionaries saw the creation of nation states as a neccessary part of the struggle for freedom.

An Italian revolutionary,Giuseppe Mazzini(born in Genoa in 1807)became a member of secret society of Carbonari.He was sent into exile in 1831 for attempting a revolution in Linguria.

The Age of Revolutions: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 the liberal nationalists belonging to educated middle class,

These revolutions in different places were as follows-

• The first upheavel took place in France in July 1830.The bourbon kings were overthrown by liberal revolutionaries, who installed Louis Philippe as the constitutional monarch.
• The July revolution started an uprising in Brussels,which led to Belgium seprating away from United Kingdom of Netherlands.
• The struggle for independence in Greece started in 1821 and the Treaty of constantinopole of  1832,recognised Grecce as an independent nation.

The romantic imagination and national feeling

The development of nationalism did not come about only through wars and territorial expansion.Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the nation.Art and poetry,stories and music helped express and shape the nationlist feelings.

Romantic artists and poets criticised the glorification of reason and science.They focussed on emotions,intuition and mystical feelings and tried to create a sense of a shared collective heritage as a basis of nation.

Romantic German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder(1744-1803),claimed that true German culture was to be discovered among the common people-das volk.Through collection of folklore like folk songs,folk poetry anf folk dances the spirit of the nation was popularised.

Poland supporrted nationlist feeling through music and language.Karol Kurpinski celebrated the national struggle through his operas and music.Language also played an important role in developing national sentiments.After Russian occupation on Poland,Polish language was forced out of schools and russian language was imposed in place of it.The clergies in poland used polish language for religious instruction and used it as a weapon against the Russian dominance.