Rise of nationalism in Europe Part 1
DEFINITION
French idea of a nation
The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789. France was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute monarch.The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens. The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth constitute the nation and shape its destiny.
Diverse Groups in Europe
Germany, Italy, and Switzerland were divided into kingdoms. Eastern and Central Europe were under autocratic monarchies. Within these territories, diverse peoples lived. They did not see themselves as sharing a collective identity or a common culture. Often, they even spoke different languages and belonged to different ethnic groups. The Habsburg Empire ruled over Austria-Hungary. It included many different regions and peoples. It included the Alpine regions the Tyrol, Austria and the Sudetenland as well as Bohemia. Here the aristocracy was predominantly German-speaking. It also included the Italian-speaking provinces of Lombardy and Venetia. In Hungary, half of the population spoke Magyar while the other half spoke a variety of dialects. In Galicia, the aristocracy spoke Polish.
Distribution of land in Europe
Landed aristocracy was socially and politically dominant class in Europe. The members of this class owned estates in the countryside and also town-houses. Aristocracy was a small group. The majority of the population in Europe was made up of the peasantry. To the west, the bulk of the land was farmed by tenants and small owners. In the Eastern and Central Europe, the pattern of landholding was characterised by vast estates. It was cultivated by serfs.
Rise of middle class in Europe
Due to Industrialisation, towns and commercial classes emerged in Western and Central Europe. Industrialisation began in England in the second half of the 18th century. But in France and parts of the German states, it occurred only during the 19th century. Due to this, new social groups came into being. It included working classes and middle classes made up of industrialists, businessmen, professionals. In Central and Eastern Europe, these groups were smaller in number till late 19th century.
Liberal Nationalism in Europe
The ideas of national unity in early 19th century Europe were closely allied to the ideology of liberalism. The term liberalism derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free. Liberalism meant different things to different people. For the new middle classes, liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law. Politically, it emphasised the concept of government by consent. Economic liberalism stood for the freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.
Beliefs of Conservatives in Europe
In 1815, representatives of the European powers defeated Napoleon. Now, European governments were driven by a spirit of conservatism. Conservatives believed that traditional institutions of state and society like the monarchy, the Church, social hierarchies, property and the family should be preserved.
Treaty of Vienna 1815
Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria- collectively defeated the Napoleon in 1815. Their representatives met at Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe. They drew up the Treaty of Vienna in 1815. Its main objective was undoing most of the changes that had come about in Europe during the Napoleonic wars.
Conservative regimes in 1815
Conservative regimes set up in Europe in 1815 were autocratic. They did not tolerate criticism and dissent. They sought to curb activities that questioned the legitimacy of autocratic governments. They imposed censorship laws to control what was said in newspapers, books, plays, and songs.
Romanticism in Europe
Romanticism was a cultural movement that sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment in Europe. Romantic artists and poets criticised the glorification of reason and science. They focused on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings. Their effort was to create a sense of a shared collective heritage, a common cultural past, as the basis of a nation. They also emphasised on vernacular language and local folklore.
Difference between revolt of 1830 and 1848
| Revolution of 1830 | Revolution of 1848 |
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Revolt of 1848 (France)
The constitutional monarchy was established in France under Louis Philippe. Middle class prospered under his reign but most French still could not vote. Louis Philippe's government was corrupt. Recession caused unemployment and rise in bread prices. French people rioted in the streets. Now the order was restored and the government changed (again). France became a republic with a constitution and People got voting rights. Louis Napoleon (Napoleons Bonapartes nephew) became President of France.
Revolt of 1830 (France)
After the Congress of Vienna, France had a constitutional monarchy. The royalists thought the king had too little power and liberals and radicals thought the king had too much power. King Charles X believed in absolute monarchy. He rejected the constitution and tried to become more powerful. He suspended the legislature, limited voting rights and restricted the press. Charles actions led to the revolution in the streets. He fled to England. The French revolution of 1830, also known as the July revolution. It overthrew King Charles X, the French Bourbon monarch.
Unification of Germany
Nationalist feelings were widespread among middle-class Germans, who in 1848 tried to unite the different regions of the German confederation into a nation-state governed by an elected parliament. Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national unification. Its chief minister, Otto von Bismarck, was the architect of this process. Three wars over seven years with Austria, Denmark and France ended in 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.
Political complications in the Balkan area
The east European region under the empire of Turkey was known as the 'Balkan area.' Due to the geographical importance of this area, England, France and Russia interfered into the politics of this area. Russia began to exert pressure on the Balkan region as citizens of this region were slav by race. England and France felt that the route to Asia via Mediterranean sea would be in danger for their interest. They did not want Russian power in Asia. The boundary of Austria-Hungary was touching the Balkan region. Austria too had intentions of expanding her territory. Serbia too had dreams of becoming a big country. Both of them had a conflict over Bosnia-Herzegovina. When a political revolution took place in Turkey, Austria took full advantage of the same and annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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