Quick Revision Notes & Formula Sheet

Class: 10th
Subject: Social Science (History)
Chapter: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

1. Introduction & Key Concepts

Nationalism (राष्ट्रवाद): A feeling of oneness and identity shared by the people living in a particular territory, bound by common history, culture, and political ideals.
Nation-State (राष्ट्र-राज्य): A state in which the great majority and its rulers share a common identity and a sense of shared history and descent, unlike multi-national empires.
Absolutist (निरंकुशवादी): Literally, a government or system of rule that has no restraints on the power exercised. In history, it refers to monarchical systems of centralized, militarized, and repressive rule.
Utopian (यूटोपियन/कल्पदर्शी): A vision of a society so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.

2. Frédéric Sorrieu’s Vision (1848)

The Painting: A series of four prints prepared by French artist Frédéric Sorrieu visualising a world made up of 'Democratic and Social Republics'.
Key Elements:
- People of Europe and America marching in a long train offering homage to the Statue of Liberty.
- Shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist institutions (Absolutist/Utopian symbols).

3. The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation (1789)

Key Milestone: The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789.
Steps taken by French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity:
- La Patrie (the fatherland) and Le Citoyen (the citizen).
- A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the royal standard.
- The Estates General was elected and renamed the National Assembly.
- New hymns were composed, oaths taken, and martyrs commemorated.
- A centralized administrative system was implemented, formulating uniform laws.
- Internal customs duties and dues were abolished, and a uniform system of weights and measures was adopted.
- Napoleonic Code (Civil Code of 1804):
  - Did away with all privileges based on birth.
  - Established equality before the law and secured the right to property.
  - Simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system, and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.
  - Improved transport and communication systems.

4. The Making of Nationalism in Europe

During the mid-nineteenth century, Europe was divided into multi-national dynastic empires (e.g., Habsburg Empire).

The Aristocracy: The landed aristocracy was the dominant class socially and politically, united by a common way of life and ties of marriage.
The New Middle Class: Industrialization led to the growth of towns and the emergence of commercial classes and a new middle class consisting of industrialists, businessmen, and professionals.
Liberal Nationalism:
- Liberalism derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free.
- Politically: Freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law. Government by consent.
- Economically: Freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital.
Zollverein (1834): A Customs Union formed at the initiative of Prussia. It abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two, stimulating economic unity.

5. Age of Revolutions: 1830–1848

July Revolution (1830): Sparked the first upheaval in France; the Bourbon kings were overthrown and a constitutional monarchy was installed with Louis Philippe at its head.
Greek War of Independence: Greece, which had been part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century, struggled for independence starting in 1821. Supported by West European nations, the Treaty of Constantinople of 1832 recognized Greece as an independent nation.
Romanticism: A cultural movement which sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment through art, poetry, stories, and music (focusing on emotions, intuition, and mystical feeling, e.g., Johann Gottfried Herder).
1848 - The Revolution of the Liberals:
- Parallel to revolts of the poor, unemployed peasants, and workers in many European countries, a revolution led by the educated middle classes took place.
- Frankfurt Parliament (18 May 1848): An all-German National Assembly voted for an all-German National Parliament and drafted a constitution for a German nation headed by a monarch. It was ultimately disbanded because the King of Prussia (Friedrich Wilhelm IV) refused the crown and opposed it.

6. The Making of Germany and Italy

A. Unification of Germany (1866–1871)

Leader/Architect: Otto von Bismarck (Chief Minister of Prussia).
Process: Prussia fought three wars over seven years against Austria, Denmark, and France—ending in Prussian victory and completion of the process.
Result: In January 1871, the Prussian king, Kaiser William I, was proclaimed German Emperor in a ceremony held at Versailles.

B. Unification of Italy

Political Fragmentation: Italy was fragmented into seven states, of which only Sardinia-Piednesday was ruled by an Italian princely house.
Key Figures:
- Giuseppe Mazzini: Formed secret societies like Young Italy in Marseilles and Young Europe in Berne to put together a coherent programme for a unitary Italian Republic.
- Count Cavour: Chief Minister of Sardinia-Piedmont who led the movement. Through a tactful diplomatic alliance with France, he defeated Austrian forces in 1859.
- Giuseppe Garibaldi: Led armed volunteers (Red Shirts) who marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1860 and drove out the Spanish rulers.
Result: In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of united Italy.

7. Britain: Unusual Case of Nationalism

The formation of the British nation-state was not the result of a sudden upheaval or revolution, but a long-drawn-out process.
Key Events:
- 1688: English parliament seized power from the monarchy.
- 1707 (Act of Union): Between England and Scotland that resulted in the formation of the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain'.
- 1801: Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom after a failed revolt led by Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen (1798).
- New Symbols of British Nation: The British flag (Union Jack), the national anthem (God Save Our King), and the English language were actively promoted.

8. Visualizing the Nation

Artists in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries personified nations by giving them a female form (an abstract idea in concrete form).

Marianne: The popular Christian name given to the French nation, characterized by liberty and republic (red cap, tricolor, cockade).
Germania: The allegory of the German nation. Wears a crown of oak leaves, as the German oak stands for heroism.

9. Nationalism and Imperialism

Balkans: A region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, and Montenegro—inhabitants were broadly known as the Slavs.
The Conflict: As the Ottoman Empire disintegrated and the romantic feeling of nationalism broke through the Balkans, the region became an area of intense conflict.
Imperialism: European powers (Russia, Germany, England, Austro-Hungary) vied for control over the Balkans, eventually leading to the First World War in 1914.

History: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

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