Nationalism in Europe

• Italy became unified under King Victor Emmanuel II in 1860-70.
• Frederic Sorrieu:

  • French artist who presented a series of paintings in 1848
  • Visualized a world of social and democratic republics
• French Revolution:

  • Started in 1789 and marked the beginning of nationalism
  • French revolutionaries took steps to create a feeling of collective identity:
  • Innovative ideas like Le citoyen and La Partie
  • Creation of a new French flag
  • Election of National Assembly and renaming from estate general to National Assembly
  • Establishment of an administrative system
  • Abolishing of customs and internal duties
  • Introduction of uniform weights and measures
  • French becoming a common language
• Napoleonic Code:

  • Napoleon destroyed French democracy
  • Introduction of Civil code in 1804, known as Napoleonic code
  • Features include:
  • Abolishing of birth rights and privileges
  • Establishment of equality before the law
  • Security of the right to property
  • Removal of guild restrictions
• New Middle Class:

  • Aristocrats were dominant politically and socially
  • Peasants were the majority in population
  • Emergence of a new social class, the working class, after industrialization in England, including artisans, industrialists, businessmen, etc.
• Liberalism:

  • Only property-owning men had the right to vote or get elected
  • Women and property-less men were restricted from political rights
  • Derived from the Latin word 'root liber', meaning to be free
  • Liberal nationalism aimed to end clerical privilege and autocracy
• A New Conservatism after 1815:

  • Major European powers defeated Napoleon in 1815
  • Met in Vienna to draw up a European settlement called the Treaty of Vienna
  • Restoration of power by Bourbon dynasty
  • France lost territories
  • Formation of 39 states of the German Confederation
  • Borders on French boundary to prevent expansion
• The Revolutionaries - Guiseppe Mazzini:

  • Born in Genoa in 1807
  • Member of the secret society of carbonate
  • Established 2 secret societies: Young Europe in Berne and Young Italy in Marseilles
  • Aimed to unify Italy in a republic
• The Age of Revolution: 1830 - 1848:

  • Bourbon kings overthrown to set up a constitutional monarchy in July 1830
  • Greece struggled for independence from the Ottoman Empire
  • Greece declared an independent nation in the Treaty of Constantinople signed in 1832
  • National feeling was a main focus
  • German philosopher, Johan Gottfried, discovered culture in common people through music, dance, and folk poetry
  • Economic challenges led to widespread pauperism and revolts
• Making of German:

  • Otto Von Bismarck took a leadership role with the support of the Prussian army and bureaucracy
  • Kaiser William 1 became the new head of the German empire
• Making of Italy:

  • Giuseppe Mazzini led the unification program, which ultimately failed
  • Victor Emmanuel II became the new king of unified Italy in 1861
• Britain:

  • English Parliament seized power from the ruling monarchy
  • British forces took Ireland in 1801 after a failed revolution
  • British Nation formed through the mass propagation of English culture
• Nationalism and imperialism:

  • Modern Balkans included various nations
  • Romantic nationalism made the area explosive, leading to European control and eventually the First World War
• Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared a series of four prints in 1848 visualising a world made up of democratic and social republics
• The first print depicts people of Europe and America marching in a long train, offering homage to the Statue of Liberty, with a female figure holding the torch of Enlightenment and the Charter of the Rights of Man
• Sorrieu envisioned a world where people were grouped as distinct nations, identified through their national flags and costumes
• During the 19th century, nationalism evolved as a force that drastically changed Europe's political and mental world, leading to the emergence of the nation-state
• Nationalism emerged with the French Revolution in 1789, transferring sovereignty from the monarchy to French citizens and introducing concepts like la patrie and le citoyen
• Napoleon ruled France from 1799 to 1815, introducing the Napoleonic Code which established equality before the law, secured the right to property, and abolished birth rights and privileges
• The new middle class emerged, including the aristocracy, peasantry, and middle class, with the latter formed by artisans, industrialists, and businessmen
• In 1848, a revolution led by the educated middle class demanded a national state on parliamentary principles, leading to the Frankfurt Parliament drafting a constitution for Germany to be ruled by a monarchy governed by a parliament
• Giuseppe Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, formed secret societies like Young Italy and Young Europe, advocating for liberty and freedom
• Nationalism in Europe led to the unification of Germany and Italy as nation-states, with Prussia taking the lead in Germany's unification and Sardinia-Piedmont playing a crucial role in Italy's unification
• Great Britain gradually grew in wealth and power, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain through the Act of Union in 1707 and forcibly incorporating Ireland in 1801
• By the late 19th century, nationalism had lost its idealistic sentiment, leading to tensions in the Balkans and fierce competition among European nations over trade, colonies, and military strength