Class 10 History Notes: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe (PDF)

Revision Notes for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 1 – The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Frederic Sorrieu He is a French artist, who presented a series of paintings in 1848. He visualised his dreams, that is, a world of social and democratic republics. In Sorri...

Revision Notes for Class 10 Social Science History Chapter 1 – The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Frederic Sorrieu He is a French artist, who presented a series of paintings in 1848. He visualised his dreams, that is, a world of social and democratic republics. In Sorrieu’s utopian vision, the people of the world are grouped as distinct nations. They are identified through their flags and national costumes. Leading the procession are the USA and Switzerland, which is followed by France and Germany. Following Germany are Austria, Kingdom of the two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia. French Revolution The French Revolution in 1789, was the start of nationalism. French revolutionaries took many steps to create a feeling of collective identity: Innovative ideas such as Le citoyen and La Partie Creation of a new French flag. Election of National Assembly, also renaming from estate general to National Assembly. The administrative system is consolidated. Abolishing of customs and internal duties. Uniform weights and measures were introduced. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 1  French was becoming a common language. Napoleonic Code Napoleon destroyed France's democracy. Introduction of Civil Code 1804, which was called the Napoleonic Code. Features of this code are: Abolishing of all birth rights and privileges. Establishment of equality before the law. Security of right to property. Guild restrictions were removed. The Aristocracy and the New Middle Class Politically as well as socially, aristocrats were dominant as far as population was concerned. Peasants were the majority of the population. Since industrialisation in England, a new social class known as the working class emerged. It included artisans, industrialists, businessmen and so on. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 2 Liberalism Property-owning men were only given the right to vote or get elected. Every woman and propertyless men were restricted from all political rights. It is derived from the Latin word ‘root liber’, which means to be free. For the end of clerical privilege, autocracy the liberal nationalism stood alive. A New Conservatism After 1815 Major European powers in 1815: Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria had defeated Napoleon. They used to meet in Vienna to draw up a European settlement called as Treaty of Vienna. As per this treaty: Power was restored by the Bourbon dynasty. During the Napoleonic wars, France lost all its territories. 39 states of the German Confederation were formed by Napoleon and left untouched. On the French boundary, borders were made to prevent France from expanding. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 3 The Revolutionaries Guiseppe Mazzini Born in Genoa in 1807. Was a member of a secret society of carbonate. He established 2 secret societies: Young Europe in Berne and Young Italy in Marseilles. The main aim was to unify Italy into a republic. The Age of Revolution: 1830-1848 Bourbon kings were overthrown to set up a constitutional monarchy in July 1830. Greece was struggling for independence which was a part of the Ottoman Empire. Greece was declared an independent nation in the Treaty of Constantinople signed in 1832. National feeling was the main focus area. German philosopher, Johan Gottfried discovered the culture of common people through music, dance and folk poetry. There were fewer jobs and more people. Due to the rise in food costs and bad harvesting, widespread pauperism in the country. Silesia weavers in 1845, revolted against contractors. Frankfurt parliament was elected in 1848. 831 elected representatives were conveyed in St. Paul Church. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 4 Britain English Parliament seized power from the ruling monarchy. British forces took Ireland, in 1801 after the revolution failed. British Nation was formed and it was facilitated through the mass propagation of English culture. Nationalism and Imperialism Modern Balkans included Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Romania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia. This area was made explosive by Romantic nationalism, hence, major Europeans wanted to have control over this area. So, this led to a series of wars called as First World War. What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for? Socially, liberalism stood for the idea of freedom for the individual and equality before the law. Politically, it was implied for a government by people’s choice. Economically, liberalism meant that merchants could freely trade their wares and move around in various regions for business purposes. As economic liberalism grew, the feeling of nationalism also grew to greater heights. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 5 A New Conservatism After 1815 A lot of people felt that traditional institutions and systems needed to be brought back. Even though many understood that they did not need to go back to pre-revolutionary days, they felt modernisation might strengthen their traditional institutes. The Treaty of Vienna was responsible for undoing most of the changes done by Napoleon. Monarchies overthrown by Napoleon were tried to be brought back through these measures. Conservatives of 1815 did not tolerate any kind of dissent, or criticism and controlled the speech of the public by censorship. Freedom of speech was curbed as much as possible. Although the liberal-nationalists were still working actively despite all this. The Romantic Imagination and National Feeling Nationalism was not only displayed through rebellion and revolution but also through culture. Poetry, story music and everything else also played an important role in shaping nationalism among people. Under romanticism, established writers and poets criticized the use of science and reason and emphasised the importance of emotions, intuition, and created a sense of shared feeling. Folk songs, folk poetry, and folk dances became popular, as they were being used as a nation-building tool by the common people. The language was also used as a weapon against monarchy for any Anti-National element. In regions where another language was imposed, removing the vernacular one, there were rebellions, and vernacular language was re-established in institutions. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 6 Hunger, Hardship and Popular Revolt Europe was hit with economic peril around the 1830s. There was a population boom all over Europe and food prices rose due to bad harvest. Poverty and unemployment rose to great heights during this time. The Revolution of the Liberals On one hand, poverty had created a revolution in society on the other hand liberal-nationalists advantage of the situation and fought for their issues. A parliament-like structure was demanded of the conservatives in Germany and Friedrich Wilhelm IV was selected to be the Monarch who would lead them. Friedrich refused and joined the conservatives instead. Women and men rebelled together and created a revolution in society. Although giving women political rights was still a controversial issue. Women had empowered themselves by founding newspapers and taking part in political meetings, and demonstrations. By 1848, the conservatives understood that they had to give concessions to the liberal nationalists, as they would not stop otherwise. Many changes in the government were seen thereafter. The Making of Germany and Italy Germany – Can the Army be the Architect of a Nation? After 1848, the conservatives started to use nationalism as a weapon to further their policies. This is visible in how Germany and Italy united as nation-states. The initiative to unify Prussia was taken by the army. Under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck, Prussia was United using the help of the army and bureaucracy. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 7 Italy Unified Italy was divided into various States just like Germany. It was divided into seven states out of which only one was ruled by a princely house. Sardinia Piedmont was ruled by the princely house. Italian unification was possible due to Chief Minister Cavour. On the one hand, Mazzini spread nationalism using his Young Italy society. On the other hand, Chief Minister Cavour led the Italian unification. Sardinia-Piedmont defeated the Austrians in 1859. Further, the Italian army marched to South Italy and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and succeeded in driving out the Spanish. Victor Emmanuel II became the king of Italy in 1861. The Strange Case of Britain Britain became a nation-state not by a Revolution or rebellion but rather by imposing its influence on its neighbouring countries. With varied identities and ethnicities, the European region was very diverse. The act of union between England and Scotland in the influence of Britain over Scotland. This is how British unification took place. Visualising the Nation The nationalism was depicted by various personifications known as allegory. Germania and Marianne were two famous allegorical figures. Class 10 Social Science www.vedantu.com 8