Revision: History (India and the Contemporary World-II) >> The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Social Science English Medium Class 10 CBSE

A plebiscite is a direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.

 Feminist is awareness of women’s rights and interests based on the belief of the social, economic and political equality of the genders.

Conservatism is a political philosophy that stressed the importance of tradition, established institutions and customs, and preferred gradual development to quick change.

Utopian is a vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.

Ideology is a system of ideas reflecting a particular social and political vision.

• The landed aristocracy was the dominant social and political class in Europe.
• Most of the population consisted of peasants, including tenants and serfs.
• Western Europe had small landowners, while Central and Eastern Europe had large estates.
• Industrialisation created new working and middle classes.
• The educated middle class promoted ideas of nationalism and unity.

• In the mid-eighteenth century, Europe did not have modern nation-states as we know them today.
• In the eighteenth century, Germany and Italy were divided into many small kingdoms and states.
• During the eighteenth century, Central and Eastern Europe were ruled by autocratic, multi-national empires.
• The Habsburg Empire in the eighteenth century included people of different languages, cultures, and ethnic groups.
• In the nineteenth century, nationalism grew and led to nation-states such as Italy (1859–1870) and Germany (1866–1871).

• In 1848, Frederic Sorrieu’s painting represented his dream of a world made up of democratic and free nations.
• During the French Revolution (1789), Liberty was personified as a female figure symbolising freedom and equal rights.
• In the nineteenth century, nationalism emerged as a powerful force in Europe.
• In the nineteenth century, nation-states were formed when people developed a common identity, history, and sense of belonging.
• In 1882, Ernst Renan explained that a nation is based on shared memories, sacrifices, and a common will.

• After 1815, liberalism and nationalism were linked with revolutions in Europe.
• The revolutions were led by the educated middle class.
• In July 1830, the Bourbon monarchy in France was overthrown.
• The 1830 Revolution led to Belgium becoming independent.
• Greece became independent after the Treaty of Constantinople (1832).

• In 1848, the educated middle classes led liberal revolutions across Europe.
• In France (1848), a republic with universal male suffrage was established.
• Liberals demanded constitutions, civil rights, and national unification.
• The Frankfurt Parliament (18 May 1848) tried but failed to unify Germany.
• Women participated actively but were denied political rights.
• After 1848, serfdom was abolished, and Hungary gained autonomy in 1867.

• The French Revolution of 1789 marked the beginning of modern nationalism in France.
• Power was transferred from the absolute monarch to the people, who came to form the nation.
• National symbols like the tricolour flag and the National Assembly helped unite the people.
• A centralised system introduced uniform laws and administration across France.
• French was promoted as the common national language to strengthen unity.
• Napoleon introduced reforms such as the Napoleonic Code of 1804, which ensured equality before the law.
• French rule later faced opposition because of heavy taxation, censorship, and forced conscription.

• After 1815, European governments followed conservatism and supported the monarchy and traditional institutions.
• Conservatives believed that modernisation after 1815 could strengthen monarchies and state power.
• In 1815, the Congress of Vienna was held under the Duke Metternich to restore the old order in Europe.
• The Treaty of Vienna (1815) restored monarchies like the Bourbon dynasty in France.
• Conservative governments after 1815 were autocratic and imposed strict censorship.
• Even after 1815, liberals were inspired by the French Revolution and demanded freedom of the press.

• Liberal nationalism supported individual freedom and equality before the law.
• Liberals demanded constitutions and representative governments.
• Voting rights were limited to property-owning men, not all citizens.
• Liberalism supported free markets and free trade.
• The Zollverein of 1834 promoted economic unity and nationalism.

• After 1848, nationalism in Europe became linked with conservatism and state power rather than democracy.
• The liberal attempt to unify Germany in 1848 failed due to opposition from the monarchy, army, and Prussian landowners (Junkers).
• Prussia took leadership of German unification under Otto von Bismarck.
• German unification was achieved through three wars (1864–1871) with Denmark, Austria, and France.
• In January 1871, William I was proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles, completing unification.

• In the mid-nineteenth century, Italy was divided into several states ruled by different dynasties and foreign powers.
• Giuseppe Mazzini tried to unify Italy through revolutionary movements in 1831 and 1848, but these attempts failed.
• The task of unification was taken up by Sardinia-Piedmont under King Victor Emmanuel II.
• Count Cavour used diplomacy and war to defeat Austria in 1859, with support from France.
• In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed the king of a united Italy.

• Britain became a nation-state through a long, gradual process, not through a sudden revolution.
• Before the eighteenth century, people identified themselves as English, Welsh, Scottish, or Irish, not British.
• The English Parliament gained power in 1688 and played a major role in building the British nation-state.
• The Act of Union (1707) united England and Scotland to form the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
• Scottish and Irish cultures were suppressed, and the English language and culture were promoted as national symbols.
• After the failed Irish revolt of 1798, Ireland was merged with Britain in 1801, forming the United Kingdom.

• In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, nations were represented as female figures to give a human form to the idea of the nation.
• These female figures were allegories, not real women, symbolising abstract ideas like unity and freedom.
• During the French Revolution, female allegories were used to represent Liberty, Justice, and the Republic.
• Marianne became the national allegory of France, symbolising the people’s nation and national unity.
• Germania represented the German nation and wore a crown of oak leaves, symbolising heroism.

• By the late nineteenth century, nationalism lost its liberal and democratic character and became aggressive.
• Nationalist groups became intolerant and war-oriented, often manipulated by powerful European states.
• The Balkans became the most serious centre of nationalist tension after 1871.
• Balkan peoples used nationalism and history to demand independence from the Ottoman Empire.
• Rivalry among European powers like Russia, Germany, England, and Austro-Hungary increased conflicts in the Balkans.
• Nationalism combined with imperialism led to the First World War in 1914 and inspired anti-imperial movements worldwide.