Nationalism in Europe 4 Flashcards
what happened to the dieas of nationalism from the years 1848
After 1848, nationalism in Europe moved away from its association
with democracy and revolution. Nationalist sentiments were often
mobilised by conservatives for promoting state power and achieving
political domination over Europe.
explain the unification process 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. This liberal initiative to nation-building
was, however, repressed by the combined forces of the monarchy and
the military, supported by the large landowners (called Junkers) of Prussia.
From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for
national unification. Its chief minister, Otto von
Bismarck, was the architect of this process carried
out with the help of the Prussian army and
bureaucracy. 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.
explain the crowning of freidreich wilhelm I in versaille
On the bitterly cold morning of 18 January 1871,
an assembly comprising the princes of the
German states, representatives of the army,
important Prussian ministers including the chief
minister Otto von Bismarck gathered in the
unheated Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles
to proclaim the new German Empire headed
by Kaiser William I of Prussia.
what did germany nation building demonstrate
The nation-building process in Germany had
demonstrated the dominance of Prussian state
power. The new state placed a strong emphasis
on modernising the currency, banking, legal
and judicial systems in Germany. Prussian
measures and practices often became a model for
the rest of Germany
what was italy like bfr unification
Like Germany, Italy too had a long history of political fragmentation.
Italians were scattered over several dynastic states as well as the
multi-national Habsburg Empire. During the middle of the
nineteenth century, Italy was divided into seven states, of which
only one, Sardinia-Piedmont, was ruled by an Italian princely house.
The north was under Austrian Habsburgs, the centre was ruled by
the Pope and the southern regions were under the domination
of the Bourbon kings of Spain. Even the Italian language had
not acquired one common form and still had many regional and
local variations.
explain abt guiseppe mazzini
During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini had sought to put together a
coherent programme for a unitary Italian Republic. He had also
formed a secret society called Young Italy for the dissemination of
his goals. The failure of revolutionary uprisings both in 1831 and
1848 meant that the mantle now fell on Sardinia-Piedmont under
its ruler King Victor Emmanuel II to unify the Italian states through
war. In the eyes of the ruling elites of this region, a unified
Italy offered them the possibility of economic development and
political dominance.
explain abt cheif minister cavour
Chief Minister Cavour who led the movement to unify the regions
of Italy was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many
other wealthy and educated members of the Italian elite, he spoke
French much better than he did Italian. Through a tactful diplomatic
alliance with France engineered by Cavour, Sardinia-Piedmont
succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859.
explain abt giuseppe garibaldi
Apart from regular
troops, a large number of armed volunteers under the leadership of
Giuseppe Garibaldi joined the fray. In 1860, they marched into South
Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and succeeded in winning
the support of the local peasants in order to drive out the Spanish
rulers. In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of united
Italy. However, much of the Italian population, among whom rates
of illiteracy were very high, remained blissfully unaware of liberalnationalist ideology. The peasant masses who had supported Garibaldi
in southern Italy had never heard of Italia, and believed that ‘La Talia’
was Victor Emmanuel’s wife!
how was britain bfr 18th c
The model of the nation or the nation-state, some scholars have
argued, is Great Britain. In Britain the formation of the nation-state was not the result of a sudden upheaval or revolution. It was the
result of a long-drawn-out process. There was no British nation
prior to the eighteenth century. The primary identities of the people
who inhabited the British Isles were ethnic ones – such as English,
Welsh, Scot or Irish. All of these ethnic groups had their own cultural
and political traditions.
what happened after english power grew
But as the English nation steadily grew in
wealth, importance and power, it was able to extend its influence
over the other nations of the islands. The English parliament, which
had seized power from the monarchy in 1688 at the end of a
protracted conflict, was the instrument through which a nation-state,
with England at its centre, came to be forged. T
explain abt the act of union and spain catholic
The Act of Union
(1707) between England and Scotland that resulted in the formation
of the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ meant, in effect, that
England was able to impose its influence on Scotland. The British
parliament was henceforth dominated by its English members. The
growth of a British identity meant that Scotland’s distinctive culture
and political institutions were systematically suppressed. The Catholic
clans that inhabited the Scottish Highlands suffered terrible repression
whenever they attempted to assert their independence. The Scottish
Highlanders were forbidden to speak their Gaelic language or
wear their national dress, and large numbers were forcibly driven
out of their homeland.
what abt england and ireland
Ireland suffered a similar fate. It was a country deeply divided
between Catholics and Protestants. The English helped the Protestants
of Ireland to establish their dominance over a largely Catholic country.
Catholic revolts against British dominance were suppressed. After a
failed revolt led by Wolfe Tone and his United Irishmen (1798),
Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom in 1801.
A new ‘British nation’ was forged through the propagation of a
dominant English culture. The symbols of the new Britain – the
British flag (Union Jack), the national anthem (God Save Our Noble
King), the English language – were actively promoted and the older
nations survived only as subordinate partners in this union.
