The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

1. The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation

The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789. The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.

• La Patrie & Le Citoyen: Concepts introduced to create a sense of collective identity.
• Napoleonic Code (1804): Did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property.

2. The Making of Nationalism in Europe

During the mid-eighteenth century, there were no 'nation-states' as we know them today. Eastern and Central Europe were under autocratic monarchies within the territories of which lived diverse peoples.

Industrialisation began in England in the second half of the eighteenth century, leading to the emergence of working-class populations and middle classes made up of industrialists, businessmen, and professionals.

3. The Age of Revolutions: 1830-1848

As conservative regimes tried to consolidate their power, liberalism and nationalism came to be increasingly associated with revolution in many regions of Europe such as the Italian and German states, the provinces of the Ottoman Empire, Ireland and Poland.

4. The Making of Germany and Italy

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 process of unification was completed by the Prussian chief minister, Otto von Bismarck, with the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy.

Like Germany, Italy too had a long history of political fragmentation. The unification process was led by figures like Giuseppe Mazzini, Count Cavour, and Giuseppe Garibaldi.