QB1 - The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

HISTORY: RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE
UNIT 1: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE IDEA OF A NATION

1) How did Frederic Sorrieu visualize his dream of a world made
up of democratic and social republics?
In 1848, Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared a
series of four prints visualizing his dream of a world made
up of ‘democratic and social Republics’.
2) What do you understand by the term Utopian?
A vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely
to actually exist.
3) How would you explain the term Absolutist?
A government or system of rule that has no restraints on
the power exercised. In history, the term refers to a form
of monarchical government that was centralized, militarized
and repressive.
4) In what way do you think Sorrieu’s print depicts Utopian
vision?
1) In 1848, Frédéric Sorrieu, prepared a series of four prints
visualizing his dream of a world made up of ‘democratic and
social Republics’.
2) The first print of the series, shows the peoples of Europe
and America – men and women of all ages and social classes
– marching in a long train, and offering homage to the
statue of Liberty as they pass by it.
3) On the earth in the foreground of the image lie the
shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist
institutions.
4) In his utopian vision, the peoples of the world are grouped
as distinct nations, identified through their flags and
national costume.
5) Leading the procession, way past the statue of Liberty, are
the United States and Switzerland, which by this time were
already nation-states. France is followed by the peoples of
Germany. Following the German peoples are the peoples of
Austria, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland,
England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia.
1
6) From the heavens above, Christ, saints and angels gaze upon
the scene. They have been used by the artist to symbolize
fraternity among the nations of the world.
5) What do you mean by the term Plebiscite?
A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to
accept or reject a proposal.
6) Summarize the attributes of a nation as Renan understands
them.
1) The French philosopher Ernst Renan outlined his
understanding of what makes a nation, subsequently published
as a famous essay entitled ‘What is a Nation?’.
2) In this essay he criticizes the notion suggested by others
that a nation is formed by a common language, race,
religion, or territory by stating that ‘A nation is the
culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and
devotion.
3) To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in
the present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish
to perform still more, these are the essential conditions of
being a people. A nation is therefore a large-scale
solidarity. Its existence is a daily plebiscite.
4) A province is its inhabitants; if anyone has the right to be
consulted, it is the inhabitant.
5) A nation never has any real interest in annexing or holding
on to a country against its will. The existence of nations
is a guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if the world
had only one law and only one master.
7) Describe the legacy or contribution of the French Revolution.
1) The first clear expression of nationalism came with the
French Revolution in 1789. France, was a full-fledged
territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute
monarch.
2) 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.
3) The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would
henceforth constitute the nation and shape its destiny.
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4) The revolutionaries further declared that it was the
mission and the destiny of the French nation to liberate
the peoples of Europe from despotism, in other words to
help other peoples of Europe to become nations.
5) When the news of the events in France reached the different
cities of Europe, students and other members of educated
middle classes began setting up Jacobin clubs. Their
activities and campaigns prepared the way for the French
armies which moved into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and
much of Italy in the 1790s.
6) With the outbreak of the revolutionary wars, the French
armies began to carry the idea of nationalism abroad.
8) Analyze the measures and practices introduced by the French
revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity among
the French people.
1) From the very beginning, the French revolutionaries
introduced various measures and practices that could create
a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
2) The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the
citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community
enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
3) A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the
former royal standard.
4) The Estates General was elected by the body of active
citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
5) New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs
commemorated, all in the name of the nation.
6) A centralized administrative system was put in place and it
formulated uniform laws for all citizens within its
territory.
7) Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a
uniform system of weights and measures was adopted.
8) Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was
spoken and written in Paris, became the common language of
the nation.

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HISTORY: RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE

UNIT 1: THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE IDEA OF A NATION

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