CHAPTER – 1 : THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE (PG : 3 – 22)

Question 1. Write a note on :(cw)

(a) Guiseppe Mazzini (b) Count Camillo de Cavour (c) The Greek war of independence
(d) Frankfurt Parliament (e) The role of women in nationalist struggles
(f) The role of women in nationalist struggles
Answer:
(a) Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary who contributed to the unification of Italy. He was a member of the
secret society of the Carbonari. He inspired the youth of Italy with national ideas. In 1831, he was sent into
exile for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He subsequently founded two more secret societies, i.e., Young
Italy in Marseilles and Young Europe in Berne to involve the youth in revolutionary activities.

(b) Cavour became the chief minister of the Kingdom of Piedmont and led the movement to unify the regions
of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. But he is called the real maker of Italy. Through a
tactful diplomatic alliance with France, he succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859 and setting up
the United Italian Kingdom.

(c) Greece had been a part of the Ottoman Empire since the fifteenth century. The growth of revolutionary
nationalism in Europe sparked off a struggle for independence amongst the Greeks which began in 1821.
Nationalists in Greece got support from the masses, poets and artists and also from many west Europeans in
getting independence which was proclaimed with the Treaty of Constantinople of 1832.

(d) Frankfurt Parliament is the name given to the German National Assembly. It was founded during the
Revolution of 1848. It tried to unite Germany in a democratic way. The assembly was attended by 831 elected
representatives who drafted a constitution for a new German nation to be headed by a monarchy subject to
parliament. But when the crown was offered to Wilhelm IV, king of Prussia, he rejected it and joined other
monarchs to oppose the elected assembly. Though the Frankfurt Parliament could not succeed to unite
Germany but it had far reaching consequences on Germany.

(e) In European countries, a large number of women had participated in the liberal and national movements.
They formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and took part in political meetings and
demonstrations. Despite this they were denied the right to vote during the election of the Assembly. So, when
the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St Paul, women were admitted only as observers to stand
in the visitors’ gallery.
Question 2.
What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the French
people? [2010, 2014,2015]
Answer:
(a) 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.
(b) A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal standard.
(c) The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
(d) New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name of the nation.
(e) A centralised administrative system was put in place.

Question 3.
Who were Marianne and Germania? What was the importance of the way in which they were portrayed?
Answer:
Marianne was the allegory of the nation in France who underlined the idea of a people’s nation. Her
characteristics were drawn from those of liberty and the republic the red cap, the tricolour, the cockade. Statues
of Marianne were erected in public squares to remind the public of the national symbol of unity and to
persuade them to identify with it. Marianne images were marked on coins and stamps.
Germania was the allegory of the German nation. She is depicted as wearing a crown of oak leaves, as the
German oak stands for heroism and holding a sword and olive branch in one hand and the flag in the other
hand.

Question 4.
Briefly trace the process of German unification.
Or
Describe the process of unification of Germany. [2012,2015]
Or
Explain the process of unification of Germany.
Answer:
(a) The Frankfurt Parliament tried its best for the unification of Germany under the leadership of king Wilhelm
IV of Prussia but it failed and made it clear that German unification had to come through combined effort of
monarchy and military supported by large landowners of Prussia.
(b) From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national unification.
(c) Otto von Bismarck, the Chief Minister of Prussia, was the architect of this process. He wanted to achieve
his aim by expanding Prussia into Germany. He reached his goal with the help of Prussian army and the
bureaucracy.
(d) Bismarck fought three wars over seven years with Austria, Denmark and France which ended in Prussian
victory and completed the process of unification.
(e) On January 18, 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 Verailles to proclaim the new German Empire headed by Kaisar William I of Prussia.

Question 5.
What changes did Napoleon introduce to make the administrative system more efficient in the territories ruled
by him?
Or
Napoleon had destroyed democracy in France but in administrative field he had incorporated revolutionary
principles.” justify this statement. [2014]
Or
Explain any four provisions of the Napoleon civil code, 1804. [2010]
Or
Explain any three features of Napoleonic Code. [2012]
Or
“Napoleon had no doubt destroyed democracy in France, but in administrative field he had incorporated
revolutionary principles in order to make whole system more rational and efficient.” Support this statement.
[2012]
Answer:
Napoleon contributed in creating a feeling of oneness among people by introducing revolutionary principles
and setting up uniform administrative system. In 1804, he introduced the Civil Code, usually known as the
Napoleonic Code, which did away with all privileges based on birth. The Code also established equality before
the law and secured the right to property. He abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and
manorial dues. In towns too, guild restrictions were removed. Transport and communication systems were
improved. Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new-found freedom. He standardised
weights and measures and introduced uniform currency in all the areas that came under his control.

Question 6.
Explain what is meant by the 1848 revolution of the liberals. What were the political, social and economic
ideas supported by the liberals?
Or
Explain the concept of liberalism. What did it politically emphasise during nineteenth century Europe? [2010]
Answer:
The 1848 revolution of the liberals mean the revolution led by the educated middle classes of Europe. Events
of February 1848, in France brought about the abdication of the monarchy and a republic based on universal
male franchise was formed. In Europe, the educated middle class made up of industrialists, businessmen and
professionals played a lead role in nationalist movement. They were imbibed by liberal ideas and socially,
demanded freedom of individuals, freedom of press and equality of all before law. Politically, they emphasised
the concept of government by consent. Since the French Revolution, these revolutionaries stood for the end of
autocracy and clerical privileges and emphasised a constitution and representative government through
parliament. They also stressed the inviolability of private property. In . the economic sphere, they stood for the
freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions on trade.

Question 7.
Choose three examples to show the contribution of culture to the growth of nationalism in Europe.(cw)
Or
“Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the nation in Europe.” Support the statement with
example. [2010]
Or
How did culture play an important role in creating the idea of a nation state in Europe? Explain with example.
[2013]
Or
How did nationalism develop through culture in Europe? Explain. [2015]
Answer:
In Europe, culture made significant contribution in strengthening nationalistic feelings.
(a) Romanticism was a cultural movement, which sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment.
Criticising the glorification of reason and science, it made effort to create a sense of ashared collective
heritage, a common cultural past as the basis of a nation.
(b) Folk culture such as folk songs, folk poetry and folk dances popularised the true spirit of the nation and
united common people.
(c) Language too played an important role in developing nationalist sentiments. After Russian occupation, the
Polish language was forced out of schools and the Russian language was imposed everywhere. A large number
of priests and bishops, however, used Polish for church gatherings and all religious instructions. So, they were
put in jail or sent to Siberia by the Russian authorities as punishment. Thus, the use of Polish came to be seen
as a symbol of the struggle against Russian dominance. The emphasis on vernacular language and the
collection of local folklore was not just to recover an ancient national spirit, but also to carry the modern
nationalist message to large audience who were mostly illiterate.

Question 8.
Through a focus on any two countries, explain how nations developed over the nineteenth century.(cw)
Or
How nation states developed/emerged over the nineteenth century in Europe. Explain in context of any two
nation states.
Answer:
The dedication, contribution and effort of the three great leaders: Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi helped in the
unification of Italy. Italy had a long history of political fragmentation. Italians were scattered over several
dynastic states as well as the multinational 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 Bourbon Kings of Spain.
During the 1830s, Giuseppe Mazzini sought to put together a programme for a unitary Italian Republic. He
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 unification of Italy could be possible through war under the king
Victor Emmanuel II.
Victor Emmanuel’s chief minister Cavour supported him wholeheartedly in this task. He was neither a
revolutionary nor a democrat but he led the movement to unify the Italian regions. He made a tactical
diplomatic alliance with France and succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859. Apart from regular
troops a large number of armed volunteers under the leadership of Garibaldi joined the fray. In 1860, they
marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Siciles, and succeeded in winning the support of the
local peasantry in order to drive out the Spanish rulers. Finally, in 1861, king Emmanuel II was proclaimed
king of united Italy.
(a) The Frankfurt Parliament tried its best for the unification of Germany under the leadership of king Wilhelm
IV of Prussia but it failed and made it clear that German unification had to come through combined effort of
monarchy and military supported by large landowners of Prussia.
(b) From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national unification.
(c) Otto von Bismarck, the Chief Minister of Prussia, was the architect of this process. He wanted to achieve
his aim by expanding Prussia into Germany. He reached his goal with the help of Prussian army and the
bureaucracy.
(d) Bismarck fought three wars over seven years with Austria, Denmark and France which ended in Prussian
victory and completed the process of unification.
(e) On January 18, 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 Verailles to proclaim the new German Empire headed by Kaisar William I of Prussia.

Question 9.
How was the history of nationalism in Britain unlike the rest of Europe?
Or
How the feeling of nationalism developed in Britain? Explain how was it distinct from rest of the Europe?
Answer:
(a) In Britain, the formation of the nation-state was not the result of a sudden upheaval or revolution.
(b) 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.
(c) All of these ethnic groups had their own cultural and political traditions. 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.
(d) In 1688, the English parliament seized power from the monarchy and became the instrument through which
a nation state, with England at its centre, came to be forged.
(e) The Act of Union [1707) between England and Scotland resulted in the formation of the ‘United Kingdom
of Great Britain’.
(f) Though the Irish Catholics were against a union with England as the English helped the protestants of
Ireland to establish their dominance over a largely Catholic country, Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the
United Kingdom in 1801.
Thus, the emergence of United Kingdom as a strong and democratic state was the result of a parliamentary
action and not of a revolution or war.

Question 10.
Why did nationalist tensions emerge in the Balkans?
Answer:
Though all countries accepted the idea of nation-states as natural and universal, the people everywhere
developed their own specific variety of nationalism.
The Balkans was the most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe. It presents a unique example of how
the rebellious nationalists struggled to win back their long- lost independence.
The Balkans was a region of geographical and ethnic variations comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria,
Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatica, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro. The
inhabitants belonged to the ethnic group were broadly known as the Slavs. A large part of the Balkans had
been under the rule of Ottoman Empire since long. Due to the strategic position of the Balkan region, imperial
powers of Europe wanted to extend their control over the region. So they competed with one another that
resulted in intense conflict among these powers. The domination of other powers separated the people of the
Balkans from each other who belonged to one ethnic group. The spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in
the Balkans together with the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire made this region very explosive. The
Balkan region, thus, became an area of intense conflicts leading to a series of wars in the region and finally the
First World War.

Question 11.
How has French artist Frederic Sorrieu, visualised in his first print of the series of his dream of democratic and
republic. [2011]
Or
Who was Frederic Sorrieu? Discuss four prints prepared by him expressing his vision.
Answer:
Frederic Sorrieu was a French artist who prepared a series of four prints visualising his dream of a world made
up of ‘democratic and social republics’ as he referred to them. The four prints signified the following :
(a) The firs print of the series showed people 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.
(b) Liberty was personified as a female figure by the artists during the French Revolution. Liberty carries the
torch of enlightenment in one hand and the Charter of the Rights of Man in the other.
(c) The third print is that of shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist institutions.
(d) The fourth print depicts the artist’s utopian vision where the people of the world are shown marching
together on the path of development. It is a vision of world peace and prosperity.