Important terms, personalities, and dates of "the rise of nationalism in Europe". | Extra Documents, Videos & Tests for Class 10 PDF Download

Know the Terms

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

■ Absolutism : Absolutism refers to a system of rule that has no restraints on the                                power exercised.

■ Plebiscite : The direct vote of all the members of an electorate on an important public question such as a change in the constitution.

■ French Revolution : The French Revolution in 1789 was an influential event that marked the age of revolutions in Europe. The major outcome of the revolution was the formation of a constitutional monarchy and a sizeable reduction in the royal and feudal privileges. 

■ Nationalism : A feeling of oneness with the society or the state, love and devotion for the motherland and belief 

in the political identity of one’s country are the basic attributes of nationalism. 

 Nation-state : A state that establishes itself as a separate political and geographical entity and functions as a complete and sovereign territorial unit. This concept emerged in 19th century Europe as a result of the growth of 

nationalism. 

■ Modern State : A state in which sovereignty is exercised by a centralized power over a specific territory and population.

■ Liberal Nationalism Means : 

(i) Individual freedom 

(ii) Equality before law

(iii) Government by consent 

(iv) Freedom of markets 

(v) Abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital. 



■ Napoleonic Code : The Civil Code of 1804 introduced by Napoleon, was known as the Napoleonic Code. This code did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property. 

■ Zollverein : A customs union formed in 1834 at the initiative of Prussia. It abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two.

■ Habsburg Empire : The empire that ruled Austria, Hungary including the Alpine regions of Tyrol, Austria, the Sudetenland and Bohemia.

■ Ottoman Empire : A former Turkish empire ruled by the Caliph-the spiritual and temporal head of the Muslims.

■ Ideology : System of ideas reflecting a particular social and political vision.

■ Conservatism : It is a political and social philosophy promoting traditional social institutions in the context of culture and civilization. 

■ Suffrage : The right to vote in political elections.

■ Romanticism : A cultural movement that rejected science and reason and introduced heart and emotions. The concern of the romantics was to create a sense of shared collective heritage and a common cultural past for 

arousing nationalism.

■ Revolutionaries : Upholders of the idea of liberalism and against the conservative regimes of the 19th century.

■ Feminism : Awareness of women’s rights and interests based on political economic and social equality of genders is also known as Feminism.

■ Frankfurt Parliament : A large number of political associations comprising of professionals, businessmen and prosperous artisans came together in the city of Frankfurt decided to vote for all German National Assembly. On 18th May-1848, 831 elected representatives marched in a festive procession to take their places in the Frankfurt Parliament convened at St. Paul’s Church. They drafted a Constitution based on the system of Constitution monarchy.

■ Nationalistic Feeling (1830s) : The sense of recognizing the society and nation as “we” and the sharing of many traits by its members. Culture with art and poetry, stories and music played a major role in the shaping and expression of nationalistic feelings and nation.

■ Otto Von Bismarck : Otto von Bismarck was the architect of a Prussian consolidation that was also a form of German unification. Once the empire was established, he actively and skillfully pursued pacific policies in foreign 

affairs, succeeding in preserving the peace in Europe for about two decades.

■ Kaiser William : Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. In newly formed Germany a lot of emphasis was placed on modernising the currency, and the banking, legal and judicial systems.

■ Count Camillo di Cavour : The Chief Minister of Piedmont, Count Camillo di Cavour, helped the king in forming an alliance with France, and they defeated the Austrian forces in 1859. Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri, generally known as Cavour, was an Italian statesman and a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification.

■ Giuseppe Garibaldi : He was an Italian general, politician and nationalist who played a large role in the history of Italy. He has been hailed as one of the ‘Fathers of the Fatherland’ for his contribution to the Italian Risorgimento, which unified the fractured nation under one rule. He joined the war along with his armed volunteers called the ‘Red Shirts’. In 1860, Garibaldi and his troops marched into Southern Italy and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

■ Ethnic : Relates to a common racial, tribal or cultural origin or background that a community identifies with or claims.

■ Symbol : A symbol is a visual image that represents something other than itself. It may be a representation using an object, picture, written word, sound or a particular mark.

■ Imperialism : A policy of extending a country’s power and influence through colonization, use of military force, or other means.

■ Allegory : When an abstract idea (for instance greed, envy, freedom, liberty, etc.) is expressed through a person or a thing. An allegorical story has two meanings, one literal and one symbolic.

Know the Personalities

■ Frederic Sorrieu : He was a French artist famous for a series of four prints prepared in 1848 that visualized the dream of a world consisting of ‘Democratic and Social Republics’.

■ Napoleon (1769-1821) : A French military and political leaders who gained prominence during the French Revolution. Ruled France from 1799 to 1815. Assumed absolute powers in 1799 by becoming the First Consul. 

■ Giuseppe Mazzini : Giuseppe Mazzini, a famous Italian revolutionary was born in 1807 in Genoa. He was part of a secret society called Carbonari and founded two underground societies called Young Italy in Marseilles and Young Europe in Berne.

■ Duke Metternich : The chief architect and host of the Treaty of Vienna was the Austrian Chancellor, Duke Metternich.

■ Louise Otto-Peters : He was a German suffragist and women’s rights movement activist who wrote novels, poetry, essays, and libretti.

■ Carl Welcker : Carl Welcker, a member of the Frankfurt Parliament, had tremendous reservation against equal rights for women, and he ridiculed their demands as being against nature.

■ Otto Von Bismarck : Otto von Bismarck was the architect of a Prussian consolidation that was also a form of German unification. Once the empire was established, he actively and skillfully pursued pacific policies in foreign 

affairs, succeeding in preserving the peace in Europe for about two decades.

■ Kaiser William : Wilhelm II was the last German Emperor (Kaiser) and King of Prussia, ruling the German Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia from 15 June 1888 to 9 November 1918. In newly formed Germany a lot of emphasis was placed on modernising the currency, and the banking, legal and judicial systems.

■ Count Camillo di Cavour : The Chief Minister of Piedmont, Count Camillo di Cavour, helped the king in forming an alliance with France, and they defeated the Austrian forces in 1859. Camillo Paolo Filippo Giulio Benso, Count of Cavour, Isolabella and Leri, generally known as Cavour, was an Italian statesman and a leading figure in the movement toward Italian unification.

■ Giuseppe Garibaldi : He was an Italian general, politician and nationalist who played a large role in the history of Italy. He has been hailed as one of the ‘Fathers of the Fatherland’ for his contribution to the Italian Risorgimento, which unified the fractured nation under one rule. He joined the war along with his armed volunteers called the ‘Red Shirts’. In 1860, Garibaldi and his troops marched into Southern Italy and the Kingdom of Two Sicilies.

■ Marianne and Germania : Marianne and Germania were the female allegories of France and German nations respectively. These were allegory of nation the same way as Bharat Mata, a female figure is imagined in India. The characteristics of Marianne were drawn from those of Liberty and the Republic the red cap, the tricolour and the cockade. The Statues of Marianne were made and erected at public places and picture of Marianne printed on postage stamps. Germania wears a crown of oak leaves because that tree stands for heroism. She holds a sword in her hand.

Know the Dates

■ 1797 : Napoleon invades Italy; Napoleonic wars begin.

■ 1804 : Napoleonic Code was introduced, did away with all privileges based on birth. Upheld equality before the law. 

■ 1814-15 : Fall of Napoleon; the Vienna Peace Settlement.

■ 1821 : Greek struggle for independence begins.

■ 1832 : Greece gained independence.

■ 1834 : Zollverein or the Customs Union was formed in Prussia to abolish tariff barriers.

■ 1848 : Revolutions in Europe; Artisans, industrial workers and peasants revolt against economic hardships; middle classes demand Constitutions and representative governments; Italians, Germans, Magyars, Poles, Czechs, etc., 

demanded for nation-states.

■ 1830 : The first upheaval took place in France, in July 1830.

■ 1830 : Period of Economic Crisis in Europe.

■ 1848 : Germans voted for National Assembly in Frankfurt.

■ 1855 : The Kingdom of Sardinia participated from the sides of British and French in the Crimean War.

■ 1858 : Cavour formed an alliance with France.

■ 1859-1870 : Unification of Italy.

■ 1859 : Sardinia-Piedmont with an alliance with France defeated the Austrian forces. Large number of people under the leadership of Giuseppe Garibaldi joined the movement.

■ 1860 : Sardinia-Piedmont’s forces marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and drove out the Spanish rulers.

■ 1861 : Victor Emmanuel II was declared as the King of United Italy and Rome was declared the capital of Italy.

■ 1866-1871 : Unification of Germany.

■ 1871 : The Prussian King, William I was proclaimed the German Emperor.

■ 1905 : Slav nationalism gathers their force in the Habsburg and Ottoman empire.

■ 1914 : Beginning of the First World War.

Important Symbols

■ Broken chains – Liberty (being freed)

■ Breastplate with eagle – Strength (Symbol of the German empire)

■ Crown of oak leaves – Heroism

■ Sword – Readiness to fight

■ Olive branch around the sword – Willingness to make peace

■ Black, red and gold tricolour – Flag of the liberal nationalists in 1848 banned by the Dukes of the German States.

■ Rays of the rising sun – Beginning of a new era