TOPIC - 2 The Age of Revolutions (1830-1848) and the Unification of Germany and Italy - Class 10 PDF Download

Quick Review

■ Liberalism and nationalism became associated with revolution in many regions of Europe such as the Italian and 

German states, the provinces of the Ottoman Empire, Ireland and Poland.

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

■ The Greek War of Independence was another event which mobilised nationalist feelings among the educated elite in Europe.

■ Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the nation. Art and poetry, stories, music helped to express and shape nationalist feelings.

■ Romanticism was a cultural movement which sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment.

■ Language too played an important role in developing nationalist sentiments.

■ The 1830s saw a rise in prices, bad harvest, poverty in Europe. Besides the poor, unemployed and starving peasants, even educated middle classes, revolted.

■ In 1848, a large number of political associations came together in Frankfurt and decided to vote for an all-German National Assembly.

■ The issue of extending political rights to women became a controversial one.

■ Conservative forces were able to suppress liberal movements in 1848, but could not restore the old order.

■ After 1848, nationalism in Europe moved away from its association with democracy and revolution.

Know the Terms

1.  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.
2.  Revolutionaries : Upholders of the idea of liberalism and against the conservative regimes of the 19th century.
3.  Feminism : Awareness of women’s rights and interests based on political economic and social equality of genders is also known as Feminism.
4.  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.
5.  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.

Know the Personalities

1.  Louise Otto-Peters : He was a German suffragist and women’s rights movement activist who wrote novels, poetry, essays, and libretti.
2.  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.

Know the Dates

■ 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.