Knowra Rise of nationalism in Europe Rise of nationalism in Europe The nineteenth-century growth of national identity and movements seeking national unity or independence across Europe. It reshaped empires, inspired revolutions, and produced new nation-states.
French Revolution : A political upheaval beginning in 1789 that ended France’s absolute monarchy and promoted citizenship and popular sovereignty. Its claims of national sovereignty and mass citizenship helped make the nation a source of political legitimacy.
Revolutions of 1848 : A wave of revolutions that challenged monarchies and demanded constitutional, social, or national change across Europe. National demands joined liberal revolts in the year’s upheavals, but most revolutionary movements were defeated.
Giuseppe Mazzini : An Italian revolutionary who advocated republicanism and national unity through the movement Young Italy. His writings made popular sovereignty and a united republic central to Italian nationalism.
Liberalism : A political tradition emphasizing individual rights, constitutional government, and limits on state power. Nationalists often allied with liberals, but national unity could also override individual rights and constitutional limits.
Nation-state : A sovereign state whose political boundaries are intended to correspond with a national community. The nineteenth-century movements made the nation-state a dominant model of political organization.
Romanticism : An intellectual and artistic movement that emphasized emotion, history, nature, and distinctive cultural traditions. Romantic writers and artists treated shared language and folk culture as evidence of national identity.
Italian unification : The political process that united most of the Italian peninsula into the Kingdom of Italy by 1870. It shows how popular movements, diplomacy, and war combined to achieve national unity.
Giuseppe Garibaldi : An Italian military and political leader who helped bring southern Italy into the unified kingdom. His 1860 expedition of the Thousand turned nationalist commitment into a decisive campaign.
Legitimism : The doctrine that rightful political authority belongs to hereditary dynasties and established ruling houses. It opposed nationalist claims that sovereignty belonged to a people rather than a dynasty.
Franco-Prussian War : The 1870–1871 conflict in which Prussia and its German allies defeated France. The victory completed German unification and intensified French resentment over Alsace-Lorraine.
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