Modern Nationalism

Modern nationalism began as a liberal reaction to the autocracy of the dynastic states of Europe. Before the nineteenth century, nationality was based upon personal allegiance to a monarch. So a Frenchman living in 1785 would rightfully consider himself a subject of the bourbon king Louis xvi rather than a citizen of France. Moreover, the Frenchman need not even have been French by language and tradition as most of the dynastic states were made up of a mixture of culturally diverse peoples. During the beginning of the 1800s, however, the idea of allegiance to a geographical nation composed of people by joined by language, custom, and a common historical tradition proved too seductive to resist. Inspired by nationalistic writers like jean Paul Marat in France, Giuseppe Mazzini in Italy and Johann Wolfgang Goethe in Germany, one by one the states of Europe underwent a change which was more than cosmetic as a government and national boundaries were reforged along the logical lines of cultural distinctiveness. IN France, Louis XVI was dethroned, eventually beheaded, and the monarchy replaced by a republican form of government. Germany, which at one time was composed of over three hundred independent principalities, was moving toward unification under the leadership of Prussia, following a path similar to Germany as Italian nationalists sought to unite their homeland while riding it of foreign rule. The Balkan states of Europe aspired to free themselves from the domination of the ottoman Turks, a domination which had lasted over three hundred years.

Since its impact first was felt in the nineteenth century Europe, nationalism has been an irrepressible force which has left its peculiar imprint upon the course of history....

... middle of paper ...

...nce 1811. But In 1825, the Emperor Francis II convened the routine in response to growing concern amongst the Hungarian nobility with regarding taxes and the diminishing economy following the wars. This sparked the Reform Period of Hungary. This period enjoyed slow progress, as the nobles insisted on retaining their privileges. As you have noticed in Document 7 in the lyrics there is a little anger and motivation to free the country.

Nationalism has been an important factor in shaping the development of Europe. In the mid–1800s until World War I, a wave of romantic nationalism swept the continent of Europe transforming several countries of the continent. Some new countries, such as Germany and Italy were formed by uniting smaller states with a common "national identity". Others, such as Greece, Poland,and Bulgaria, were formed by winning their independence.