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Nationalism
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Part I: Nationalism & Political Revolutions
As you have learned, nationalism is a feeling of strong devotion to or pride in one’s country.
This feeling often develops among people who share a common language and heritage. Nationalism
played an important role in many of the political revolutions of the 1800s.
Revolution and war in the 1790s created a strong sense of national unity in France. This
feeling inspired French armies to battlefield success as they sought to spread the ideals of their
revolution. Napoleon also inspired nationalism among the nations he conquered. However,
nationalistic feelings encouraged the conquered people to rise up against Napoleon. In the years
following the French Revolution, nationalism led to upheaval in Europe and elsewhere.
REVOLUTION
YEAR(S)
WHAT HAPPENED
Latin America
Late 1700searly1800s
Greece
1821
Poland
1830
Belgium
1831
Italy
1848
Nationalists worked to unify Italy into one nation
Germany
1848
Nationalists worked to create a unified German
state after the Congress of Vienna established a
weak Confederation of German States.
Feelings of dissatisfaction led to a number of
independence movements against European
control throughout Latin America.
Nationalists revolted against the Ottoman empire,
Britain, France, and Russia.
Nationalists in Poland revolted in 1830 but were
crushed by the Russian army.
Nationalists in Belgium won independence from
the Dutch in 1831.
BONDS THAT CREATE A NATION-STATE
NATIONALITY A BELIEF IN A COMMON ETHNIC ANCESTRY
LANGUAGE
DIFFERENT ETHNIC DIALECTS OF ONE LANGUAGE, ONE
DIALECT CHOSEN AS THE NATIONAL LANGUAGE
CULTURE
A SHARED WAY OF LIFE (FOOD, DRESS, BEHAVIOR, IDEALS, ETC)
HISTORY
A COMMON PAST, COMMON EXPERIENCES
RELIGION
A RELIGION SHARED BY ALL OR MOST OF THE PEOPLE
TERRITORY
A CERTAIN TERRITORY THAT BELONGS TO THE ETHNIC
GROUP, ITS “LAND”
1) What are some key features of nationalism? (Include at least 4)
Part II: Nationalism as a Unifying Force: Italy and Germany
Nationalism during the 1800s fueled efforts to build nation-states. Nationalists were not loyal
to kings, but to their people---to those who shared common bonds. Nationalists believed that people
of a single nationality, or ancestry, should unite under a single government. People would then
identify with their government and create a united nation state.
Italian Unification
Ever since the Roman Empire had fallen in the 400s, Italy had
been divided into many small states. After Napoleon invaded
Italy, he united some of the Italian states into the Kingdom of Italy.
The Congress of Vienna, however, re-divided Italy and put much of it under Spanish or Austrian
control. Between the years 1815 and 1848, increasing numbers of Italians were no longer content to
live under foreign rulers. Amid the growing discontent, three leaders emerged, each having different
goals, but each contributing to the unification of Italy.
Giuseppe
Mazzini
Count
Camillo di
Cavour
Giuseppe
Garibaldi
Mazzini was a nationalist leader who formed the secret society
Young Italy in 1831. He also helped to establish a short-lived
revolutionary republic in Rome. His writings and speeches
provided inspiration to the nationalist movement. Eventually, he
was driven out of Italy by the former rulers of the Italian states,
and spent much of his life in exile.
After the Revolutions of 1848, nationalists looked to the Kingdom
of Sardinia for leadership. The kingdom had adopted a liberal
constitution in 1848. Unification under Sardinia seemed to be a
reasonable alternative to Mazzini’s democratic idealism. Camillo
di Cavour was the Prime Minister of Sardinia. He worked through
diplomacy and alliances with France and Prussia to achieve
eventual Italian unification. He was able to drive out Austria from
the northern part of Italy which allowed Sardinia to control the
northern zone. As Cavour was uniting the north, he began to
consider controlling the southern region. Through support of
nationalist forces in the South, Cavour was able to unite the
southern states with the northern states.
Garibaldi was a nationalist and an ally of Mazzini who lived in
Southern Italy. He recruited 100 red-shirted volunteers to help him
unite Italy through war. With weapons and boats provided by
Cavour, Garibaldi and his “Red Shirts” won control of Sicily and
Naples. Although Garibaldi could have set up his own republic in
the south, he made the patriotic choice and turned over Naples and
Sicily to Cavour to create a (mostly) unified Italy.
2) Identify two ways that each of the individuals listed above helped to unite Italy.
Giuseppe Mazzini
Count Camillo di Cavour
Giuseppe Garibaldi
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Problems with Italian Unification
Despite unification, Italy suffered from many unsolved problems:

Fierce rivalry between the industrialized North and the rural South

Catholic Church resisted new government (they had controlled their Papal States before
unification)

Unstable government/vague policies

Severe economic problems

Peasant unrest/revolts in the South

Strikes & riots in the Northern cities.
3) What positive and negative effects did unification have on the Italian people?
Positive Effects
Negative Effects

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German Unification
Like Italy, Germany (Prussia) also experienced unification. At the Congress of Vienna, 39
German states had formed a loose grouping known as the German Confederation. The two largest
states—Prussia and Austria-Hungary—dominated the confederation. Prussia enjoyed many
advantages that would eventually allow it to become a powerful unified state:
 Prussia’s population was primarily German
 Prussia had a powerful army
 Prussia was more industrialized
On the other hand, Austria-Hungary was faced many challenges/problems in achieving unification:
 Austria-Hungary had many different ethnic groups
 Austria-Hungary lacked prosperity (no industry)
4) Why would Prussia have a better chance at unification over Austria-Hungary?
Otto von Bismarck
Prussia led the German unification. One individual who had a major influence on the German
unification was Otto Von Bismarck. Bismarck used “realpolitik” (he basically bullied his way) to
achieve unification his way.
 He would rule without Parliament’s consent
 He would settle problems with unification by using “Blood and Iron”--- not
diplomacy (negotiations)
 Bismarck had NO faith in speeches and representative government
 Only way to unite the German states was through war
 Led Prussia into three wars, each leading Prussia closer to unification.
 Created an alliance with Austria to “liberate” the provinces of Schleswig and
Holstein from Denmark
 Austro-Prussian War ---Prussia turned on Austria to gain more territory
 Franco-Prussian War---Sparked war with France to acquire southern German states
In 1871, the German states united under the Prussian King Wilhelm I. Wilhelm called himself the
Kaiser, a name which means emperor. By 1871, Germany was one of the most powerful states in
Europe---both militarily and economically. The balance of power in Europe now favored Germany
and Great Britain. This would set the stage for some great conflicts known as the World Wars.
5) What role did Prussia and Otto Von Bismarck play in the unification of Germany?
Part III: Nationalism as a Dividing Force
Nationalism can be viewed as a dividing force as well. Consider a region that has many different
ethnic groups living within a single country. It is safe to say that not all peoples of various ethnicities
are going to get along or be willing to follow the same government styles or customs. As citizens
grew more patriotic about their nations and/or ethnic background, they increasingly became
intolerant of those living within that were viewed as outsiders. Consider the following examples:
Eastern
Europe
As nationalism grew in Eastern Europe and in
Russia, many ethnic groups such as the Jews
were forced to leave territories in search of a
homeland. This anti-Semitism (hatred towards
Jews) divided the lands that were attempting to
unify. The Jews joined together and through
nationalism, built a movement known as
Zionism, or the devotion to building a Jewish
state in Palestine (present day Israel).
6) In what ways is anti-Semitism an example of nationalism as a dividing force?
Turkey
In the 1800s, the multi-national
Ottoman Empire faced many
challenges from various ethnic
groups within the empire. The
Young Turks were a liberal group
who wanted to strengthen the
Ottoman empire and end western
threats of control. They ended
traditional Ottoman tolerance of
diverse cultures and religions. The
Turks unleashed a massacre on the
Armenian people that resulted in the
death of over 1 million Armenians. This event became known as the Armenian
Massacre. It is the 1st case where an ethnic group was sought out to be killed because
of their ethnic background. This mass killing of an ethnic group is known as
genocide. These actions by the Turks divided the Ottoman Empire and eventually
led to its downfall.
7) How did nationalism lead to the downfall of the Ottoman Empire?
The
Balkans
Nationalism was a source of
conflict in the Balkan peninsula
of southeastern Europe. Many
different ethnic groups rebelled
against foreign rule and
established their own countries.
Nations of Europe viewed the
Ottoman Empire as the “sick
man of Europe.” They hoped to
gain lands from the Ottomans.
With this in mind, many
European nations entered into
alliances with one another in order to take lands away from the Ottoman Empire.
Many ethnic tensions broke out in the Balkans as a result of the European powers
trying to establish influence in the region. This area was now severely divided by
ethnic tensions. Each group wanted to lay claim to its own homeland and not have
to live under the rule of a foreign, oppressive government. As a result of this growth
in ethnic tensions, the Balkans region became known as the “powder keg of Europe.”
8) Analyze the connection between the Balkans being the “powder keg of Europe” and
nationalism as a dividing force.
9) In your opinion, is nationalism more of a unifying force, or more of a dividing force? Explain
your response.