CLASS 10 THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE

CLASS 10 THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE Ch 1

Chapter 1: Extra Questions-answers

Long Answer Type Questions. [5 Marks]

1. Mention any two economic obstacles that the liberal nationalists wanted to over­come. In what way did the Zollverein customs union of 1834 try to overcome these shortcomings?

Ans. During the early nineteenth century, Europe was closely allied to the ideology of liberalism. In reference to the economy, liberalism denotes freedom of the market, fewer restrictions by the state on the movement of goods and capitals. To get rid of these economic problems was the main demand of the newly emerged middle class.

Existence of countless small principalities, different currencies, number of customs barriers created obstacles to economic exchange and growth for the new commercial classes. To sort out that problem Prussia including most of the German states formed a customs union or Zollverein in 1834.

The Zollverein abolished tariff barriers, reduced number of currencies from 30 to 2, created a network of railways for fast and heavy mobility.

2. Explain any four provisions of Napoleon’s Civil Code of 1804.

OR

State any three provisions of the Civil Code of 1804.

OR

“Napoleon had destroyed democracy in France but in the administrative field he had in­corporated revolutionary principles in order to make the whole system more rational and efficient.” Analyse the statement with arguments.

Ans. Napoleon incorporated revolutionary principles in the administrative field to make the whole system more rational and effective. His Civil Code of 1804 was known as Napoleonic Code.

(i) First, he did away with all the privileges based on birth. Everyone became equal before the law. He abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.

(ii) He secured the right to property.

(iii) Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen found new-found freedom as guild restrictions were removed in towns also.

(iv) Uniform laws, standardised weights and measures, a common national currency facilitated the movement and exchange of goods and capital from one region to another.

3. When did the first clear-cut expression of nationalism come in France? How did the French Revolution lead to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens? Explain any three measures taken by the French revolutionaries in this regard.

OR

“The first clear expression of nationalism came with the ‘French Revolution’ in 1789.” Explain the statement.

Ans. The first clear-cut expression of nationalism came to France with the French Revolution of 1789.

The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices which proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth constitute the nation and shape its destiny.

(i) The ideas of la Patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution. A French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the royal standard.

(ii) The Estates-General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed National Assembly.

(iii) A centralised administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for all its citizens.

4. Describe four stages of the unification of Germany.

OR

Describe the process of unification of Germany.

Ans. (i) Nationalist feelings were widespread among middle-class Germans, who in 1848, tried to unite the different regions of the German confederation into a nation-state.

(ii) From then on, Prussia took on the leadership of the movement for national unification. It’s a chief minister (Chancellor) Otto von Bismarck, the architect of this process, carried it out, with the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy.

(iii) Three wars were fought over a span of seven years against Austria, Denmark and France, which ended in Prussian victory and completed the process of unification. (iv) On 18 January 1871, the new German empire headed by Kaiser Wilhelm (William) of Prussia was proclaimed.

5. “Till the mid-eighteenth century there were no nation-states in Europe.” Support the state­ment with four examples.

Ans. During the mid-eighteenth century, there were no nation-states in Europe. Germany, Italy and Switzerland were ruled by different rulers with autonomous territories. Autocratic monarchies were there in the eastern and central part of Europe. These areas were occupied by different peoples. They did not see themselves as sharing a collective identity or common culture. They spoke different languages and belonged to different ethnic groups, like the area of Austria –Hungary included the Alpine region the Tyrol. Sudetenland and Bohemia were dominated by German-speaking people. It also included the province of Lombardy and Venetia which had Italian speak people. In Hungary, half of the population spoke Magyar and the other half of the population spoke different dialects. In the part of Galicia, the aristocratic class spoke Polish.

Besides these three dominant groups, a mass of subject peasant people like –Romans to the east in Transylvania, Bohemians and Slovaks to the north, Slovenes in Carniola and the Croats to the south lived within the boundary. The only tie binding those different groups together was a common allegiance to the emperor.

 6. Why was Balkans after 1871 the most serious source of nationalist tension in Europe? Explain giving four reasons.

OR

What is meant by Balkan? Why did it turn into a perennial source of tension and proved the battlefield for First World War?

OR

Describe the explosive conditions that prevailed in Balkans after 1871 in Europe.

Ans. (i) The Balkan region comprised modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro, and its inhabitants were broadly called Slavs.

(ii) With a large area of Balkan region under the Ottoman Empire, the spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans together with the breaking up of the Ottoman Empire made the situation even more serious.

(iii) The Ottoman Empire had not been able to become strong even after reforms and modern methods after an effort of nearly 91 years. Gradually, most of the European subject nationalities broke away from the Ottoman Empire’s control to declare themselves independent.

(iv) The claim for independence and political rights by the Balkan people was based on nationality. They gave examples of history to prove that they had once been independent but had subsequently been subjugated by foreign powers.

(v) Thus, the rebellious nationalities in the Balkans thought of their struggles as attempts to win back their long lost independence.

(vi) Soon various Slavic nationalities were struggling to define their identity and independence making Balkans region one having intense conflict.

(vii) The internal rivalries and jealousies made the Balkan states distrust and fear each other.

(viii) As the Balkans had become a site for big power fights, the situation became even more serious. The fights were among the European powers who fought for trade and colonies and for naval and military powers.

7. How has French artist, Frederic Sorrieu, visualised in his first print, of the series of four prints, his dream of a world made up of ‘democratic and social republics’? Explain.

OR

Describe Frederic Sorrieu’s utopian vision of the world as depicted in his painting in 1848.

Ans. The French artist, Frederic Sorrieu prepared a series of four prints visualising his dream of the world made up of ‘democratic and social republics’.

His First Print showed people of Europe and America – men and women of all ages and social classes – marching in a long train, and offering homage to the Statue of Liberty as they pass by it. Liberty is of course personified as a woman, bearing the torch of Enlightenment in one hand and the charter of the Rights of Man in the other. On the earth, in the foreground of the image, lay the shattered remains of the symbols of Absolute institutions. Leading the procession, way past the Statue of Liberty, are the United States and Switzerland which were at that time already nation-states. In the print of Sorrieu; people of the world are grouped together as distinct nations, identified through their flags and national costume. France, distinguished by its tricolour flag, has just reached the statue, and she is followed by Germany with their black and gold flag. (Germany was not yet united, but in 1848, when this painting was made, it expressed the hopes of the nation.) Peoples of Austria, kingdoms of two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia follow in that order. From the heavens, Christ, saints and angels gaze upon the scene. They have been used to symbolise the fraternity among the nations of the world.

8. What was the main objective of the Treaty of Vienna of 1815? Mention any three important features of the treaty.

OR

Examine any four changes brought about by the Treaty of Vienna of 1815.

OR

Who hosted ‘Vienna Congress’ in 1815? Analyse the main changes brought by the ‘Vi­enna Treaty’.

Ans. The Vienna Congress was hosted by Austrian Chancellor Duke Metternich. The main objective of the treaty of Vienna was to nullify all the changes that had come into existence during Napoleonic wars. The Bourbon dynasty was restored to power which had been deposed during the French Revolution. To prevent the expansion of France in future, a number of states were set up on the boundaries of France. The kingdom of Netherland including Belgium was set up in the north and Genoa including Piedmont was established in the south. Prussia was given important new territories on the western frontier, while Austria was given control of northern Italy. The German confederation of 39 states which was set up by Napoleon was left untouched. Prussia was given to Russia. The main intention behind that set up was to restore the monarchies that had been overthrown by Napoleon and create a new conservative order in Europe.

9. Describe any four features of the landed aristocracy class of the European continent.

Ans. The European continent was dominated by the landed aristocratic class socially as well as politically. This landed aristocratic class was united by a common way of life that cut across regional divisions. They had their own estates and farmhouses in the countryside. They spoke the French language. The families of the landed aristocratic class got married within their own class. The occupation of majority population was agriculture. Europe was divided into two major parts on the basis of occupation. The western part was served by tenants and small owners of land or small landlords. While in eastern and central Europe the pattern of landholding was characterised by the vast estate which was cultivated by serfs.

10. Describe various measures introduced by revolutionaries to unite the French.

OR

Analyse the measures and practices introduced by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.

Ans. The French revolutionaries introduced various measures to create a sense of collective identity.

• The idea of la Patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the idea of the united community enjoying equal rights under a Constitution.

(ii) A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the old royal standard.

(iii) The Estates-General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.

(iv) New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated in the name of the nation.

(v) Internal custom duties were abolished and a uniform system of weights and measures was adopted.

11. How was the formation of the nation-state the result of a long-drawn-out process in Britain? Explain. OR

Describe the process of unification of Britain.

Ans. In Britain, the formation of the nation-state was not the result of a sudden upheaval or revolution. It was the result of a long-drawn-out process.

There was no British nation prior to the eighteenth century. All the ethnic groups had their own cultural and political traditions. But as the English nation steadily grew in wealth, importance and power, it extended influence over other nations of the island.

The English parliament, which had seized power from the monarchy in 1688 at the end of a protracted conflict, was the instrument through which a nation-state, with England at its centre, came to be forged. The Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland that resulted in the formation of the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ meant, in effect, that England was able to impose its influence on Scotland. The British parliament was henceforth dominated by its English members. The growth of a British identity meant that Scotland’s distinctive culture and political institutions were systematically suppressed.

Ireland suffered a similar fate. It was a country deeply divided between Catholics and Protestants. The English helped the Protestants of Ireland to establish their dominance over a largely Catholic country. Catholic revolts against British dominance were suppressed. After a failed revolt led by Wolfe Tone in 1798, Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the U.K. in 1801.

12. How was Italy unified? Explain.

OR

Describe the process of unification of Italy.

Ans. The failure of revolutionary uprisings both in 1831 and 1848 meant that the mantle now fell on Sardinia-Piedmont under its ruler King Victor Emmanuel II to unify the Italian states through war. Chief Minister Cavour who led the movement to unify the regions of Italy was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. By a tactful diplomatic alliance with France engineered by Cavour, Sardinia-Piedmont succeeded in defeating the Austrian forces in 1859. Regular troops and a large number of armed volunteers under the leadership of Garibaldi joined the fray. In 1860, they marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and succeeded in winning the support of the local peasants in order to drive out the Spanish rulers. In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of United Italy. In 1867, Garibaldi led an army of volunteers to Rome to fight the Papal States where a French garrison was stationed. The Red Shirts were defeated. It was only in 1870 when the Papal States were united into Italy.

13. Examine the steps taken by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity among the French people. Which values propelled these measures?

Ans. These measures included :

(i) ideas of la Patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasising the enjoyment of equal rights under a constitution.

(ii) a new French flag (a tricolour), and a new National Assembly elected by active citizens.

(iii) New hymns, oaths and martyrs commemorated in the name of the nation.

(iv) Centralised administrative system and a uniform system of weights, measures and abolition of internal customs.

(v) Discouraging regional dialects and promoting French as a common language.

The values were: patriotism, equality, liberty and fraternity. To give concrete shape to these values, the revolutionaries sought to create a sense of collective identity among the citizens.

 14. Who was Marianne? Describe her attributes.

Ans. The female figure of a nation or allegory of France was called Marianne. It was a popular Christian name, which underlined the idea of a people’s nation. Her characteristics were drawn from those of liberty and the Republic – the red cap, the tricolour and the cockade. Statues of Marianne were erected in public places, squares to remind the public of the national symbol of unity and to persuade them to identify with it. Marianne images were marked on coins and stamps.