RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE
CLASS X NCERT
Fig.
1 — The Dream of Worldwide Democratic and Social Republics – The Pact Between
Nations, a print prepared by Frédéric Sorrieu, 1848.
In 1848, Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared a
series of four prints visualising his dream of a world made up of ‘democratic
and social Republics’, as he called them.
The first print (Fig. 1) of the series, shows the peoples 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.
As you would recall, artists of the time of the French
Revolution personified Liberty as a female figure – here you can recognise the
torch of Enlightenment she bears in one hand and the Charter of the Rights of
Man in the other.
On the earth in the foreground of the image lie the
shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist institutions.
In Sorrieu’s utopian vision, the peoples of the world are
grouped as distinct nations, identified through their flags and national
costume.
Leading the procession, way past the statue of Liberty , are
the United States and Switzerland, which by this time were already
nation-states.
France, identifiable by the revolutionary tricolour, has
just reached the statue.
She is followed by the peoples of Germany, bearing the
black, red and gold flag.
Interestingly, at the time when Sorrieu created this image,
the German peoples did not yet exist as a united nation – the flag they carry
is an expression of liberal hopes in 1848 to unify the numerous German-speaking
principalities into a nation-state under a democratic constitution.
Following the German peoples are the peoples of Austria, the
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and
Russia.
From the heavens above, Christ, saints and angels gaze upon
the scene.
They have been used by the artist to symbolise fraternity
among the nations of the world.
New
words
Absolutist – Literally, a government or system of rule that
has no restraints on the power exercised. In history, the term refers to a form
of monarchical government that was centralised, militarised and repressive
Utopian – A vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to
actually exist
ACTIVITY
In what way do you think this print (Fig. 1) depicts a
utopian vision?
This chapter will deal with many of the issues visualised by
Sorrieu in Fig. 1.
During the nineteenth century, nationalism emerged as a
force which brought about sweeping changes in the political and mental world of
Europe.
The end result of these changes was the emergence of the
nation-state in place of the multi-national dynastic empires of Europe.
The concept and practices of a modern state, in which a
centralised power exercised sovereign control over a clearly defined territory,
had been developing over a long period of time in Europe.
But a nation-state was one in which the majority of its
citizens, and not only its rulers, came to develop a sense of common identity
and shared history or descent.
This commonness did not exist from time immemorial; it was
forged through struggles, through the actions of leaders and the common people.
This chapter will look at the diverse processes through
which nation-states and nationalism came into being in nineteenth-century
Europe.
SOURCE
A
Ernst Renan, ‘What is a Nation?’ In a lecture delivered at
the University of Sorbonne in 1882, the French philosopher Ernst Renan
(1823-92) outlined his understanding of what makes a nation. The lecture was subsequently published as a famous essay
entitled ‘Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?’ (‘What is a Nation?’). In this essay Renan
criticises the notion suggested by others that a nation is formed by a common
language, race, religion, or territory: ‘A nation is the culmination of a long
past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory,
that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea. To have common
glories in the past, to have a common will in the present, to have performed
great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these are the essential
conditions of being a people. A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity …
Its existence is a daily plebiscite … A province is its inhabitants; if anyone
has the right to be consulted, it is the inhabitant. A nation never has any
real interest in annexing or holding on to a country against its will. The
existence of nations is a good thing, a necessity even. Their existence is a
guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if the world had only one law and
only one master. ’
New
words
Plebiscite – A direct vote by which all the people of a
region are asked to accept or reject a proposal
DISCUSS
Summarise the attributes of a nation, as Renan understands
them. Why, in his view, are nations important?
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