The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Short Questions
1. Who prepared the series of four prints visualising democratic and social republics in 1848?
Answer: Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared them.
2. What did the shattered symbols on the ground in Sorrieu’s print represent?
Answer: They represented the destruction of absolutist institutions.
3. Which ideas did the French Revolution introduce to create a sense of collective identity?
Answer: Ideas of la patrie (fatherland) and le citoyen (citizen).
4. What replaced the former royal standard as the new French flag?
Answer: The tricolour flag.
5. Which legal code introduced equality before law and abolished privileges based on birth?
Answer: The Napoleonic Code of 1804.
6. What was the Zollverein?
Answer: A customs union formed in 1834 under Prussia to abolish tariff barriers in German states.
7. Who described Mazzini as “the most dangerous enemy of our social order”?
Answer: Austrian Chancellor Metternich.
8. Which country gained independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1832?
Answer: Greece.
9. What cultural movement helped express nationalist feelings through art and poetry?
Answer: Romanticism.
10. Which two brothers collected and published German folktales to promote national spirit?
Answer: Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.
11. In which year did the Silesian weavers revolt against contractors?
Answer: In June 1845.
12. Where did the Frankfurt Parliament convene in 1848?
Answer: In the Church of St Paul, Frankfurt.
13. Who was the chief architect of German unification?
Answer: Otto von Bismarck, Prussia’s chief minister.
14. Which Italian leader led the “Expedition of the Thousand” in 1860?
Answer: Giuseppe Garibaldi.
15. What female figure became the allegory of the German nation?
Answer: Germania.
Long Questions
1. Explain Ernst Renan’s view of what makes a nation.
Answer: Renan argued that a nation is not formed by language, race or religion but by shared history, common glories, sacrifices and a daily will to live together. He saw nations as a large-scale solidarity and a guarantee of liberty.
2. Describe the main changes introduced by the French Revolution to create a sense of collective identity.
Answer: The Revolution transferred sovereignty to citizens, introduced la patrie and le citoyen, adopted a tricolour flag, uniform laws, abolished internal duties and discouraged regional dialects to make French a common language.
3. How did Napoleon combine revolutionary principles with monarchy in the territories he ruled?
Answer: Napoleon destroyed democracy in France but exported reforms like the Napoleonic Code, abolition of feudalism, uniform weights and measures, and improved transport and communication in conquered regions.
4. Why was the Zollverein considered a step towards German unification?
Answer: It abolished tariff barriers among German states, reduced currencies, and created a unified economic territory, which stimulated mobility and strengthened nationalist sentiment.
5. Describe the role of Giuseppe Mazzini in spreading nationalism.
Answer: Mazzini founded Young Italy and Young Europe, believed God intended nations to be natural units, and worked tirelessly for a democratic and unified Italy, inspiring secret societies across Europe.
6. What role did Romanticism play in developing nationalist sentiment?
Answer: Romantic writers and artists focused on emotions and folk culture instead of reason, using folk songs, dances and traditions to create a sense of shared heritage as the basis of a nation.
7. How did language act as a tool of resistance in Poland?
Answer: After Russian occupation, Polish was removed from schools and Russian imposed, but clergy used Polish in church and religious instruction, making language a symbol of national struggle.
8. Explain the main features of the 1848 Revolution of the Liberals in the German regions.
Answer: Middle-class professionals and artisans formed the Frankfurt Parliament, drafted a constitution for a unified Germany under a constitutional monarchy, but faced opposition from aristocracy and lost workers’ support, leading to its collapse.
9. Describe the process of German unification under Bismarck.
Answer: Prussia, led by Bismarck, used its army and bureaucracy to wage three wars against Denmark, Austria and France (1864–1871). Victories enabled unification and proclamation of the German Empire under Kaiser William I at Versailles.
10. Outline the process of Italian unification.
Answer: Sardinia-Piedmont under Victor Emmanuel II and his minister Cavour led diplomatic and military efforts; Garibaldi’s volunteers seized southern Italy; by 1861 Italy was unified under the king though large sections remained unaware of nationalist ideology.
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