Nationalism In The 19th Century

At the turn of the 19th century, the definition of man’s inherent rights was developing at a pace never before encountered in history; monarchies began dying, and political movements toward democracy emerged in their places. As various ethnic and political groups found their voices, the convoluted arrangement of European nations during this time period would also be highlighted (as properly organized countries would be free of consistent civil unrest). Nationalism—a term most simply defined by the shared intensity of cultural and political identifications among individuals—was at the center of this fervent swell of activism, and as the boundaries and compositions of European nations transformed amid numerous revolutions, wars and political
movements, nationalistic ideals in the 19th century would leave behind the fulfillment of democratic and social reforms in lieu of cultural egos that resonated within many pockets of a newly organized Europe.
In order to achieve a thorough understanding of the maturation of nationalism over the 19th century, it is important to begin by establishing the conditions of a nation’s foundation and its proceeding development. First and foremost, it shall be assumed that nations naturally organize themselves based on cultural similarities for the sake of efficiency—that is, members of the same ethnicity form a state out of the benefit to their standard of living and not out of love for their neighbors. A nation of like-minded individuals accompanied by a like-minded government will be less likely to endure internal dissension; therefore, once a country has established a reasonably uniform constituency, the state will experience an expansion in both economic and political realms.
Following the identification of a state’s inception, it is important to further outline the history of the nation’s constituents while also accounting for present factors such as industrial capability, social equality, artistic proliferation, and military strength. Such factors are necessary to constructing a stable foundation upon which we can evaluate the state of nationalism in complete terms.
Seeing as the French Revolution served as patient zero in a wave of political movements that would reverberate across Europe and set the foundations for a more efficient organization of the continent’s constituents, it also serves as an excellent starting point to analyze the rise of nationalism in the 19th century.
As French representatives deliberated on strategies to eliminate national debt at the Estates General in 1789, the lower class would eventually leave the conference in order to form the National Assembly and pursue equal citizenship as outlined in The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a document that includes language such as: “…the ignorance, disregard, or contempt for the rights of man are the sole causes of public misfortunes and the corruption of governments…”. Such a statement summarizes the importance of a uniform and equal citizenship in the development of a productive state; while the French people were united through heritage, the inequality of their social order hindered the country’s ability to advance as a cohesive body. Moreover, the fervor in which citizens embraced the fight for their civil liberties clarifies the nature of nationalism at the turn of the 19th century. As monarchies and churches lost control over their constituents, aspirations of equality served as the primary factor that united countrymen across
Europe.
Additional testimony to the nature of nationalism at this time stems from the Napoleonic Wars, where Napoleon Bonaparte was able to conquer one of the largest empires in history. During his campaigns, Napoleon maintained stability within the French population by promoting institutional education and scientific research while additionally introducing a civil code that brought structure and certain liberties to families. Such an analysis of France’s accomplishments under Napoleon serves as further testament to the ways in which intelligent social policies were able to affect national productivity while towing nationalistic forces in its wake.
Further elaborating on how cultural organization dictates the development of nationalistic forces, an outline of the warped organization of European nations at beginning of the 19th century is paramount. Following the Congress of Vienna, a conference held with the goal of establishing long-term peace in Europe after the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, many ethnic groups that had already been ravaged by Napoleon’s campaigns were divided between various nations. German individuals were split between the Austrian Empire, Prussia, and an assortment of independent states; Poles were placed under rule of the tsar of Russia; and Italian constituents resided in a combination of independent states and a portion of the Austrian Empire.
Such divisions paved the way for a series of unifications and the birth of new states in the mid-19th century, and with these foundations came new waves of nationalism.
Following a surge of food shortages, class disparities created by the industrial revolution, and a series of failed revolutions, many European ethnicities that previously resided in independent states found methods of unifying their cultures—two of the most significant being Italy and Germany. The newly unified and independent nations during this time period led to a heavy increase in artistic proliferation across cultures as literature, music, theater, and other creative works flourished. As a result, nationalism of the mid-19th century was most characterized by the pride certain ethnicities held in their shared
culture.
Finally, a look at Europe’s imperialist fever at the turn of the 20th century allows us to recognize the central nature of nationalism during this time period. The intensity in which a multitude of nations scrambled for control of various territories across the globe was symbolic of these nations’ prides in their ways of life as well as their militaristic power.
Ultimately, a summary of the development of Europe during the 19th century amalgamates to form an adequate definition of nationalism at the turn of the 20th century that is still applicable today. This elucidation includes pride in an individual’s civil liberties, culture heritage, and military might.