Why Is Nationalism Called The Age Of Isms

From 1800-1900, it was the period called the Age of Isms. An ism is a belief system or theory. During the Age of Isms, many belief systems were created and some were even feared or hated by other isms. Many theories were developed during the 19th century to address problems in society, including liberalism, nationalism, and conservatism, but nationalism was the most influential because of its political ideology. Some many questions were left unanswered that was believed reforms would answer, but the reforms were found to be “insufficient in answering the questions raised by industrialization and urbanization” (page 677). Innovative ideologies offered opposing answers, which led to new political movements that left governments terrified of
revolts (page 677). Nationalism is defined today as pride in one’s own country, but in the 19th century, that is not the same definition.
Nationalism in the 19th century was defined as a nation composed of people joined together by a bond in language, culture, custom, and history. Under this definition, the United States of America is not nationalist because of the wide array of different cultures within the country. The differences of customs in the regions, like the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest, are diverse from each other and would also cause the United States of America to not be considered nationalist. Nationalism impacted every single nation in the 19th century. It directly results in new nations as a result of the joining of nation states or the dividing of nations. For example, Germany, Italy, and Poland join parts of nation states to make a whole nation. In the contrary, Great Britain has problems with Ireland and Scotland, and Austria has problems with Hungary. This whole movement is about a single group of like ethnic groups pushing for freedom over the traditional social class system (page
677). Conservatism was created as a reactionary response to the other movements emerging at the time. This movement is all about not changing a thing and keeping the traditional ways. The conservatives wanted to keep traditional order, authority, religion, and other major traditions because they believed they “were essential foundations for any society” (page 645). “They favored monarchies over republics, tradition over revolution, and established religion over Enlightenment skepticism” (page 645). They saw it as their duty to repress revolutions, much like Austria and Prussia tried to do. When the French Revolution occurred, they gained followers and supporters because the Revolution proved them right. “Those who espoused conservatism rejected both the Enlightenment and the French Revolution” (page 645). Conservatism was associated with Romanticism which involved arts and Christian history.
Liberalism was an intellectual movement in the 19th century.
The people of Liberalism “defined themselves in opposition to conservatives on one end of the political spectrum and revolutionaries on the other” (page 680). It supported freedom of religion, movement, conscience, assembly, and the press. In ensured equality for every man before law and God. In person has an equal opportunities for success or failure. Even though Liberalism was not a political movement, followers still believed that a good government had a balance of power between branches, property restrictions for representative government, and representatives were educated and successful. They did not believe that every person should vote, only landowners to keep radical idea laws from passing. The supporters of Liberalism applauded the changes occurring from the Industrial Revolution and opposed the chaos and destruction occurring from the French Revolution (page 680). Although, this movement propelled and fueled the French Revolution. The ideas of freedom and equality was exactly what the revolutionists of the French Revolution were aiming for, but their ideas of how to achieve it was what caused the
violence.
Many theories were developed during the 19th century to address problems in society, including liberalism, nationalism, and conservatism, but nationalism was the most influential because of its political ideology. With so many isms occurring at the time, many of them collided into problems and revolts. The ideas of freedom and equality sparked the Revolutions of 1848 that sent each government into a state of fear for a reoccurring French Revolution. While many of the original isms are still used and practiced today, they have evolved and turned into a modern ideology to prevent such an upheaval as the revolutions at this time period.