WS-1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
WS-1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
WS-1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Please note: Do NOT repeat the questions if you have already done them before.
Q3. After the French Revolution (1789) the right to vote was given to
(a) all adult population of the country.
(b) all property-owning male citizens of the country.
(c) all property-owning males and women of the country.
(d) all adults excluding women of the country.
Q4 “When France sneezes, the rest of Europe catches cold”. Who among the following said
this?
(a) Guiseppe Mazzini
(b) Metternich
(c) Otto Von Bismarck
(d) Guiseppe Garibaldi
Q5. Which country began to use language as a weapon of national resistance?
(a) Prussia
(b) Poland
(c) Hungary
(d) Austria
Q6. The meaning of ‘volksgeist’:
(a) Common people
(b) True spirit of the nation
(c) Music
(d) Common states
Q2. Ideas of national unity in early nineteenth-century Europe were closely allied to the
ideology of liberalism. What did it mean for the middle class in France?
Answer:
For the new middle-class, liberalism stood for freedom for the individuals and equality of all
before the law.
Politically, it emphasised the concept of government by consent.
It stood for the end of autocracy and clerical privileges of the church, a constitution and
representative government through parliament.
Long answer-type questions (5 marks)
Ans. Q1. What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective
identity among the French people?
Answer:
From the very beginning, the French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices
that could create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasized the notion of a
united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal standard.
The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National
Assembly.
New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name of
the nation.
A centralised administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for all
citizens within its territory.
Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and
measures was adopted.
Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in Paris,
became the common language of the nation.
Q2. What changes did Napoleon introduce to make the administrative system more efficient
in the territories ruled by him?
Answer:
The following changes were introduced by Napoleon to make the administrative system more
efficient in the territories ruled by him:
Civil Code of 1804 or the Napoleonic Code was issued. It abolished all privileges based
on birth. It established equality before the law and secured the right to property.
Napoleon simplified administrative divisions in the Dutch Republic, in Switzerland, in Italy
and Germany.
The feudal system was abolished and peasants were freed from serfdom and manorial
dues.
Guild restrictions were removed in towns.
Improvements were made in the transport and communication systems.
Uniform laws, standardized weights, and measures, and a common national currency
was introduced. It facilitated the movement and exchange of goods and capital from one
region to another.
In view of the above reforms, it is stated that through a return to monarchy, Napoleon
had, no doubt, 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.
Q4. Describe the role of Romanticism in developing nationalist feelings among Europeans
in the nineteenth century.
OR
How did nationalism develop through culture in Europe? Explain
Answer:
The feeling of nationalism did not come only due to territorial expansion and war. Culture played a
major role in developing a sense of nationalism in Europe. The following examples state the fact:
a) Romanticism was a cultural movement that sought to develop a particular form of
nationalist sentiment. Art, poetry, stories and music helped express and shape nationalist
feelings.
b) Romantic artists did not support the glorification of science and reason, but rather focussed
on mystical feelings, intuitions and emotions.
c) German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder claimed that true German culture was to be
discovered among the common people (das volk) in their folktales, folk poetry and folk
songs.
d) Vernacular languages and folklores were also used to strengthen the national spirit. This
was the case of Poland that was divided by the Great Powers. Yet Karol Kurpinski
celebrated the national struggle through opera and music.
e) Allegory of Germania and Marianne also developed nationalist feelings among citizens.
Q5. How did the Greek war of Independence mobilise nationalist feelings among the
educated elite across Europe? Explain.
Answer:
a) Greece had been a part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15 th century.
b) The growth of revolutionary nationalism in Europe led to the struggle for independence
among the Greeks from the Ottoman Empire.
c) Greece got support from Greeks living in exile and west Europeans who had sympathies for
ancient Greek culture.
d) Poets and artists lauded Greece as the cradle of European civilisation and mobilised public
opinion to support its fight against the Ottoman Empire.
e) The Treaty of Constantinople of 1832 recognised Greece as an independent nation.