The Rise of Nationalism in Europe

How nationalism grew in Europe: the French Revolution and Napoleon, liberalism, the Vienna settlement, 1848, and the unification of Germany and Italy.

Key ideas

The French Revolution of 1789 was the first clear expression of nationalism, with ideas of la patrie and le citoyen, a tricolour flag and uniform laws.
Napoleon’s Civil Code ended privileges based on birth and set equality before the law, but taxes, censorship and conscription turned conquered peoples against French rule.
Liberals wanted individual freedom, equality before the law, government by consent and a free economy; the zollverein removed customs barriers among German states.
The Congress of Vienna, hosted by Metternich, tried to undo the changes of the Napoleonic wars and restore monarchies.
In 1848 middle classes demanded constitutions and national unity; the Frankfurt parliament met but failed.
Prussia, led by Bismarck, unified Germany after three wars, and William I was proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles.
Italy was unified through Cavour’s diplomacy and Garibaldi’s Red Shirts, with Victor Emmanuel II as king.
Artists showed nations as female allegories: Marianne for France and Germania for Germany.

Remember

French Revolution	1789
Napoleonic Code	1804
Congress of Vienna	1815
Zollverein	1834
Italy united; German Empire proclaimed	1861; 1871
Plebiscite	a direct vote of all the people of a region on a proposal

Watch out

Swapping 1861 (Italy) and 1871 (Germany).
Thinking the Vienna settlement spread revolutionary ideas: it restored the old monarchies.
Mixing up Mazzini (Young Italy), Cavour (diplomacy) and Garibaldi (the Red Shirts).

Worked example

An elle was 54.7 cm in Frankfurt and 55.1 cm in Mainz. How much more or less cloth, in cm, does a buyer get for 19 elles in Frankfurt than in Mainz?

Working: 19 × (54.7 − 55.1)

Answer: 7.6 cm less