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
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
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