Chapter 1 The Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Class 10 History
06 May , 20223 by:- Yogendra Sir
Write in Brief
1. Write a Note on:
a) Giuseppe Mazzini
b) Count Camilo de Cavour
c) The Greek War of Independence
d) The Frankfurt Parliament
e) The role of women in nationalist struggles
A) Giuseppe Mazzini
a) Giuseppe Mazzini: Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary. He was born in Genoa in 1807.
He was a member of the secret society of the Carbonari. At the age of 24, he was sent into exile in
1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He founded underground societies named „Young Italy‟
in Marseilles and „Young Europe‟ in Berne, whose members were like-minded young men from
Poland, France, Italy and the German States. He believed that God had intended nations to be the
natural units of mankind. So, Italy had to be forged into a single unified republic within a wider
alliance of nations.
B) Count Camilo de Cavour
b) Count Camilo de Cavour: Cavour was chief minister of Sardinia-Piedmont state who led the
movement to unify the regions of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many
other wealthy and educated members of the Italian elite, he spoke French much better than he did
Italian. He engineered a careful diplomatic alliance with France, which helped Sardinia-Piedmont
defeat the Austrian forces in 1859, and thereby free the northern part of Italy from the Austrian
Habsburgs.
C) The Greek War of Independence
c) The Greek War of Independence: Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century.
The struggle for independence amongst the Greeks began in 1821. Nationalists in Greece got support
from other Greeks living in exile and also from many Western Europeans sharing sympathies for
ancient Greek culture. Poets and artists lauded Greece as the cradle of European civilisation and
mobilised public opinion to support its struggle against a Muslim empire. Finally, the Treaty of
Constantinople of 1832 recognised Greece as an independent nation.
d) The Frankfurt Parliament
d) The Frankfurt Parliament: It was an all-German National Assembly formed by a large number of
political associations whose members were middle-class professionals, businessmen and prosperous
artisans. Its first meeting was convened on 18 May 1848 in the Church of St. Paul at Frankfurt. They
drafted a constitution for the German nation to be headed by a monarchy subject to a parliament. The
Yogendra Sir | 1
, king of Prussia rejected the crown offered by the deputies of parliament and joined other monarchs to
oppose the elected assembly. As it was dominated by the middle classes who resisted the demands of
workers and artisans and consequently lost their support. In the end, troops were called in and the
assembly was forced to disband.
E) The role of women in nationalist struggles
e) The role of women in nationalist struggles: The issue of extending political rights to women was a
controversial one within the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women had participated
actively over the years. Women had formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and
taken part in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this, they were denied suffrage during
the election of the Assembly. When the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St. Paul,
women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors‟ gallery.
2. What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the
French people?
Answer
The French revolutionaries took many important steps to create a sense of collective identity among
the French people which were:
→ Ideas of la Patrie (the fatherland) and le Citoyen (the citizen) emphasising the notion of a united
community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
→ A new French flag, a tricolour replaced the royal standard.
→ The Estates General was renamed the National Assembly and was elected by a group of active
citizens.
→ New hymns, oaths and martyrs commemorated in the name of the nation.
→ A central administrative system made uniform laws for the entire nation.
→ Discouraging regional dialects and promoting French as a common language of the nation.
3. Who were Marianne and Germania? What was the importance of the way in which they were
portrayed?
Answer
Marianne and Germania were female allegories for the French and the German nation respectively.
These female allegories were used to portray ideas such as Liberty, Justice and the Republic. These
allegories remind the public of the national symbol of unity and to persuade them to identify with it.
4. Briefly trace the process of German unification.
Answer
In 1848, the middle class Germans tried to unite the different regions of the German confederation
into a nation-state governed by an elected parliament. But they were repressed by the combined
forces of the monarchy and the military, supported by the large landowners of Prussia. After this,
Prussia soon became the leader of German unification movement. Its Chief Minister Otto von
Bismarck was the architect of the process with support from Prussian army and Prussian
Yogendra Sir | 2
Class 10 History
06 May , 20223 by:- Yogendra Sir
Write in Brief
1. Write a Note on:
a) Giuseppe Mazzini
b) Count Camilo de Cavour
c) The Greek War of Independence
d) The Frankfurt Parliament
e) The role of women in nationalist struggles
A) Giuseppe Mazzini
a) Giuseppe Mazzini: Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary. He was born in Genoa in 1807.
He was a member of the secret society of the Carbonari. At the age of 24, he was sent into exile in
1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He founded underground societies named „Young Italy‟
in Marseilles and „Young Europe‟ in Berne, whose members were like-minded young men from
Poland, France, Italy and the German States. He believed that God had intended nations to be the
natural units of mankind. So, Italy had to be forged into a single unified republic within a wider
alliance of nations.
B) Count Camilo de Cavour
b) Count Camilo de Cavour: Cavour was chief minister of Sardinia-Piedmont state who led the
movement to unify the regions of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many
other wealthy and educated members of the Italian elite, he spoke French much better than he did
Italian. He engineered a careful diplomatic alliance with France, which helped Sardinia-Piedmont
defeat the Austrian forces in 1859, and thereby free the northern part of Italy from the Austrian
Habsburgs.
C) The Greek War of Independence
c) The Greek War of Independence: Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century.
The struggle for independence amongst the Greeks began in 1821. Nationalists in Greece got support
from other Greeks living in exile and also from many Western Europeans sharing sympathies for
ancient Greek culture. Poets and artists lauded Greece as the cradle of European civilisation and
mobilised public opinion to support its struggle against a Muslim empire. Finally, the Treaty of
Constantinople of 1832 recognised Greece as an independent nation.
d) The Frankfurt Parliament
d) The Frankfurt Parliament: It was an all-German National Assembly formed by a large number of
political associations whose members were middle-class professionals, businessmen and prosperous
artisans. Its first meeting was convened on 18 May 1848 in the Church of St. Paul at Frankfurt. They
drafted a constitution for the German nation to be headed by a monarchy subject to a parliament. The
Yogendra Sir | 1
, king of Prussia rejected the crown offered by the deputies of parliament and joined other monarchs to
oppose the elected assembly. As it was dominated by the middle classes who resisted the demands of
workers and artisans and consequently lost their support. In the end, troops were called in and the
assembly was forced to disband.
E) The role of women in nationalist struggles
e) The role of women in nationalist struggles: The issue of extending political rights to women was a
controversial one within the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women had participated
actively over the years. Women had formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and
taken part in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this, they were denied suffrage during
the election of the Assembly. When the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St. Paul,
women were admitted only as observers to stand in the visitors‟ gallery.
2. What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the
French people?
Answer
The French revolutionaries took many important steps to create a sense of collective identity among
the French people which were:
→ Ideas of la Patrie (the fatherland) and le Citoyen (the citizen) emphasising the notion of a united
community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
→ A new French flag, a tricolour replaced the royal standard.
→ The Estates General was renamed the National Assembly and was elected by a group of active
citizens.
→ New hymns, oaths and martyrs commemorated in the name of the nation.
→ A central administrative system made uniform laws for the entire nation.
→ Discouraging regional dialects and promoting French as a common language of the nation.
3. Who were Marianne and Germania? What was the importance of the way in which they were
portrayed?
Answer
Marianne and Germania were female allegories for the French and the German nation respectively.
These female allegories were used to portray ideas such as Liberty, Justice and the Republic. These
allegories remind the public of the national symbol of unity and to persuade them to identify with it.
4. Briefly trace the process of German unification.
Answer
In 1848, the middle class Germans tried to unite the different regions of the German confederation
into a nation-state governed by an elected parliament. But they were repressed by the combined
forces of the monarchy and the military, supported by the large landowners of Prussia. After this,
Prussia soon became the leader of German unification movement. Its Chief Minister Otto von
Bismarck was the architect of the process with support from Prussian army and Prussian
Yogendra Sir | 2
