Nationalism in
Europe
Stirring of Nationalism
• The Congress of Vienna played a
major role in shaping much of the
growing nationalism in Europe in
the 1800’s.
• Decisions of the C.O.V. created
political boundaries that ignored
national and ethnic groups, and
included them in large empires.
• Culture, History, Religion,
K. Von Metternich
Language, and Territory are all
Elements of Nationalism.
Italian Unification
• Due to the decisions
made at the Congress of
Vienna (1815)…
-Northern Italy > Austrian
Rule.
-Savoy Region> French
-Papal States > Cath. Church
-South > Kingdom of the 2
Sicilies (House of Bourbon;
Spain).
Mazzini & Young Italy
• As many Italians became more
and more interested in celebrating
Italy’s cultural traditions, many
became began to push for a
unified Italy.
• Giuseppe Mazzini (1831), a
popular writer, starts the
nationalist group- Young Italy.
• Mazzini believed that Europe
needed to redraw the political
lines of the C.O.V.
• Following Mazzini’s nationalism
movement, Camillo di Cavour and
Giuseppe Garibaldi rose to lead
successful movements to unify Italy.
• Cavour founded a nationalist
newspaper known as IL
Risorgimento (Rebirth; Resurgence),
which actually became the motto for
Italian freedom and unification.
• After becoming the Prime Minister
of Sardinia, he persuaded France to
help push the Austrian Empire out of
N. Italy.
Garibaldi & The Redshirts
•
•
•
•
Cavour- “The Brains”
Mazzini- “The Heart”
Garibaldi- “The Sword”
Giuseppe Garibaldi was asked by Cavour to lead the
Sardinian army against Austria in 1859.
• After a few months of fighting, Austria gave up
Lombardy, while only holding on to one last Italian
state- Venetia.
• Within a year, Garibaldi and his Redshirts had
conquered the Two Sicilies.
Gangs of Risorgimento
Unification
• Garibaldi offered the Two Sicilies
to King Victor Emmanuel of
Sardinia.
• By 1861, territories throughout
Italy held elections and agreed to
unify.
• 1866, Austro-Prussian War=
Gaining Venetia
• 1870, Franco-Prussian War=
Gaining Papal States
• Thanks, Prussia! #YouDa’RealMVP
Challenges After Unification
• Even though Italy was officially
united politically by 1871, the
country faced a number of issues.
• Poverty, unemployment, high
taxes, and the new country was
also well behind in regards to
industrialization.
• Catholic Church did not recognize
Italy as a legitimate nation, and
kept followers from voting in
elections- because the new
government ended Church rule.
Reforms
• Voting reform was a major issue for
the young country, and shifted
away from the wealthy minority to
mainly tax-paying males.
• The government also passed
reforms within the realm of
industrialization, limiting work
hours and prohibiting child labor.
• Transportation and water systems
were built to encourage industry
and improve cities.
Foreign Policy
• In 1882, Italy formed a military alliance with
Austria-Hungary and Germany.
• 3 nations agreed to defend one another from any
possible attack.
• Alliances like this, would serve as some of the
causes for WWI.
• Italy also tried to become
an empire like their Euro
neighbors, but failed in Africa
(Ethiopia) in 1896.
German Unification
German Unification
• Like Italy, Germany would not be
a unified nation until the 1870’s.
• Napoleon had organized the 39
separate states into a
confederation, that the Congress
of Vienna would officially
rename the German
Confederation.
• With a common language and
culture amongst the states, the
Confederation was poised for
unification.
Revolutions
• 1848, also known as the
“Year of Revolution;
Spring of Nations”, was
filled with uprisings that
sought to overthrow the
old feudal structures,
and to create
independent,
democratic countries.
• Over 50 countries were
effected.
• German liberals began to revolt
in Prussia that same year, calling
for increased democracy and to
promote individual rights.
• Pressure from the people forced
king Frederick Wilhelm IV to
promise change and a new
constitution.
• By the end of the year, Wilhelm
had failed to keep his word,
going as far as to ban
democratic publications and
organizations.
Economically Unified
• Taking steps toward a unified
Germany, started with Zollverein
in 1834.
• This was an economic alliance
amongst the German states, that
included the removal of taxes
and tariffs on goods traded
between them.
• Within a decade, almost all
German states were a part of the
system.
A Plan for Germany
• In 1862, Wilhelm I
appointed Otto Von
Bismarck to be his Prime
Minister.
• Bismarck believed it was
Prussia’s destiny to unite the
German people.
• Bismarck was a
conservative, and practiced
Realpolitik (practical over
idealistic & moral).
• One of Bismarck’s main goals for
Prussia was to increase the
power of the military.
• He also believed that “Iron and
Blood” was what truly united
people, not politics.
• At one point, OVB had awarded
Austria land in northern Prussia
(Holstein) after a battle with
Denmark, but knew Austria was
the only country standing in his
way.
Austro-Prussian War
• To provoke Austria into conflict, OVB placed
Prussian troops in Holstein, which caused Austria
to declare war on Prussia.
• The War would last 2 months, and resulted in
Austria losing twice as many men as Prussia.
• Prussia’s well-equipped and highly skilled militia
not only won the War, but convinced all but 3
southern German states to unify with Prussia.
• North German Confederation is created.
Franco-Prussian War
• With Bismarck lacking 3 southern
states to entirely unify Germany, he
knew another war could possibly
pull them in to the North German
Confederation.
• He also knew that France was the
only European power left that
posed a threat to Prussia.
• Disputed territory of Alsace &
Lorraine along the French border,
ignited the nationalism of the
southern states- causing them to
join the war.
• After 9 months of fighting, OVB and Prussia had
defeated the French, claimed Alsace Lorraine, and
Germany was unified.
• Germany becomes an official ‘Empire’, and
Wilhelm I is proclaimed ‘Kaiser’, naming OVB his
first Chancellor.
Second Reich
• Following the Franco-Prussian
War, Germany prospered as an
Empire. This time period became
known as the 2nd Reich.
• Germans considered the Holy
Roman Empire to be the First.
• Now with 25 separate states,
Germany installed a Federalist
style of government, meaning
that power was shared between
the state and national
government.
Government & Church
• Bismarck also felt that
the church served as a
possible threat against
the Empire.
• He believed that the
government, not the
church, should control all
aspects of culture- such
as education.
• Kulturkampf “struggle
for culture”
• 8 year, failed political
strategy for OVB.
Economy & Future
• The new empire thrived economically, seeing steel and
coal production sky rocket as high as 10x their
previous highs.
• Germany built railroads to connect the states.
• OVB did not want to expand the Empire’s borders any
further. So, instead of entering into more wars, he
formed treaties with countries like Italy, Russia, and
Austria-Hungary against countries like France.
• In 1888, Wilhelm I’s grandson became kaiser (Wilhelm
II), and fired OVB after the 2 had a disagreement.
• OVB is still credited for unifying Germany, and building
the country into a military machine.
Russia
Russia in the 1800’s
• In the 1800’s, Russia was a major
power in Europe.
• Helped defeat Napoleon, and
played a part in reorganizing Europe
after his defeat.
• Large empire that stretched from
central Europe to the far eastern
part of Asia.
• In order to rule such a vast expanse
of land, Russian Monarchs (Czars)
did so with absolute power.
• Russian leaders believed in
Autocracy.
Russian Society
• Russia, unlike many other countries
in Europe, was not industrialized,
but still an agricultural country.
• Peasants, known as serfs, made up
most of the Russian population,
and were subject to Lords, who
owned the land that serfs worked.
• Serfs could not leave the land in
which they were born, and could
not own the land where they
worked.
• Reforms for serfs were often
considered, but never seemed a
priority in the government.
Reform & Repression
• Just as in other parts of
Europe, revolutionary ideas
began to spread in Russia.
• Secret societies began to
form and fight against the
Czar’s rule.
• In 1825, the Decembrists
rebelled against the
government, when they
refused to declare their
allegiance to Czar Nicholas I.
• Even though their force was 3,000 strong, the
Czar crushed the rebellion- executing and exiling
the members of the revolution.
• The Decembrists had failed, but started a
movement that would grow in the coming years.
Alexander II
• Alexander took the throne after Russia
had lost the Crimean War to France,
G.B. and the Ottomans.
• Recognizing that Russia was well
behind other European countries, the
new Czar put forward reforms to help
Russia industrially, technologically, and
militarily.
• In 1861, he put forward reforms to end
serfdom, changed the judicial system to
allow some self-rule within the empire,
and reorganized the army and navy.
• Despite the reforms, and being more
liberal than his predecessors, Alexander
was assassinated by a political group
known as “The People’s Will” (1881).
Alexander III
• After his father’s assassination,
the new Czar ruled as a
reactionary.
• He ended the reforms of his
father.
• Used his power to put down
revolutionary threats by going
after individuals and groups who
plotted against the government.
• Under his rule, there was also
another kind of civil unrest, in the
form of Pogroms, against the
Jewish population in Russia.
War & Revolution
• Nicholas II, would rule much
like his father Alexander III
did, as an autocrat.
• Under Nicholas,
industrialization boomed,
which lead to the building of
the Trans-Siberian Railroad in
the 1890’s.
• As the Russian Empire began
to stretch East, Russia came
in contact with the growing
Japanese Empire.
Russo-Japanese War
• The disputes over using modern
day Korea as the Russian warm
water port to the Pacific,
eventually led to the first major
war of the 20th century (19041905).
• To the world’s surprise, Russia
lost the battle to a developing
Japan.
• The defeat caused many within
the Russian Empire to call for
change.
Marxism
• One of the dominant groups
calling for change, was the
Marxists, or those who followed
the communists theories of Karl
Marx.
• Followers wanted a Socialist
Republic, which is society in which
there is no private property and
the state could collectively own
and distribute goods.
• By 1902, Vladimir Lenin was
leading the group to overthrow
the Czar.
Revolution of 1905
• On January 22, 1905, Father Gapon, a
Russian priest, planned to bring a
petition before the Czar at the Winter
Palace, that included a list of
demands.
• As the protestors neared the palace,
they were gunned down by troops.
• Students, workers, and peasants all
began to revolt throughout the
country, as a result of Bloody Sunday.
• Eventually, as many as 2 million
workers went on strike.
Bloody Sunday
The October Manifesto
• In order to calm the country,
Nicholas II issued the October
Manifesto, which promised reform
and a more democratic
government.
• It included more rights, such as
freedom of speech, the right to
assembly, and guaranteed many
Russians the right to vote.
• It also created the Duma, which
was an elected assembly of
representatives who would approve
all laws.
• In 1906, when the first Duma
met, Nicholas II was still unwilling
to give up his absolute power,
and closed down the meetings
after the Duma presented too
many demands for change.
• Though he would make more
reforms in the future, the people
still lacked a government that
fully supported a democracy.
• It wouldn’t be until 1917 that the
Russian people would get the
reform and change they wanted.