Factors that Shape Nationalism
First Nations and Metis Nationalism
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In 1968, Pierre Trudeau wanted to create a fair and equal Canada, so he
proposed “The White Paper” policy to help create a “Just Society”
The White Paper Proposal would essentially mark the end of all treaty
rights, reserves, and resource rights from Aboriginal people.
Aboriginal people would have the same rights and status as the rest of
Canadians.
The Aboriginal community was outraged at the proposal, many First
Nations leaders viewed the White Paper Proposal as a method for the
government to get out of treaty obligations and to force assimilation on
the Aboriginal people
Factors that Shape Nationalism
First Nations and Metis Nationalism
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The book “The Unjust Society” by Harold
Cardinal became a bestseller and inspired heated
debates and the “Red Paper Proposal”
Cardinal argues that taking away First Nations
rights would be taking away from their National
Identity
It reflected on the growing political strengths and
desires for self-determination and selfgovernance of all Aboriginal people
The Book inspired a new determination to
promote FNMI national identities
Factors that Shape Nationalism
Inuit Perspectives on Nationalism
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The political experience of the Inuit people of Canada is different from the
rest of the First Nations people.
The Inuit never signed Federal Treaties and were free to follow their
traditional ways of life well into the 20th century
However, by the 1930’s the animal populations in the North were
diminishing and the Federal Government was forced to relocate many
Inuit people to central communities
This created many social problems for the Inuit as they attempted to
adapt their traditional ways of life to a modern situation
The desire for self-government was one way the Inuit thought they could
fix many of their social problems.
1999, The Nunavut Land Claim was settled and the new Canadian
territory of Nunavut was established for the Inuit as a form of selfgovernance.
Factors that Shape Nationalism
Quebecois Nationalism
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1759 – The French lose the Battle of the Plains of Abraham
1763 – Britain assumes control over France’s North American colonies
Since then, the Francophone community has struggled to maintain its’
language and culture with the increasing arrival of English settlers.
The French, even today, struggle with their national identity in an English
dominant society.
Shaping Nationalism
Chapter 2 – Understanding Nationalism
“To What Extent Should We
Embrace Nationalism”
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Many historians believe that the French Revolution marked the birth of
European Nationalism
The French attempted and successfully accomplished a complete change
in the way their society worked
They beheaded their monarch and many of the nobility because they
enjoyed luxuries and wealth, while the poor starved and went without the
basics
Revolutionaries changed France from an absolute monarchy to a republic
Peoples general loyalties shifted from a focus on the King to a focus on
the nation
The French Revolution showed that Nationalism can be affected by
external factors including historical, social, economic, geographical, and
political factors that often overlap and feed one another.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Historical Factors – From
Revolution to Republic
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Louis XVI ruled France with absolute power
over the people
He would often punish, imprison, or even
execute those who spoke out against him
The Bastille was a fortress prison that was a
symbol of Louis’ power and authority over the
people
On July 14, 1789, 600 angry Frenchmen
stormed and captured the Bastille marking the
start of the French Revolution and the inevitable
end of Absolutism in France.
The capture of the Bastille, inspired people of all
classes to take action against the king
Even today, the Storming of the Bastille” is
ingrained in the French Collective Identity. It
is a symbol that reminds people that even
ordinary citizens can effect change.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Social Factors
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Figure 2-6 This cartoon was created in
1789, the year the French Revolution
began. It shows a commoner carrying an
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Social factors refer to the relationships among
people in a given society
In some societies, people’s roles are decided
before they are born, as it was in PreRevolutionary France
If you were born a peasant, worker, or a
commoner, you would remain a commoner
for your whole life. If you were born into
nobility, you enjoyed wealth and privilege.
The king and the aristocrats, including high
ranking officials in the Catholic Church held
the majority of the power in France.
The King made and enforced laws, and cared
little for the common people
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Social Factors
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The aristocrats (nobility), collected taxes from the commoners, yet paid
very little themselves. This allowed the ruling elite to grow extremely
wealthy.
If a commoner lived and worked on the land owned by one of the ruling
elite, they were required to work for free, and often pay rent to the land
owners.
In 1789, 96% of the population of France was considered a commoner.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Social Factors – Changes in Ideas
about Society
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During the 1700’s, France was one of the cultural centers of the world
People of a variety of classes (social groups) met in cafes and in salons
(places where people would meet and discuss important matters of
society)
During the meetings, they would discuss matters such as, the day’s
events and the meaning of those events in the light of a changing set of
ideas about individual rights and freedoms
They discuss the monarch and the treatment of the common people by
the nobility, clergy, and royalty
They resented not having a say in their government, unlike Britain who
had an elected parliament and a monarch (who held little authoritative
power).
They watched and discussed the American Revolution in 1783, where the
British colonies rebelled and declared independence from Britain.
They regularly discussed what was wrong with society and tried to think
of ways that society could be improved.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Social Factors – Speaking Out
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Freedom of speech was not guaranteed in PreRevolutionary France.
The royal police regularly threw people in prison
for speaking out against the nobility and the king.
To speak out against the king, was to speak out
against the nation.
Despite this, people still published their opinions
in books, pamphlets, and newspapers (the times
mass media)
Voltaire once wrote: In general, the art of
government consists in taking as much money as
possible from one class of citizens to give to
another.”
“Man is free at the moment he wishes to be.” Is this
true?
Voltaire
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Social Factors – A Growing Middle
Class
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The common people of France included
a growing middle class called the
Bourgeoisie.
The Bourgeoisie included factory
owners, doctors, lawyers, writers,
philosophers, and other highly skilled
workers like clockmakers and artists.
Not only was the class growing, but
they were developing the ability to grow
wealthy using their skills.
As they became wealthier, they
invested in education, and welcomed
ideas of equality and freedom.
They also became more aware that
they were being forced to pay the
majority of the taxes which enabled the
aristocrats to live in opulent luxury.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Economic Factors
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During the 1700’s the French
Monarchy was constantly at war with
other nations.
These wars were very costly for
France, and combined with extreme
spending habits of the Kings, France
was nearly bankrupt by the 1780’s and
in a serious economic crisis.
To combat this, Louis XVI decided that
he would raise the taxes of everyone in
France, including the nobility and
aristocrats. They denied him his
taxation.
Out of desperation, Louis XVI called the
Estates General in 1789 (a parliament
type group made up of representatives
from the different classes in France)
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Economic Factors – The Estates
General
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The Estates General was comprised of representatives from the 3
different social classes in France.
First Estate – The Clergy (high ranking members of the Church)
Second Estate – Aristocrats and Nobility
Third Estate – Commoners and Peasants
The 3 estates would meet and vote on issues separately, the votes would
then be combined and a majority vote would decide the outcomes. This
meant that the first 2 estates could always outvote the third estate.
On June 20th 1789, the third estate demanded that votes count by
representation, the king denied the demand and locked them out of the
meeting.
They met at a Tennis Court and swore an Oath that they would remain
there until they had established a constitution, and called themselves the
National Assembly
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Geographic Factors
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In the summer of 1789, the King was worried about paying for his
luxurious lifestyle, the bourgeoisie were after more power, the clergy was
worried about losing land and privilege, the commoners were worried
about the weather.
As a result of a culmination of bad winters, poor crops, floods, and
droughts, there was barely enough grain supply to feed the nation.
This resulted in a huge increase in the price of bread, a necessary staple
food for the commoners, and they could not afford to purchase it.
Figure 2-8 On October 5, 1789, many Parisian
women walked 25 kilometers to Versailles and
arrived there early in the evening. They carried
whatever weapons they could find and dragged
along a cannon. What caption would you write
for this picture?
Factors that Shape Nationalism
Geographic Factors – Bread
Revolutions
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As the price of bread rises, it was not uncommon for the peasants and
laborers to spend up to 90% of their wages on a single loaf of bread.
There were several riots over the price of bread in the past (1768, 1770,
1775), and as a result a good supply of affordable bread was necessary
to maintain public order in France.
The general public believed that those who governed were responsible
for maintaining the bread supply.
On October 5, 1789, a crowd of women marched on the Palace at
Versailles and demanded that Louis XVI return to Paris with them and
supply them with the much needed food supply that they felt was his
responsibility. He agreed and by the time they returned to Paris, the
crowd totaled close to 60,000 people.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Political Factors
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Many French people did not feel any sort
of National Identity
Members of the Third Estate were
frustrated by their lack of political power
The Third Estate began to thing of the
King, the clergy, and the aristocrats as
“them”
By late 1789, the newly formed National
Assembly created a document entitled
“The Declaration of the Rights of Man
and of the Citizen” which removed the
traditional power of the king, clergy and
the aristocrats, and it stated that the role
of government is to preserve the rights of
its people.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
External Threats to French
Nationalism
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After the revolution in France, many other European leaders feared that
the ideas of the French Revolution would spread to their own countries.
In an attempt to prevent those ideas from taking root in their countries,
many nations raised armies and invaded France in an attempt to restore
Louis XVI to the throne and to power in France.
However, France’s revolutionary army prevailed and prevented the
reinstatement of Louis XVI to power.
This external threat led to the eventual execution of Louis XVI to finally
end the attempts to restore the monarchy in France.
This execution did not have the desired effect on the French population,
who were shocked and horrified that the revolutionary leaders would do
this.
As a result, the French people began to speak out against the
Revolutionary leaders.
Factors that Shape
Nationalism
Politics of Fear and Terror
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To crack down on the public outcry against the revolutionary leaders, they
began what would become known as “The Reign of Terror”
“The Reign of Terror” lasted for 11 months, during which time 200,000
people were arrested for various crimes, and 17,000 people were
executed. One of the first executions was Marie Antoinette.
Some were arrested for speaking in favor of the king, others for speaking
out against the revolution
Olympe de Gouges, a female activist, was executed because she spoke
out against the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. She
viewed it as an injustice to exclude women from it. She then wrote “The
Declaration of the Rights of Women and of the Female Citizen”. This
was enough to warrant an execution.