The Rise of Nationalism in Europe – Key Vocabulary

These 50 vocabulary flashcards cover major terms, people, events and concepts presented in the lecture chapter “The Rise of Nationalism in Europe,” giving students concise definitions for efficient review.

Nationalism

A political and cultural ideology that seeks to create a strong sense of common identity among people and to secure self-government for this collective ‘nation’.

Nation-state

A modern state whose citizens share a common identity, history or descent and acknowledge a single central authority.

Absolutist

A form of monarchical government with no legal restraints on the ruler’s power; centralised, militarised and often repressive.

Utopian

Describes an idealised vision of society unlikely to exist in reality; used for imaginative social blueprints like Sorrieu’s prints of 1848.

Plebiscite

A direct vote by all people of a region on an important proposal, such as annexation or a new constitution.

La patrie

French for ‘the fatherland’; revolutionary term that emphasised the nation as a united community of citizens.

Le citoyen

French for ‘the citizen’; stressed equal rights and duties within the French revolutionary nation.

Tricolour (France)

The blue-white-red flag adopted in 1789 to replace the royal standard and symbolise revolutionary France.

Jacobin clubs

Political societies formed by educated middle-class supporters of the French Revolution across Europe in the 1790s.

Napoleonic Code (Civil Code of 1804)

Legal code introduced by Napoleon that abolished birth privileges, established equality before the law and protected property rights.

Serfdom

A feudal labour system binding peasants to work on landlords’ estates, especially prevalent in Eastern and Central Europe.

Guild

A medieval association of craftsmen that regulated quality, prices and entry to a trade; many were abolished by Napoleon.

Zollverein

The customs union formed in 1834 under Prussian leadership that abolished internal tariffs and unified currencies among German states.

Liberalism

Nineteenth-century ideology valuing individual freedom, equality before the law, representative government and free markets.

Suffrage

The right to vote in political elections; in the 1800s usually restricted to property-owning men.

Conservatism

A political philosophy favouring tradition and gradual change, seeking to preserve monarchy, church and social hierarchies.

Congress of Vienna (1815)

Meeting of European powers that redrew the map after Napoleon’s defeat and aimed to restore conservative order.

Duke Metternich

Austrian Chancellor who dominated the Congress of Vienna and championed conservative restoration in Europe.

Treaty of Vienna (1815)

Agreement that restored the Bourbons, rearranged European borders and sought to contain France.

Carbonari

Secret revolutionary society in Italy opposed to conservative rule; Giuseppe Mazzini was once a member.

Giuseppe Mazzini

Italian nationalist who founded Young Italy and Young Europe, advocating democratic republics and unification.

Young Italy

Secret society founded by Mazzini in 1831 to promote a united, republican Italy.

Young Europe

Network of revolutionary groups (1834) uniting young nationalists from Italy, Germany, Poland and France.

Romanticism

Nineteenth-century cultural movement emphasising emotion, folk culture and the past to inspire nationalist feeling.

Volksgeist

German for ‘spirit of the people’; concept that a nation’s true identity is found in its folk culture.

Johann Gottfried Herder

German philosopher who argued that authentic national culture resided in common people’s language and folklore.

Grimm Brothers

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, collectors of German folktales who saw folklore as a means of nation-building.

Polonaise

Traditional Polish dance turned into a nationalist symbol by composer Karol Kurpinski.

Mazurka

Lively Polish folk dance adopted as a patriotic emblem during Polish resistance to Russia.

Junkers

Large Prussian landowning aristocrats who backed monarchy and helped suppress liberal movements in 1848.

Frankfurt Parliament (1848)

Assembly of elected German representatives that drafted a liberal constitution but failed to unite Germany.

Otto von Bismarck

Prussian chief minister who unified Germany through diplomacy and ‘blood and iron’ wars (1864-71).

Kaiser William I

King of Prussia proclaimed German Emperor at Versailles in January 1871.

Sardinia-Piedmont

Italian kingdom that led political and military efforts to unify Italy under King Victor Emmanuel II.

Count Camillo de Cavour

Prime Minister of Sardinia-Piedmont whose diplomacy and alliances achieved northern Italian unification.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian revolutionary who led the Red Shirts in conquering southern Italy for unification in 1860.

Red Shirts

Volunteer troops under Garibaldi distinguished by their red attire; key to annexing the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

Victor Emmanuel II

King of Sardinia-Piedmont crowned first king of unified Italy in 1861.

Act of Union (1707)

Law uniting England and Scotland into the United Kingdom of Great Britain under one parliament.

Union Jack

National flag symbolising the union of England, Scotland and later Ireland within Britain.

Marianne

Female allegory of the French nation embodying Liberty and the Republic; depicted with red cap and tricolour.

Germania

Female personification of Germany shown with oak-leaf crown, sword and black-red-gold tricolour.

Allegory

Use of a symbolic figure or image to represent an abstract idea, e.g., nation or liberty.

Feminist

Advocate of women’s social, economic and political equality; grew alongside liberal movements.

Balkans

Southeastern European region of diverse Slavic peoples where intense nationalist rivalries erupted in the late 1800s.

Slavs

Ethno-linguistic group inhabiting much of Eastern Europe and the Balkans, including Serbs, Croats and Bulgarians.

Ottoman Empire

Turkish imperial power that controlled much of the Balkans until nationalist movements gained independence.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country’s power through colonial conquest and domination of foreign peoples.

First World War

Global conflict (1914-18) triggered partly by Balkan nationalist tensions and rival imperial alliances in Europe.