The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, historic figures, concepts, and artworks related to the rise of nationalism in Europe from the French Revolution through the early 19th century.

Frédéric Sorrieu

A French artist who in 1848 prepared a series of four prints visualising his dream of a world made up of 'democratic and social Republics'.

Absolutist

Literally, a government or system of rule that has no restraints on the power exercised, historically referring to a form of monarchical government that was centralised, militarised, and repressive.

Utopian

A vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.

Ernst Renan

A French philosopher (1823-92) who delivered a lecture at the University of Sorbonne in 1882 entitled 'Qu'est-ce qu'une nation?' to outline what constitutes a nation.

Plebiscite

A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.

Modern State

A system in which a centralised power exercises sovereign control over a clearly defined territory, developing over a long period of time in Europe.

Nation-State

A state in which the majority of its citizens, and not only its rulers, develop a sense of common identity and shared history or descent.

La patrie

A French concept meaning 'the fatherland', which emphasised the notion of a united community.

Le citoyen

A French concept meaning 'the citizen', which emphasised equal rights under a constitution.

National Assembly

The renamed body of active French citizens originally known as the Estates General during the French Revolution.

Jacobin Clubs

Clubs set up by students and members of educated middle classes across European cities, whose activities prepared the way for French armies moving into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Italy in the 1790s.

Andreas Rebmann

A German journalist and member of a German Jacobin group in Mainz who designed the cover of a German almanac in 1798 with the slogan 'The people must seize their own freedom!'

Civil Code of 1804

Usually known as the Napoleonic Code, it did away with birth privileges, established equality before the law, secured property rights, simplified administrative divisions, and abolished the feudal system.

Karl Kaspar Fritz

A German painter who created a colour print depicting the French occupation of Zweibrücken, portraying French soldiers sarcastically as oppressors rather than liberators.

Battle of Leipzig

An 1813 battle lost by Napoleon, after which he was depicted as a postman losing all territories represented by letters dropping from his bag.