Rise of Nationalism in Europe – Key Vocabulary

40 vocabulary flashcards covering major personalities, events, ideas and symbols from the Class 10 History topic ‘The Rise of Nationalism in Europe’. Use them to master key terms for your exam.

Nationalism

A political ideology that stresses a common identity, culture and history, believing that a people should govern themselves within a sovereign nation-state.

Nation-state

A sovereign territory whose citizens share common bonds of language, culture and history, and are governed by a common government.

Frédéric Sorrieu

French artist whose 1848 print ‘The Dream of Worldwide Democratic and Social Republics’ visualised nations as people marching toward liberty.

La Patrie

French for ‘the fatherland’; symbolised the nation as a united, self-sacrificing community during the French Revolution.

Le Citoyen

French for ‘the citizen’; emphasised equal rights and duties of members of the French nation.

Tricolour

The blue-white-red French flag adopted during the Revolution to represent liberty, equality and fraternity.

Estates General

Pre-revolutionary French assembly of the clergy, nobility and commoners; its 1789 meeting sparked the National Assembly.

National Assembly (France)

Revolutionary body formed in 1789 by the Third Estate to draft a constitution and proclaim popular sovereignty.

Napoleonic Code (Civil Code of 1804)

French legal code that abolished privileges, guaranteed equality before law and secured the right to property across territories under Napoleon.

Political Liberalism

Belief in government by consent, constitutionalism, individual rights and equality before the law.

Economic Liberalism

Advocacy of free markets and minimal state interference in the economy; opposed guild restrictions and internal tariffs.

Conservatism (after 1815)

Political philosophy favouring monarchical authority, social hierarchy and restoration of pre-revolutionary order in Europe.

Zollverein

German customs union created in 1834 to abolish internal tariffs and promote economic unity among German states.

Congress/Treaty of Vienna (1815)

Meeting of European powers that redrew boundaries, restored Bourbon rule in France and established a conservative order after Napoleon.

Giuseppe Mazzini

Italian nationalist who founded ‘Young Italy’ and ‘Young Europe’; called nations natural units of mankind.

Young Italy

Secret society founded by Mazzini in 1831 aiming to create a unified Italian republic.

Young Europe

Network of revolutionary societies formed by Mazzini in 1834 to promote national movements across the continent.

Klemens von Metternich

Austrian Chancellor who championed conservatism and called Mazzini ‘the most dangerous enemy of our social order’.

Romanticism

Cultural movement that used art, poetry, music and folklore to stir nationalist feelings and glorify the past.

Das Volk

German term meaning ‘the people’; stressed by Herder to highlight the collective cultural soul of a nation.

Johann Gottfried Herder

German philosopher who argued that true nationhood grows from shared folk culture, language and traditions.

Lord Byron

English romantic poet who fought in the Greek War of Independence and became a symbol of liberal nationalism.

Greek War of Independence (1821–1832)

Successful revolt against Ottoman rule supported by European liberals; recognised by the Treaty of Constantinople.

Silesian Weavers’ Revolt (1845)

Uprising by German weavers against contractors over poverty wages; signalled widespread hardship before 1848.

Louis Philippe

‘Citizen King’ of France (1830-1848); overthrown during the 1848 revolution that proclaimed the Second Republic.

Frankfurt Parliament (All-German National Assembly)

1848 constituent assembly of elected German liberals meeting in St. Paul’s Church to draft a unified constitution.

Friedrich Wilhelm IV

Prussian king who refused the crown offered by the Frankfurt Parliament, leading to the collapse of liberal hopes.

Otto von Bismarck

Prussian chief minister who unified Germany through ‘blood and iron’- three wars with Denmark, Austria and France.

Realpolitik

Bismarck’s pragmatic politics focusing on power and practical objectives rather than ideology.

Victor Emmanuel II

King of Piedmont-Sardinia who became the first king of unified Italy in 1861.

Camillo di Cavour

Prime minister of Piedmont-Sardinia; used diplomacy and modernisation to drive Italian unification.

Giuseppe Garibaldi

Italian nationalist who led the Red Shirts in southern Italy, contributing to unification under Victor Emmanuel II.

Risorgimento

Italian term for the 19th-century movement to unite Italy into a single nation-state.

German Unification (1871)

Creation of the German Empire with King William I crowned Kaiser at Versailles after victory over France.

Union Jack

National flag of the United Kingdom combining symbols of England, Scotland and later Ireland.

Act of Union (1707)

Agreement that merged the English and Scottish parliaments, forming the United Kingdom of Great Britain.

Marianne

Female allegory personifying the French nation; depicted wearing a red cap, tricolour and carrying the cockade.

Germania

Female allegory representing the German nation; shown with a crown of oak leaves and the imperial sword.

Balkan Nationalism

Ethnic aspirations of South-East European peoples (Serbs, Bulgarians, Greeks etc.) that weakened the Ottoman Empire post-1871.

Imperialism

Policy of extending a country’s power by colonising or dominating other regions; often intertwined with nationalist rivalry.