19th century revs, nationalism

Q: What is nationalism?

A: A belief that people who share a common culture, language, and history should have their own nation-state.

Q: What sparked many 19th-century revolutions?

A: Enlightenment ideas, the French and American Revolutions, economic hardship, nationalism, and opposition to conservative monarchies (like those promoted at the Congress of Vienna).

Q: What caused Latin American revolutions?

A: Enlightenment ideas, Creole resentment of Spanish/Portuguese control, influence of the French & American Revolutions, Napoleonic Wars.

Q: Who was Simón Bolívar?

A: A key leader in the independence movements of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

Q: Who was José de San Martín?

A: Helped liberate Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.

Q: What was Gran Colombia?

A: A short-lived union of several northern South American nations led by Bolívar.

Q: What happened in Haiti (1791–1804)?

A: A successful slave revolt led by Toussaint Louverture resulted in the first Black republic.

Q: What was the Revolution of 1830 in France?

A: The overthrow of King Charles X and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy under Louis-Philippe.

Q: What happened in the Revolutions of 1848?

A: A wave of liberal and nationalist uprisings across Europe aiming for constitutional reform, national unification, and workers’ rights — most were unsuccessful.

Q: Why did the 1848 Revolutions fail?

A: Disunity among revolutionaries, lack of support from the working class, and strong conservative repression.

: What happened in Germany (1848)?

A: A national assembly in Frankfurt tried to unify Germany, but failed when Prussia’s king refused the crown.

Q: What did Austria experience in 1848?

A: Uprisings in Vienna and Hungary; eventually crushed by military force (including help from Russia).

Q: Who was Giuseppe Mazzini?

A: An early nationalist who founded Young Italy, promoting a united Italian republic.

Q: Who was Count Cavour?

A: Prime Minister of Piedmont-Sardinia, who used diplomacy and war to unify northern Italy.

Q: Who was Giuseppe Garibaldi?

A: A nationalist military leader who led the Red Shirts to unify southern Italy.

: When was Italy unified?

A: 1861, with Victor Emmanuel II as king. Final unification (Rome & Venice) by 1870.

Q: Who led German unification?

A: Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Prussia.

Q: What was Bismarck’s strategy?

A: "Blood and Iron" — using military force and strategic wars (vs. Denmark, Austria, France).

Q: What was the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71)?

A: A war between France and Prussia that rallied German states and led to final unification.

Q: When was Germany unified?

A: 1871, after victory over France; Wilhelm I became Kaiser of the German Empire in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles.

Q: What were the positive effects of nationalism?

A: Unified countries (Germany, Italy), promoted shared identity, ended foreign rule in Latin America.

Q: What were the negative effects of nationalism?

A: Sparked ethnic conflicts, increased militarism, and sometimes led to authoritarian regimes.

Q: How did nationalism challenge empires?

A: Multi-ethnic empires like Austria-Hungary and the Ottoman Empire struggled to maintain control as ethnic groups demanded independence.