AP WH 5.2 Nationalism and Revolutions (1750-1900)
causes of revolution
rise of nationalism
nationalism: a sense of commonality among a people based on shared language, religion, social customs, and often a desire for territory
new development during this period
for most of human history, large states incorporated many diverse peoples within their borders
ex. Ottoman Empire, Mongol Empire
during this period, the notion that a people who shared a culture, history, and ethnicity should dwell in their own territory and rule themselves was becoming increasingly strong
some states attempted to use this growing nationalistic fervor to their advantage in order to foster a sense of unity among their people
did this by injecting nationalist themes into their schools, emphasizing public rituals that glorify the nation and its culture, and pushing people into military service
Russian leaders required the Russian language to be spoken throughout their territorial holdings in order to create a sense of unity among the various ethnicities under the authority of the state
however, that attempt at nationalistic unity through language backfired in places like Ukraine, Poland, and Finland
these places had their own languages that identified them as a people and the imposition of Russian only created a more powerful counter nationalism against Russian authority
political dissent
widespread discontent with monarchist and imperial rule
Atlantic revolutions took places in the context of a much more generalized rejection of authority across the world
the Safavid Empire tried to impose harsh new taxes and was met with rebellion from various militaristic nomadic groups on the edges of the empire
that resistance led to the weakening of the Safavid state
in the early 18th century, outside invaders officially put an end to the Safavid
Wahhabi movement with sought to reform the corrupted form of Islam endemic in the Ottoman Empire
that, combined with plenty of other problems contributed to the long decline of the Ottomans
new ways of thinking
the development of new ideologies and systems of government
Enlightenment thinkers conceived of a new kind of governmental structure
popular sovereignty: the power to govern was in the hands of the people
democracy: people have the right to vote and influence the policies of the government
popular sovereignty naturally argued that government should be characterized by democracy in order to have that power
liberalism: an economic and political ideology that emphasized the protection of civil rights, representative government, the protection of private property, and economic freedom
major Atlantic revolutions were inspired by democratic ideals
American Revolution
began in 1776
British had established 13 colonies in North America on the Atlantic coast
because Britain was so far removed from these colonies, they developed a culture, system of government, and economic framework without interference from Britain
after the 7 Years War, part of which was fought on the North American continent, Britain’s war debts were substantial
Britain wanted the colonies to help pay off their debts with the introduction of new taxes
because of the stiff imposition of new taxes, the curtailment of various freedoms that the colonists had previously enjoyed, and a widespread adoption of Enlightenment principles of government the American Revolution began
Enlightenment principles are on full display in the Declaration of Independence
overflowing with ideas of popular sovereignty, natural rights, and the social contract
with substantial help from France, the Americans won the war
the United States was born in 1783
the colonist’s victory was a big deal because it provided the template for other nations throughout the world for a successful overthrow of oppressive power and the establishment of a republic
French Revolution
began in 1789
as French soldiers returned home from warring in the American Revolution, many of them were inflamed with ideals of democracy and start looking at their own absolutist king with suspicion
when Louis the 16th attempted to tighten his control over France in order to pay his own war debts, the people of France rebelled, overthrew the government, and established a republic
Enlightenment principles undergirded the main document of this revolution, namely the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen
championed the ideas of natural rights and popular sovereignty
Haitian Revolution
began in 1791
Haiti was the colonial property of France and the most prosperous colony in the world
when the island’s majority enslaved black population heard about French revolutionaries calling for liberty and equality, they followed suit
under the leadership of Toussaint L’Ouverture, the enslaved Haitians revolted and eventually defeated the French
established the second republic in the Western Hemisphere after the United States and the first black government in this region
Latin American Revolutions
Spanish and Portuguese colonies throughout Central and South America were similarly influenced by Enlightenment ideas and began to resent the increasing control their imperial powers were exerting upon them
this resentment was especially present in the creole class
on the racial hierarchy in the Americas, creole were put in the second position below the peninsulares
creole class: those who were of European heritage but were born in the Americas
peninsulares class: Europeans who were born in Europe
creoles were unhappy about peninsulares getting most of the political power
in 1808, Napoleon’s invasion of Spain and deposition of the Portuguese monarch created an unstable political situation in the American colonies
created the occasion for the revolution in Latin America
creole military leaders like Simon Bolivar appealed to colonial subjects across racial lines with Enlightenment ideals which he summarized in his letter from Jamaica
that document, like other revolutionary documents, contained appeals to popular sovereignty and the right to self-rule among the various Spanish colonies
through a series of long and protracted wars, Latin American colonies won their independence one after another
many of them formed republican governments in its wake
other nationalist movements
while nationalism was a prime factor in the full-blown Atlantic revolutions, there were also many other nationalist movements that result not in revolution but calls for a higher degree of self-rule in some cases and national unification in other cases
propaganda movement in the Philippines
also a Spanish colony
imposed a similar racial hierarchy here as they did in their American colonies
the Spanish tightly controlled opportunities for education in this colony
many of the wealthier creoles and mestizos traveled to Europe for a university education
when they got there, Europe was awash in nationalist and Enlightenment ideas
some of those Filipino students absorbed those ideas and brought them home
started publishing those ideas and even though they weren’t calling for independence from Spain, the Spanish authorities sought to suppress the movement
as a result, a Philippine Revolution broke out at the end of the century
nationalism played a major role in the unification of Italy and Germany
before and during this period, both Italy and Germany were made up of dozens of fragmented states
under the influence of nationalism, military leaders from both nations inspired their respective populations to come together and unify each place under a single government
through a combination of diplomacy and deft military tactics, this nationalist fervor resulted in the unification of these fragmented regions