7.1-7.3 AP Euro - Nationalism & Unification

Topic 7.2 - Nationalism (1815-1914)

The Nation-State is born

Nation-state - identifies and border of a nation or the borders of the culture and the state are the same

Rise of nationalism during time period (1815-1914)

Nationalism - Strong identification with one’s own culture and nation, bond is strengthened through history & shared language (nationalism=culture)

State - land where they live surrounded by borders, with government (state=borders)

Growth in nationalism encouraged people to desire their own state


Causes of growing nationalism 

1.Romantic idealism (Rise of romanticism) - writers talking about people's past = created emotional connection to reclaim the past, writers combined people as a people (connected society) 

Ex. Grimm Brothers folktales & fairy tales - stories of german people = made german ppl feel more german, Victor Hugo - Les Miserables - story of French coming together against tyranny & connected the french ppl 

2.Liberal Reform - Napoleon 3rd = international trade (boosted French economy), instituted universal male suffrage, creation of New Paris = made strong French nationalism 

3.Political Unification - Guseppe Mazzini = wanted to unite italian political nations into a single nation-state, Formed Young Italy = staged uprising in italy, Mazzini wasn’t successful but set a base for italian unification

4. Racialism - belief of one person is better than others. Positive side to racialism - Pan-Slavic movement = groups of slavic people that wanted their own country separate from the ottoman empire, russia supported movement (was a slavic nation) Negative side to racialism = Anti-semitism


The Rise of Anti-Semitism 

Anti-semitism = racialist beliefs against the jewish people, European Jewish people = long history of marginalization - during this time jewish equality laws were passed 

Dreyfus Affair (France) - Captain in the army, accused of treason in 1894 because allegedly leaked info to Germany, found guilty

Dreyfus Affair divided France - ppl believed he was accused cus he was Jewish, others thought cuz he was Jewish that he was suspicious and should be charged

Dreyfus pardoned for 10 years but news resulted in anti-semitism movement throughout Europe


Results of Dreyfus Affair

Eastern Europe - made Pogroms = Jewish ppl evicted from their homes and violently attacked without a reason

In response to anti-semitism = Zionism - Jewish nationalist movement 

Theodore Herzel (1895) German Jew - thought that Jewish ppl should have a land of their own, should be ancestral home in Palestine 




Nationalism & Neoconservatism 

Klemens Von Metternich - created Concert of Europe & conservatism reigned in Europe

Neoconservatism rulers - use nationalism to strengthen grip on states 

Ex. Napoleon 3 (mentioned previously with liberal reforms), Otto von Bismarck (Prussia) - took steps towards German unification

Nationalism created Austria-Hungary - austrians attempted to suppress hungarians = created a dual monarchy, to stabilize the state by changing concept of national unity 


Topic 7.3 - National Unification & Diplomatic Tensions (1815-1914)

The Crimean War 

Before the war Europe had 50 years of peace during Concert of Europe (in certain POV’s) 

War started over religious tension in Ottoman Empire = already declining power

Ottoman’s Sultan granted privileges to Roman Catholics (pressured by Napoleon 3), Russia wanted those same privileges to Orthodox Christians but didn’t get them cus of France 

France & Russia (even tho they were enemies) had desire of weakening the Ottoman Empire

Russia wanted Crimean Peninsula = warm water ports, wanted Austrias support but didn’t get it

Ottomans supported by Britain & France = Russia lost the war, caused separation of Concert of Europe = kept peace and balance of power

Britain & Russia withdrew from international affairs = Germany & Italy focused on unifying


Italian Unification

No successful unification of states, needed a strong ruler from a strong state & got one (Count Cavor)

Count Cavor = prime minister of piedmont region of Italy (1852), Piedmont lead unification of Italy

Infrastructure programs created wealth in Piedmont for big army 

Austria & France = obstacles for unification cus they had some italian land 

Count Cavor promised Napoleon 3 to help drive Austrians out of Northern Italy = France could keep Italian territory with some other land, plan didn’t work out cus Napoleon didn’t do everything he promised but Northern Italy got taken over by nationalists and agreed to join Piedmont

Giuseppe Garibaldi (Southern Italy) - similar situation, lead Red Shirts to unify Italy, give sovereignty to Victor Emmanuel 2 after unification

Franco-Prussian War - Napoleon 3 withdrew troops from Central Italy = Victor claimed land & unification was complete


German Unification 

Revolution of 1848 - desire of rev. was a unified state, revolution didn’t work cus needed a strong ruler from a strong state to lead the unification = (Otto Von Bismarck)

Otto Von Bismarck - master of Realpolitik, Chancellor of Prussia & introduced reforms to increase Prussias wealth to bulk up the Prussian army 

Realpolitik - political maneuvering to result in practical results (aka. Instead of something moral or right, asks what best action gets what I want)

Wars of Unification

1. Prussian-Danish War (1864) - Bismark wanted to take 2 german provinces controlled by denmark, Austria helped in the cause to get one province (didn’t want Austria to do that but step to the next stage = Realpolitik)

2.Austro-Prussian War (1866) - Bismark organized non-interference treaties with European major powers (Russia & Britain), Bismarck caused fighting between provinces and the provinces (which was German) had to choose sides, northern German states supported Prussia = step towards unification

3. Franco-Prussian War (1870)  - A way to unify southern German states = to fight a common enemy = France but no reason to go to war, Bismark then falsified a document where a Prussian diplomat insulted Napoleon 3 and “accidentally” leaked in to France = Napoleon declared war on Prussia, all the German provinces rallied to Prussia defense to cause unification with Kaiser Wilhem crowned king of Germany 


Diplomatic Tensions 

Bismark appointed chancellor of united german state, goal to strength germany = created alliances with other states just in case France would attack

Bismarck Alliances in order

1. 3 Emperors League - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Russia = idea was that the three states would control Eastern Europe like Balkin Area which was unstable, League collapsed in 1887

2. Reinsurance Treaty - Russia and Germany = agreed to remain neutral if either side got involved in a war, except if Germany vs. France or Russia vs. Austria

3. Triple Alliance - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy = Bismark wanted to isolate France, 

Bismark was dismissed as chancellor (1890) = Europe a collection of mutually antagonistic alliances, caused negotiation & flexibility between 2 sides almost impossible


Tensions in the Balkans 

Driven by nationalism, Bismarck created Congress of Berlin (1878) - congress of major powers in Europe didn’t consider nationalist rule in Balkans but considered the balance of power between the major powers, Congress increased tensions in Balkans

Balkans was a multi-ethnic that wanted to unite to be free of their country (Austria, Russia or Ottomans)

First & Second Balkan Wars = separated Austria, Russia, & Ottomans, major powers fought on different sides of the Balkan War