The french revolution and nationalism essay

How did nationalism develop during the French Revolution? Of a handful of modern ideologies, one of the most monumental events in human history, the French Revolution, generated one: Nationalism is the devotion to the interest or culture of a particular nation. Although in its extreme form it could go as far as some radical measures such as ethnic cleansing, the patriotic feeling that nationalism brings about has been a major momentum that binds a nation together.

Get Full Essay Get access to this section to get all help you need with your essay and educational issues. Starting with French Revolution the nationalism spread to other parts of Europe and later on paved the way for development of modern democratic nations across the world.

Nationalism is the idea of a sense of common identity and a sense of belongingness to a particular geographical area. Apart from this it is also a sense of attachment to a particular culture.

It should be kept in mind that culture encompasses a variety of factors, like language, cuisine, costumes, folklores, etc. The Rise of Nationalism in Europe The concept and practices of a modern state had been developing over a long period of time in Europe. The state in which, a centralised power exercised sovereign control over a clearly defined territory.

But a nation-state was one in which the majority of its citizens, and not only its rulers, came to develop a sense of common identity and shared history or descent.

This commonness did not exist from time immemorial. Rather it was forged through struggles, through the actions of leaders and the common people. During the nineteenth century, nationalism emerged as a force which brought about sweeping changes in the political and mental world of Europe.

The end result of these changes was the emergence of the nation-state in place of the multi-national dynastic empires of Europe.

France was a full-fledged territorial state in under the rule of an absolute monarch. The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.

From the very beginning, the French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.

The ideas of la patrie the fatherland and le citoyen the citizen emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution. A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal standard. The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.

New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name of the nation. A centralised administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform laws for all citizens within its territory.

Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and measures was adopted.

Rise of Nationalism in Europe Essay Sample

Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in Paris, became the common language of the nation. The revolutionaries further declared that it was the mission and the destiny of the French nation to liberate the peoples of Europe from despotism, in other words to help other peoples of Europe to become nations.

Effects of French Revolution on Other Countries: When the news of the events in France reached the different cities of Europe, students and other members of educated middle classes began setting up Jacobin clubs.

Their activities and campaigns prepared the way for the French armies which moved into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and much of Italy in the s.French-Canadian Nationalism Essay Words | 11 Pages.

French-Canadian Nationalism For nearly two centuries the inhabitants of New France lived their day to day lives under the French Regime. The colony of New France was shaped by such institutions as .

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The French Revolution was the beginning of not only French nationalism, but nationalism across Europe. Based off of Enlightenment thought, the passing of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in was the beginning for this nationalistic movement.

Starting with French Revolution the nationalism spread to other parts of Europe and later on paved the way for development of modern democratic nations across the world.

Meaning of Nationalism: Nationalism is the idea of a sense of common identity and a sense of belongingness to a particular geographical area. The nationalism that was generated and developed in France during the French Revolution was civic. Over the centuries, the monarchies have achieved political unity of France.

Nationalism in French Revolution

In the wake of the Enlightenment, people began to take pride in serving the country rather than the king believed in equality. The French Revolution and Nationalism The French Revolution was an upheaval that was marked by the formal birth of what we call nationalism.

Spanning over a decade ( to ), this Revolution had a strong socio political dimension to it.