Revolutions and Nationalism from 1750 to 1900

Several revolutions broke out just before the start of the Industrial Revolution. The two most significant were the American and French Revolutions, followed by the 15 turbulent years of the Napoleonic Wars. These wars were not only significant because of the governmental changes that occurred, but they were also spurs to Industrialization in England and a hindrance to industrialization on the European mainland. The Industrial Revolution created new economic structures; the changes rivaled those brought by the Neolithic revolution. All aspects of human life were touched. European power rose, and extensions of Western civilization developed in other lands. Western European industrialization fundamentally altered the nature of European overseas expansion. In previous times, Europeans sought desired material goods or moved against threats from external enemies. In the Americas, they seized lands for plantation crops. Christian missionaries sought converts. Much of the secular and religious thrust was due to a desire to strengthen Europe in the long contest with Islam. Industrialization brought new motives for expansion. Raw materials were needed to fuel industrial growth, and markets were required for its manufacturing production. Christian proselytizing continued, but private initiative replaced state direction. Another change was that the increased power of the West made it fear European imperial rivalries more than indigenous opposition. Europeans then had gained the capacity to push into and occupy territories once closed to them by disease or local resistance.

Liberty Leading People Image The Age of Revolutions began in late 18th century and continued throughout the 19th. The timing of these revolutions was no accident as each one was inspired by the philosophical principles born of the Age of Reason or the Enlightenment. The personalities of the Enlightenment period debated and published theories based on the relationship of man to his government and vice versa. Thinkers such as John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau clearly detailed the responsibilities of both parties (subject and government) establishing ground rules, which dictate that a government must serve its people's needs and in return the people will obey and honor the government. If the government does not work for the benefit of the people then it can and should be overthrown and replaced. Beginning with the American Revolution many peoples from Europe and elsewhere began to demand that their governments (and overlords) serve their needs. When these governments failed to live up to the expectations of the peoples often the end result was revolution. The American and French Revolutions served as catalysts for tremendous change in the evolution of both European and non- European histories. The Age of Reason and Enlightenment movements opened the door to new perspectives on national politics. These movements emphasized the responsibility modern governments have to the people they rule, a concept which had been foreign to previous European powers. The post Napoleonic period in Europe opened the eyes of the traditional European powers to the newly developing forces of change, forces which eventually overwhelmed the major houses of Europe. To add to the existing political chaos in Europe the Industrial Revolution which had transformed Britain was sweeping through most of Europe creating havoc in the economic and social standards which had so long been the standard. The dynamics of the relationships between Europe and the former colonies of the Americas changed dramatically due not only to the revolutions but also to the industrialization of Europe.

Nationalism

Due to the influence of internal and external factors of this time period, such as the revolutions, rebellions and the Enlightenment, state formation was greatly impacted. People all over the world were starting to develop a new sense of commonality based on language, religion, social customs, and territory. In some places, governments realized this and latched on to this sense of unity and encouraged this rise in nationalism. Many of those revolutions and rebellions against existing governments will lead to the establishment of new nation-states around the world. These newly imaged national communities often linked this new sense of nationalism, or national identity, with borders of their state, and in some cases, it will lead the challenges of those boundaries or seek to unify fragmented regions of what they believe to be their country. This will lead to the unification movements of Italy and Germany, led by Camillo di Cavour and Otto von Bismarck, as well as the breakaway of the Balkans from the Ottoman Empire just to name a few of the areas impacted.

Watch the Crash Course Videos below on the French and American Revolutions. Take your own notes over these videos so you will have them for your studies.

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