Key Points

In 1848, French artist Frederic Sorrieu visualized a world of 'democratic and social Republics' in a series of four prints. The first print shows the peoples of Europe and America marching in a long train, offering homage to the Statue of Liberty, symbolizing a world of nation-states.

The French Revolution of 1789 was the first clear expression of nationalism, where sovereignty was transferred from the monarchy to a body of French citizens. It introduced concepts like 'la patrie' (the fatherland) and 'le citoyen' (the citizen) to foster a sense of collective identity.

Introduced by Napoleon, the Civil Code of 1804 did away with privileges based on birth, established equality before the law, and secured the right to property. This code was exported to regions under French control, spreading revolutionary principles.

After Napoleon's defeat in 1815, European powers like Britain, Russia, Prussia, and Austria met in Vienna to restore the monarchies overthrown by Napoleon. This established a new conservative order in Europe.

For the new middle classes, liberalism stood for freedom of the individual and equality before the law. Politically, it emphasized government by consent, and economically, it stood for the freedom of markets and the abolition of state-imposed restrictions.

Formed in 1834 at the initiative of Prussia, the Zollverein was a customs union joined by most German states. It abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies, creating economic unity that fostered wider nationalist sentiments.

Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary who founded secret societies like 'Young Italy' and 'Young Europe'. He believed in the creation of nation-states as natural units of mankind and fought for a unified Italian Republic.

Beginning in 1821, the Greek struggle for independence from the Ottoman Empire mobilized nationalist feelings among the educated elite across Europe. The Treaty of Constantinople in 1832 recognized Greece as an independent nation.

Romanticism was a cultural movement that helped develop nationalism by focusing on emotions, intuition, and a shared cultural past. It used folk songs, poetry, and language to create a sense of a common national heritage.

The year 1848 saw widespread revolts led by the liberal middle classes across Europe. They combined their demands for constitutionalism with national unification, as seen in the Frankfurt Parliament's attempt to create a unified German nation-state.

Prussia, under its chief minister Otto von Bismarck, led the movement for German unification through military power. After three wars with Denmark, Austria, and France over seven years, the process was completed, and Prussian King William I was proclaimed German Emperor in 1871.

The unification of Italy was led by Sardinia-Piedmont under its Chief Minister Cavour, with support from revolutionary Giuseppe Garibaldi. In 1861, Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of a united Italy.

The formation of the nation-state in Britain was not the result of a sudden revolution but a long process. The Act of Union of 1707 between England and Scotland, and the later incorporation of Ireland, formed the United Kingdom, where English culture became dominant.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, artists personified nations as female figures to give the abstract idea of a nation a concrete form. Marianne became the allegory of France, while Germania became the allegory of the German nation.

After 1871, the Balkan region became a source of intense nationalist tension due to the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire and the competing interests of major European powers. This rivalry over the Balkans eventually led to the First World War in 1914.