Final History Nationalism in Europe after 1815 is defined by most historians as, intense feelings of patriotism towards ones country or nation." One would imagine that some patriotism is good. Much like feelings of loyalty to a football team or college, it leads individuals to care for, cheer, and support the institution they have developed love or attachment for. In the 1800's such feelings of loyalty developed among the nations of Europe. Especially in France, these strong feelings developed as a decisive element in the French Republics victory over the First Coalition and lead to an explosive ability of the leaders to draw power from the people and their new dedication to the national state. Combined with a common language and common traditions, these became reinforced by the rule of the people and the rule by the people newly derived from the French revolution. These feelings then lead to an intense commitment to the defense of the common good, the nation, and their land. Like the example of the intense loyalty to a team, the French imagined themselves as a great family to be loved and protected by the masses. To be nationalistic was to be loyal to the cause of the nation and fiercely protective, in essence, a good patriot. (A History of World Societies, McKay, Hill Buckler, Ebrey and Beck. Pg.676) Unfortunately for the King of France, these feelings of national euphoria lead to his death by decapitation. In a sense these nationalistic feelings swelled into a moral movement defining good and evil in a secular ideology. Soon the nations army swelled and grew in prestige and size as many unmarried men felt the urge to fight for their homeland. Lead by largely young and radical generals, they soon defeated the
enemies of the state with their new weapons and baronets. This great army soon brought unprecedented victories on all fronts. This created a new sense of superiority and mission. Defend the homeland, fight for the new democracy. Out of this also developed a new sense of pride and feelings of being right. It is needless to say that nationalism soon lead to a desire to expand the vision of the government and its leaders toward the possession of lands beyond their borders. Combined with a sense of righteousness in their cause it became convenient to convince and conquer other peoples to this great cause. Another common result was the desire to acquire goods and materials easily developed in other countries but in short supply at home. Men, like Napoleon, soon strengthened the power of the state and created a central government capable of sustaining battles, and wars of liberation and conquest. Offering opportunity to many disenchanted youths and amnesty to recent immigrants, he was able to consolidate power and enhance the reach and scope of France through its military. Eventually the French Revolution fed and aided the industrial revolution which turned into a Dual Revolution. Nations such as Germany and Italy followed the French example of adding land and countries to form powerful nation states. In fact the rise of nationalism grew in all of Europe to the point of becoming a universal faith (A History of World Societies, McKay, Hill, Buckler, Ebrey and Beck. Pg.735). Italy became reorganized. Leaders such as Cavour and Garibaldi, lead to the unification of Italy. The Germans joined too in the march of nationalism. Influenced by Italys example, William l of Prussia lead the Germans into new reforms and began building of a powerful army. Bismarck then came to power in 1862 after attacking Austria, and he lead the nation into the national development of Germany.
Romanticism in Europe: A reaction against the Enlightenment? According to authors McKay, Hill, Buckler, Ebrey, and Beck, the Enlightenment was a product of the scientific revolution. The intellectuals of the early 1800's stated three concepts, the main concept being that reason should be used to examine and view all aspects of life. Nothing was to be accepted by faith. In essence this idea was a refutation of the faith espoused by many in the religious realm. Instead of blindly believing anything, all things should be examined in a rational, critical, and scientific way of thinking. They also believed that scientific laws should be used to discover the human laws as well as those of nature. Needless to say this brought these thinkers into a conflicting bind with prevailing authorities in Christianity and in the church circles. Religious leaders had taught that the betterment of society had to come by faith at the hand of God. These new thinkers believed that change in humanity could be attained by human effort. These ideas eventually developed into a broad and cultural movement that gradually grew to maturity by the early 1700's. In a revolt against this enlightenment thinking brought the Era of Romanticism. Instead of a rational view of laws and nature, a fixed and measurable certainty, the romantics rebelled against order and restraint, and gave vent to deep emotional feelings. Rousseau the principal architect of Romantic thought instead believed in exuberance, imagination, and spontaneity not only in the arts and writings but in life as well. In effect it was a revolt of sorts against restraint, life, of passion, and of fun. Romanticism eventually came to effect liberalism in Britain and beyond. Liberalism born out of a desire to bring change and a glorious life to many eventually fell by the wayside as romanticism and liberalism clashed to create huge upheaval in many countries. Soon ideologies of liberal capitalism and socialism, the masses versus
the ruling classes erupted in France and Great Britain. The masses disenchanted with the desire to create new social classes vented in uprisings. Working people fought out of utter desperation and hunger. Disenchantment lead to the seeking of a strongman to bring salvation and Napoleon rose to the occasion. The government went from a democracy to the rule of a strong executive and then later to the election of Napoleon the third. France eventually went from authoritarian to more elective government. Socialism a new radical doctrine began in France. It was a revolt against the industrial revolutions factory transforming culture. Many leaders and thinkers felt that society was becoming too selfish. A new sense of community was needed. The French believed that planning was important to equalize life for all. The early Marxist shared in desire a to help the poor and the regulation of private property. Lead by Count Henri de Saint Simon, many tried to be doers and not parasites or takers. In a new moralistic tone they sought to improve life for the poor. Carl Marx capitalized on the worlds disturbance to improve the lot of the poor and the working classes. Marx predicted that the proletariat or waged people would rise up, and the working class would eventually revolt and lead society into a new age where the poor and the working class would finally achieve equality. Romanticism with its influence on feelings, and freedom of expression eventually clashed and overcame, at least in Europe, the working class dream. This lead into a new prosperity by the industrial revolution and Rousseau desire for freedom, Marxism faded from the scene in France and Britain took hold in the less enlightened Eastern Europe and Russia. The effects of the industrial revolution on Europe and England. The industrial revolution was the catalyst or means to many far reaching
changes in Europe, especially Britain. It most likely leads too many changes, such as, from an agricultural society to an urban society. Cities sprung up and changed the way people lived. The effects of the revolution lead to other far reaching ideologies and thoughts. Indirectly the greatest change came because of the ill effects of the industrial revolution, by and large the development of Marxist ideology. It was the growth of selfishness, poor working conditions, factories, and the abusive child labor that lead to many far reaching changes. Marxism was a direct response to the inequities of the whimpering class and the abuse of the working class. While it was an experiment that was to fail, its inception at least was an effort to bring about equity and fairness to the working class. The revolution changed forever patterns of work, social class structure, and even as the author states, the balance of political and military power. It greatly enhanced Britains ability to explore and settle the colonies in America, and indirectly lead to those same colonies suing for independence, because of Britains perceived abusive taxes and mercantilism theories. On the positive side it lead to a higher standard of living, and opened the door to fabulous inventions that eventually eased life for millions. The revolution started slowly and did not fully develop until the 1850s crossing the Atlantic to America in that space of time. For an unplanned and even unforeseen phenomenon it changed the world forever. It is generally agreed that there was complex factors that lead to the industrial revolution. One factor that helped bring it on was a system of government that was stable and predictable. Peace was kept by armies that protected the peace and the people. England also had ample supply of workers to fuel the revolution. England also
had a bank and well developed credit institutions, and the tariff system was not an obstacle to growth such as in France. As such the industrial revolution had profound impacts on British society. Some of these were an improvement in the standard of living for Britons, the growth of cities, the development of natural resources such as coal, iron, and eventually the railroads. This era also fostered new attitudes toward child labor, factory regulation, and an organized labor movement. Last but not least there developed in society and the family a more rigid division of labor with more prescribed roles for the sexes and the family .Women grudgingly developed new opportunities, though at first they were restricted in their expectations. Social Darwinism Economic gains from imperialism were proven to be limited. New colonies were too poor to buy products and they were to poor to fend for themselves. Because of this simple but true fact, colonies became extremely important to their European mother country. The European mother country saw colonies as a vital part to military power, national security, and international prestige. A country could not be grand unless it had a vast majority of rich fruitful colonies. Social Darwinism and ruthless racial doctrines encouraged imperialist expansion.
In a time of booming scientific knowledge, Louis Pasteur and his followers led the way for human benefits in biology and the medical sciences. Thermodynamics, a branch of physics, was another development during 1815-1914. Thermodynamics can be defined as the relationship between heat and mechanical energy and this later lead to advances in chemical processes, mechanical engineering, and many other fields. Extreme scientific rapid process was a symbol of this era. Factories and jobs continued to grow steadily, and expanding these business meant they needed more area to develop. The dogmatic people of this age sought to test and prove. This guided them to embrace the idea of evolution. The most influential of all nineteenth-century evolutionary thinkers was Charles Darwin. (A History of World Societies, McKay, Hill, Buckler, Ebrey, and Beck. Pg.750) Darwin doubted and argued the general belief that God created all species, and he sought after a more scientific able to be proven theory. He concluded that all of life gradually evolved from familiar ancestral origin over time as they fought the never ending struggle to survive. This is where the idea survival of the fittest came into the scheme of things. Social Darwinism could be used at times to justify stereo types and racism. Arguments arose that stated chance or luck differs among certain affiliates of a given species, to help those certain individuals survive while others die. This means that variations of survival and the struggle for life are selected naturally for all, and is increased steadily through out the entire kind through the process of reproduction. This idea had a powerful impact on Europes middle classes because these teachings reinforced Marxs ideology. This idea of survival of the fittest often resulted in realists exploring sex, violence, strikes, and alcoholism. Survival of the fittest led to savage
behavior in factories and an over all spirit of selfishness. This movement spread throughout Europe and could have played a role in Germany where white skin, blonde hair and blue eyes was the chosen race, leaving all other races, particularly the Jews, in a compromising situation. In this case Social Darwinism lead to a since of egotism, and to a since of unfair bigotry.