Origins and Evolution of 19th Century Nationalism

The Legacy of the French Revolution

The concept of the nation as a political community with the right to create an organized state is one of the most important ideological legacies of the French Revolution. The old personal loyalty of subjects to the feudal lord and the absolute monarch made way for a new legal loyalty of citizens to a constitution or national law.

Citizenship and Cultural Identity

In this new context, individuals had to belong to a community and share a culture, language, and customs with others to exercise their political rights as citizens. For a truly representative government to exist, it was imperative that there be a coherent national community. Consequently, nineteenth-century liberals were often nationalists and sought to replace old feudal states with national states.

The Spread of Nationalist Ideas

The event that led to the dissemination of nationalist ideas across Europe was the expansion of Napoleon's army and the creation of new monarchies. These factors contributed to different European countries seeking their own political institutions within their history and culture. In this way, they showed that they already possessed national representation in the past.

The Role of Romanticism and Research

During the nineteenth century, historical research, linguistics, folklore, and culture developed enormously. These disciplines were dedicated to rediscovering the past of national states that were being consolidated or communities that lacked a political system of their own. Romanticism, with its interest in traditions and folk customs, also collaborated in the creation of a national past through which each country sought to differentiate itself.

The Dual Nature of Nationalism

The nationalism of the nineteenth century was a remarkably ambiguous and complex phenomenon, as it possessed two sides: progressive, liberal roots and traditionalist, conservative roots. Both conceptions of nationalism, though seemingly opposite, coexisted during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

From this cohabitation were born nationalist movements that supported each other and formed an international revolutionary network. In this sense, organizations like Young Italy, Young Poland, and Young Germany made common cause, even alongside more exclusionary and aggressive forms of nationalism.

Integrative vs. Disintegrative Nationalism

Another classification distinguishes between integrative and disintegrative nationalism:

• Integrative nationalism: Intended to attract people to common symbols in order to create large states.
• Disintegrative nationalism: Tried to destabilize traditional large states from smaller areas.

Nationalism began as an ideology of a very active minority associated with liberalism. However, from 1848 (and especially after 1871), as nation-states were consolidated, it became a movement of the masses. The first significant public appearance of nationalism occurred during the revolutionary wave of 1848.