The Role of Nationalism in Shaping 19th Century Europe Order Instructions: Using your textbook, the AP History videos and my lecture please do the following:
1-page essay. Same format Word Doc DS, 1″ margins, heading the way I like it, please.
No Bibliography needed. Use your own words.
Your essay should consist of the following:
Paragraph 1: Using your words, provide a definition of nationalism and 3 examples of nationalism in the 19th century. Paragraph 2: Explain the importance of nationalism as a force for state building in the 19th century. In other words, “What role did nationalism play in shaping 19th century Europe?”
Paragraph 3: Provide examples of nationalism and how this phenomenon continues to shape regions of the world today.
Rubric: 10pts, Format, 10pts Grammar, 20pts Content and 10pts for proper period based examples.
The Role of Nationalism in Shaping 19th Century Europe Sample Answer
Nationalism is the desire for national advancement especially politically. It can also be defined as excessive patriotism and the devotion for one to their country. Nationalism tends to bring together people of one country together irrespective of the boundaries. In the 19th century during the First World War, the German tribes were disintegrated into very small factions. However, the spirit of nationalism is what caused the majority of the German tribes to unite and form the current country (Gal,2011). Their desire to unite was so great that they defeated the French on their own homeland in the Franco-Prussian war and managed to take control of Alsace and Lorraine. The Italians were another group that was split right down in the middle and managed to join before taking over the Austria- Hungary to reclaim their region what is today northeastern Italia. Great Britain was another country that faced numerous challenges. The Irelanders wanted to split their country from the hold of Great Britain and carried out several assassination attempts. However, they were not successful in their quest as the previous two countries.
The Role of Nationalism in Shaping 19th Century Europe
Nationalism played an essential role in building the 19th-century wars. It was because of nationalism that we even encountered the First World War. Countries wanted to maintain their cultures and ethnical languages and this could only be achieved by formally coming together against the common enemy. For example, the Germans came managed to overcome the French due to the spirit of nationalism. Initially, their forces could not match the French prowess in the field.
In today’s world, the spirit of nationalism still spreads throughout the world. The cessation of South Sudan from original Sudan making it the youngest country in the world provides the perfect example. Also, the people of Scotland went on a referendum to determine if they wanted to cede from British. These two examples show the effect of nationalism in the world.
The Role of Nationalism in Shaping 19th Century Europe References
Gal, Susan. 2011. ‘Polyglot Nationalism. Alternative Perspectives On Language In 19Th Century Hungary’. Language Et Société 136 (2): 31. doi:10.3917/ls.136.0031.
