The French Revolution And The Idea of Nation, Class 10, History, Chapter 1, CBSE Exam Notes
Next Topic: The Making of Nationalism in Europe
Table of Contents
Next Topic: The Making of Nationalism in Europe
Overview
The French Revolution And The Idea of Nation, Class 10, History, Chapter 1, CBSE Exam Notes, explores in detail the causes, key events and impact of French Revolution on the development of modern nation states and the concept of nationalism.
Frederic Sorrieu’s Visualisation
Note: In 1848, Frederic Sorrieu, a French artist, prepared a series of four prints visualising his dream of world made up of ” Democratic and Social Republics” , as he called them. In this print he showed a statue of liberty (as a female figure), bearing the torch of Enlightenment in one hand and the Charter of the Rights of Man in the other. The print shows that people of Europe and America are paying homage to the statue of Liberty. In this print other noticeable elements were :
- On the earth in the foreground of image lie the shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist institutions.
- Procession passing before the statue of liberty is led by the United States and Switzerland, which were by this time Nation States.
- France has just reached the statue, followed by Germany.(Germany, yet didn’t exist as united nation.)
- The flag carried by the Germans is an expression of liberal hopes in 1848 of soon getting united in to a nation state of German speaking people.
- Following the German people are – people of Austria, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia.
- From the heavens above, christ, saints, and angels gaze upon the scene.
Note: During the 19th century, “nationalism” emerged as a force which brought about sweeping changes in the political and mental world of Europe. The end result of these changes was the emergence of the “nation states” in place of the multi national dynastic empires of Europe.
Nation State
Q1. What is a nation state ?
Ans A nation state is a state in which, the majority of its citizens, come to develop a sense of common identity and shared history of descent.
This commonness didn’t exist from time immemorial, but generally it is forged through struggles, through the action of its leaders and the common people.
Ernst Renan, the French Philosopher, viewed in 1882 that a nation is culmination of a long past endeavours, sacrifice and devotion.
Q2. Define modern state.
Ans. In modern state there exists a sovereign control by a centralised power over a clearly defined territory.
Note: The concept and practices of modern state had been developing over a long period of time, but the concept of nation state didn’t exist from time immemorial. It was forged through struggles.
Q3. Define the following,
(a) Absolutist (b) Utopian (c) Plebiscite
Ans.
Absolutist : It refers to a government or a system of rule that has no restraints on the power exercised by them.
Utopian : It is a vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.
Plebiscite : It is a system of direct voting by which all the people of the region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.
Note : The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789.
Creating A Sense of Collective Identity
Q 4. What had happened in France in late 18th century ?
Ans. France was a full fledged territorial state under the rule of an absolute monarch till 1789.
After the French Revolution of 1789, there came political and administrative changes which resulted in transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.
The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth constitute the nation and shape its destiny.
Q 5. What steps did the French Revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity among the French People?
Ans. Various measures and practices introduced by the French revolutionaries to create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people, were :
- The ideas of La Patrie (the fatherland) and Le Citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
- A new French flag, the tri colour, was chosen to replace the former Royal Standard.
- The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and was renamed the National Assembly. New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the name of the nation.
- A centralised administrative system was created which formulated uniform laws for all citizens.
- Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights and measures were adopted.
- Regional dialects were discouraged and French as it was spoken and written in Paris, became the national language.
- It was declared that it would be the mission and the destiny of the French nation to liberate the peoples of Europe from despotism and thus help them to become nations.
Q.6. What were the Jacobin Clubs ?
Ans. When the news of the events in France (i.e.French Revolution of 1789) reached the different cities of Europe, students and other members of educated middle class began setting up Jacobin Clubs.
The activities and campaigns of these clubs prepared the way for the French armies to move in such countries like Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and much of the Italy in 1790s.
Note : With the outbreak of revolutionary wars, the French armies began to carry the idea of nationalism abroad.
Civil Code of 1804 (Napoleonic Code)
Q.7. Discuss the administrative reforms introduced by the Napoleon in France and in other countries of Europe under his control.
Ans. In France and within the wide territory that came under Napoleon’s control, he introduced many administrative reforms in order to make the whole system more rational and efficient. These administrative reforms were based on revolutionary principles and were known as the Civil Code of 1804, also popularly known as Napoleonic Code.
The Civil Code of 1804 did away with all privileges based on birth and secured the Right to Property.
In the regions of Europe, which were under Napoleon’s control (ex- Dutch Republic, Switzerland, Italy and Germany ), Napoleon simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system and freed peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.
In the towns too, guild restrictions were removed and transport and communications systems were improved.
Introduction of uniform laws, standardised weights and measures and a common national currency was welcomed by businessmen and small scale producer of goods.
Q.8. How did the businessmen and the small producer of goods, react to the reforms introduced by Napoleon ?
Ans. Businessmen and the small producers of goods, welcomed Napoleon’s administrative reforms because they realised that these reforms would facilitate the movement and exchange of goods and capital from one region to another. These reforms were like a “new found freedom” for them.
Q.9. What were the people’s reaction towards the French rule in the conquered area of Europe?
Ans. In the French conquered areas of Europe, the reaction of local population to the French rule was mixed.
Initially in many places like Holland, Switzerland etc. , the French armies were welcomed as harbingers of liberty. But the initial enthusiasm soon turned into hostility as it became clear that the new administrative arrangements did not ensure political freedom.
Increased taxation, censorship, forced conscription in to the French armies for conquest of rest of Europe, all seemed to overweigh the advantages of administrative changes.
