The Age Of Nationalism

• 1850-1914: an “Age of Nationalism”

• Nationalism became the major theme of the late-1800’s• Intense pride and devotion to one’s

country or ones culture

Aftermath of the Revolutions of 1848

Pros and Cons of NationalismPositive aspects of Nationalism

Negative aspects of Nationalism

• 1853-1856

• Causes:• Conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire

over territory in the Balkan Peninsula and Black Sea region

• Possibility of Russia becoming too powerful made other European countries nervous

• France and Great Britain aided the Ottoman Empire in the war• Were hoping to keep Russian expansion in check

• Heavy casualties• Florence Nightingale…nursing

• Russia was defeated

Crimean War

• Italy divided into city-states since the fall of Rome

• Italian peninsula was a battle-ground for competing states throughout much of the early modern period• Lands controlled by outside powers such as Austria

and France

• Attempts at unification in the early 1800’s were unsuccessful• Guiseppe Mazzini: called for a centralized republic

with universal suffrage

• Eventually, Italian unification would be spearheaded by King Victor Emmanuel of Sardinia and his advisor Camillo Benso di Cavour

Unification of Italy

• In Southern Italy, Giuseppe Garibaldi led a revolt in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, which was controlled by the French

• Victor Emmanuel was declared the first king of Italy on March 17, 1861

• Venice and Rome were added to Italy in 1866 and 1870

Unification of Italy

• 1861: Wilhelm I became king of Prussia

• 1862: Otto Von Bismarck appointed Chancellor/Prime Minister of Prussia

• Wilhelm and Bismarck had dreams of Prussia growing in power and dominating German lands. They used nationalism to achieve this goal.

Unification of Germany

• Under Bismarck, Prussia grew in power• Begins a series of wars to take over neighboring

German states

• Franco-Prussian War:• France and Prussia go to war; France thought

they were preventing a Hohenzollern from taking the throne of Spain.

• Bismarck encourages the rumor and stirs up trouble until France eventually starts the war

• France suffers a humiliating defeat• January 18, 1871: the King of Prussia was

declared the Emperor of Germany• In the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of

Versailles

Unification of Germany

• Germany and France became bitter enemies• Germany gained control of Alsace-Lorraine

(both were rich, industrial provinces)

• Germany will become and economic and military power

• Germany joins other nations in their quest to build an empire (imperialism…more on this in our next unit)

Unification of Germany