World History: 1200 to the Present · Module 5 of 16
Nationalism & the Unification of Nations
How the idea of the nation-state remade the map of Europe — and sowed new tensions.
Nationalism as an Ideology
- Nationalism is the belief that people who share a common culture, language, or history should have their own self-governing nation.
- Nationalism was a powerful unifying force in the 19th century, but could also fuel conflict between different ethnic or national groups within multi-ethnic empires.
How could nationalism be both a unifying and a destabilizing force in 19th-century Europe?
Solution. It unified people who shared culture and language into new nation-states, like Italy and Germany, but it also destabilized multi-ethnic empires, like Austria-Hungary, by inspiring various ethnic groups within them to seek their own independence.
Unification of Italy
- Italy was unified (completed 1871) through the efforts of leaders like Giuseppe Garibaldi, who led military conquest in the south, and Camillo di Cavour, who used diplomacy in the north under the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia.
What two different approaches did Cavour and Garibaldi use to help unify Italy?
Solution. Cavour used diplomacy and political alliances to expand Piedmont-Sardinia's influence in the north; Garibaldi led military conquest with his volunteer army ("Red Shirts") to seize southern Italy and Sicily.
Unification of Germany
- Germany was unified (1871) largely through the leadership of Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, who used a policy of "blood and iron" — war and diplomacy — to unite German states under Prussian leadership.
- Bismarck engineered three wars, against Denmark, Austria, and France, to build German nationalism and isolate France, culminating in the declaration of the German Empire in 1871.
What does Bismarck's phrase "blood and iron" refer to?
Solution. His strategy of using military force (blood) and industrial and military strength (iron) — rather than just speeches or diplomacy — to achieve German unification.
Nationalism's Darker Side
- Extreme nationalism could fuel ethnic tensions, rivalry between nations, and justify aggressive expansion or discrimination against minority groups.
- Rising nationalist tensions among Europe's major powers in the late 1800s and early 1900s contributed to the dangerous atmosphere that eventually led to World War I.
How did nationalism contribute to rising tensions in Europe before World War I?
Solution. Intense national rivalries and pride among European powers, along with nationalist movements within multi-ethnic empires like Austria-Hungary (especially in the Balkans), created competition and instability that heightened tensions leading toward war.
Check yourself
2 of this module's 5 quiz questions. Pick your answers, then check them in the app, with an explanation for every question.
1. What is nationalism?
2. Who used diplomacy to help unify Italy from the north?