Chapter 1: The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Class 10 Notes

NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes

NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes explain how the idea of nationalism started in Europe and slowly spread across different countries. The chapter talks about important events such as the French Revolution, the rise of liberal ideas, and the unification of Germany and Italy. It also highlights how people fought against the monarchy, demanded freedom, and worked towards forming nation-states. Through these stories, students learn how Europe changed politically and socially during the nineteenth century.

These Class 10 History Chapter 1 short notes are written in a simple and easy way so that every student can understand the main ideas without difficulty. The notes cover all important points from the chapter, making it easier to revise before exams. Along with notes, PW also provides NCERT Class 10 Solutions, which help students practise textbook questions step by step. Having both notes and solutions together will make learning smoother and more organised. Students can quickly review the key topics, revise important terms, and clear up their doubts easily. With PW’s NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes, students can study with confidence and get a clear understanding of how nationalism shaped the modern world. 

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The Rise of Nationalism in Europe Class 10 Notes

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Frédéric Sorrieu Vision of the World

Frédéric Sorrieu, a French artist, in 1848, prepared a series of four prints, visualising his dream of a world made up of democratic and Social Republics.

1. The first print shows the people of Europe and America marching in a long train and offering homage to the Statue of Liberty as they pass it. The torch of Enlightenment was carried by a female figure in one hand and the Charter of the Rights of Man in the other.

2. On the earth in the foreground lie the shattered remains of the symbols of absolutist institutions.

3. In Sorrieu’s utopian vision, the people of the world are grouped as distinct nations, identified through their flags and national costume.

4. The procession was led by the United States and Switzerland, followed by France and Germany. Following the German people are the people of Austria, the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, Lombardy, Poland, England, Ireland, Hungary and Russia.

5. From the heavens above, Christ, saints and angels gaze upon the scene. They have been used by the artist to symbolise fraternity among the nations of the world.

During the nineteenth century, nationalism emerged as a force which brought huge changes in the political and mental world of Europe. The end result of these changes was the emergence of the nation-state.

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The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation

1. In 1789, Nationalism came with the French Revolution and the political and constitutional changes led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens. Various measures and practices were introduced, such as the ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen). A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former one.

2. Democracy was destroyed in France by Napoleon, and the Civil Code of 1804, known as the Napoleonic Code, did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property.

The Making of Nationalism in Europe

Germany, Italy and Switzerland were divided into kingdoms, duchies and cantons whose rulers had their autonomous territories.

The Aristocracy and the New Middle Class

The Aristocracy was the dominant class on the continent politically and socially. The majority of the population was made up of the peasantry. Industrialisation began in England in the second half of the eighteenth century. New social groups came into being: a working-class population and a middle class made up of industrialists, businessmen, and professionals.

What Did Liberal Nationalism Stand For?

1. The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free. The right to vote and to get elected was granted exclusively to property-owning men. Men without property and all women were excluded from political rights.

2. In 1834, a customs union or Zollverein was formed at the initiative of Prussia and joined by most of the German states. The union abolished tariff barriers and reduced the number of currencies from over thirty to two.

A New Conservatism after 1815

● In 1815, European governments were driven by a spirit of conservatism. Conservatives believed in monarchy, the Church, social hierarchies, and property and that the family should be preserved.
● A modern army, an efficient bureaucracy, a dynamic economy, and the abolition of feudalism and serfdom could strengthen the autocratic monarchies of Europe.
● In 1815, representatives of the European powers– Britain, Russia, Prussia and Austria met in Vienna to draw up a settlement for Europe.
● The Bourbon dynasty was restored to power, and France lost the territories it had annexed under Napoleon.
● The major issue taken up by the liberal nationalists, who criticised the new conservative order, was the freedom of the press.

The Revolutionaries

1. In 1815, secret societies were formed in many European states to train revolutionaries and spread their ideas. Revolutionaries opposed monarchical forms and fought for liberty and freedom.

2. The Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, born in Genoa in 1807, founded two more underground societies, the first being Young Italy in Marseilles.

3. Secondly, he founded Young Europe in Berne, whose members were like-minded young men from Poland, France, Italy and the German states.

The Age of Revolutions: 1830–1848

In July 1830, Bourbon Kings were overthrown by liberal revolutionaries who installed a constitutional monarchy with Louis Philippe at its head. The July Revolution sparked an uprising in Brussels which led to Belgium breaking away from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. In 1821, Greeks struggled for independence.

The Romantic Imagination and National Feeling

1. Culture played an important role in creating the idea of the nation: art and poetry, stories, and music helped express and shape nationalist feelings.

2. Romanticism was a cultural movement which sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment. Language also played an important role in developing nationalist sentiments.

3. The Russian language was imposed everywhere, and in 1831, an armed rebellion against Russian rule took place, which was ultimately crushed.

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Hunger, Hardship and Popular Revolt

Europe faced economic hardships in the 1830s. The first half of the nineteenth century saw an enormous increase in population all over Europe. The rise of food prices or a year of bad harvest led to widespread pauperism in towns and countries. In 1848, food shortages and widespread unemployment brought the population of Paris out on the roads.

The Revolution of the Liberals

In 1848, a revolution led by the educated middle classes was underway. Men and women of the liberal middle class demanded the creation of a nation-state on parliamentary principles– a constitution, freedom of the press and freedom of association.

A large number of political associations came together in Frankfurt to vote for an all-German National Assembly. On 18 May 1848, 831 elected representatives marched to take their places in the Frankfurt parliament convened in the Church of St Paul.

The Constitution drafted for the German nation was headed by a monarchy, subject to a Parliament. The Crown was offered to Friedrich Wilhelm IV, King of Prussia, but he rejected it and joined other monarchs to oppose the elected assembly.

The Middle Class dominated the Parliament, and a large number of women participated in the liberal movement. Women formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and took part in political meetings and demonstrations, but they were still denied suffrage rights during the election of the Assembly.

In the years after 1848, the autocratic monarchies of Central and Eastern Europe began to introduce the changes that had already taken place in Western Europe before 1815. Thus, serfdom and bonded labour were abolished both in the Habsburg dominions and in Russia.

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The Making of Germany and Italy

Germany – Can the Army Be the Architect of a Nation?

Nationalism in Europe moved away after 1848, and Germany and Italy came to be unified as nation-states. Prussia took over the leadership of the movement for national unification. The architect of this process was its chief minister, Otto von Bismarck, and it was carried out with the help of the Prussian army and bureaucracy.

In January 1871, the Prussian King, William I, was proclaimed German Emperor. An assembly was held to proclaim the new German Empire. The process of nation-building demonstrated the dominance of Prussian state power. The currency, banking, legal and judicial systems in Germany were modernised.

Italy Unified

Italy was divided into seven states in the middle of the nineteenth century, and among all the seven states, Sardinia-Piedmont was ruled by an Italian princely house. All the regions were dominated by different kings.

In the 1830’s Giuseppe Mazzini formed a secret society called Young Italy. The movement was led by Chief Minister Cavour. In 1859, Sardinia-Piedmont defeated Austrian forces. In 1860, they marched into South Italy and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies and succeeded in winning the support of the local peasants. In 1861 Victor Emmanuel II was proclaimed king of united Italy.

The Strange Case of Britain

Great Britain was the model of the nation, and prior to the eighteenth century, there was no British nation. The nation became powerful as it steadily grew in wealth, importance and power.

The Act of Union (1707) between England and Scotland resulted in the formation of the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’ meant, in effect, that England was able to impose its influence on Scotland. In 1801, Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom.

The symbols of the new Britain– the British flag (Union Jack), the national anthem (God Save Our Noble King), and the English language– were actively promoted.

Visualising the Nation

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, artists represented a country as a person and nations as female figures. During the French Revolution, female figures portray ideas such as Liberty, Justice and the Republic. Liberty is represented as a red cap or the broken chain, and justice as a blindfolded woman carrying a pair of weighing scales.

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Nationalism and Imperialism

Nationalism was no longer retained after the last quarter of the nineteenth century. After 1871, the most tensioned area was called the Balkans, a region comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro.

Ottoman Empire made the Balkans region explosive, and all through the nineteenth century, they strengthened themselves through modernisation and internal reforms. Due to various conflicts, Balkan became an area of intense conflict.

During this period, intense rivalry built among the European powers over trade and colonies as well as naval and military might, which led to a series of wars in the region and, finally, the First World War.

In 1914, Europe was disastered because of Nationalism, aligned with imperialism. Anti-imperial movements were developed, but they all struggled to form independent nation-states. But the idea of ‘nation-states’ was accepted as natural and universal.

PW Class 10 Sample Papers

PW has now brought CBSE Class 10 Sample Papers for Social Science to help students strengthen their exam preparation. After completing the chapter notes, NCERT solutions, and revision, solving these sample papers is the next important step. These PW Class 10 Sample Papers are designed exactly like the CBSE exam pattern, helping students understand the question format and marking scheme.

CBSE Sample Paper for Class 10 Social Science

How to Use NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes?

1. Read the Chapter First: Start by reading the NCERT textbook carefully to get a clear idea of what The Rise of Nationalism in Europe is about. This will help you understand the background and sequence of events before moving on to the notes.

2. Revise with Notes: Once you’ve read the chapter, go through the NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes to revise all the main points quickly. These notes summarise the entire chapter in a simple and easy way, helping you save time during revision.

3. Highlight Key Points: While studying the Class 10 History Chapter 1 short notes, mark important terms, events, and names. This will make it easier to recall them during exams and help you focus on the most scoring parts of the chapter.

4. Link with Questions: After completing the notes, try answering textbook and sample paper questions. This will help you understand how topics from The Rise of Nationalism in Europe notes are asked in the exam and improve your answer-writing skills.

5. Regular Revision: Go through these notes regularly before tests or board exams. Revising frequently will help you remember the sequence of events, key ideas, and historical changes clearly, boosting your confidence during the exam.

Read More: NCERT Solutions for Class 10 History Chapter 1

CBSE Class 10 History Chapter 1 Notes FAQs

1. What is the main topic of the NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1?

The main topic is The Rise of Nationalism in Europe, which explains how nationalism developed and led to the formation of nation-states like Germany and Italy.

2. Why are Class 10 History Chapter 1 short notes important?

These notes help students revise quickly, understand key events, and remember important dates and terms easily before exams.

3. How can I study the Rise of Nationalism in Europe notes effectively?

First, read the textbook to understand the story, then revise using the notes to strengthen your understanding and memory.

4. Do these notes cover all important topics from the NCERT book?

Yes, the NCERT Class 10 History Chapter 1 notes include all major topics, events, and questions relevant to the CBSE syllabus.

5. Are these notes helpful for quick revision before exams?

Absolutely! These short notes are written in a simple way to help you revise the entire chapter in a short time.