Rise of Nationalism in Europe Notes 1

Grade 10
History
Ch 1: Rise of Nationalism in Europe
Topic 1: French Revolution and the Idea of a Nation
1. Who was Frederic Sorrieu?
Ans:
Frederic Sorrieu was a French artist who prepared a series of four prints in
1848 visualizing his dream of a world made up of ‘Democratic and Social
Republics’. In his utopian vision depicted in one of these prints named ‘The
Pact between Nations’, the peoples of the world were grouped as distinct
nations, identified through their flags and national costume.
2. What is a nation state?
Ans:
A nation state is one in which the majority of its citizens including the rulers
come to develop a sense of common identity or shared history and descent
which were forged through struggles and actions of leaders and the common
people.
3. What is the Statue of Liberty? What is its significance? Ans:
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neo-classical sculpture on Liberty Island in
New York Harbor of the New York City, in the United States and is a universal
symbol of freedom. Originally gifted by the French people to US citizens, it is
conceived as an emblem of the friendship between the people of France and the
U.S. and a sign of their mutual desire for liberty. It refers to a female figure
signifying liberty holding a torch in one hand representing enlightenment and a
book in the other hand containing the Charter of the Rights of Man.
4. What was the major change that occurred in the political and
constitutional scenario due to the French Revolution in Europe? (2015 D)
Ans:
The major change occurred was that it led to the transfer of sovereignty from
the monarchy to a body of French citizens. The new constitution based on
democracy granted equal rights to the people and limited the powers of the
monarch.
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5. What did it mean to be revolutionary in early nineteenth-century Europe?
Ans: To be revolutionary in early 19th century Europe meant a commitment to
oppose monarchical forms that had been established after the Vienna
Congress, and to fight for liberty and freedom.
6. ‘Equality before the law did not necessarily stand for universal suffrage in
France’. What do you mean by this?
Ans: In revolutionary France, 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.
7. What was the main aim of the French revolutionaries? (2015 OD)
Ans:
The main aim of the French revolutionaries was –
a) To oppose the monarchial form of government and to create a sense of
collective identity amongst the French people.
b) They proclaimed that it was the people who would constitute the nation and
shape its decisions.
c) The revolutionaries further declared that it was the mission and the destiny of
the French nation to liberate the people of Europe from despotism and help
them to form nations.
8. What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of

collective identity among the French people?
Ans:
a) The French revolutionaries took following steps to create a sense of collective
identity among the French people:
b) The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizens) were
introduced that emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal
rights under a constitution.
c) A new French flag, the tricolor, was chosen to replace the former royal
standard.
d) Estates General was renamed as National Assembly constituting the Active
Citizens.
e) New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in
the name of nation.
f) A centralized administrative system was established, which formulated
uniform laws for all citizens.
Social Science/History/Gr10/Notes-1/04th April 2024
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g) A uniform system of weights and measures was adopted and internal
customs duties and dues were abolished.
h) The language French was promoted over the regional dialects.
i) They further declared that it was the mission and destiny of the French
nation to liberate the people of Europe from despotism, in other words to help
other people of Europe to become nations.
9. Describe the events of French Revolution which had influenced the
people belonging to other parts of Europe.
Ans:
The following events of French Revolution left deep impact on the people
belonging to other parts of Europe:
(i) The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French
Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of
French citizens.
(ii) The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth
constitute the nation and shape its destiny.
(iii) French revolutionaries declared that it was their mission to liberate the peoples
of Europe from despotism and help them to become nations.
(iv) The ideals and virtues of liberty, equality and fraternity that emerged during
the French Revolution inspired many nationalist movements in the nineteenth
and twentieth centuries, throughout the world.
10. Explain any five social and administrative reforms introduced by
Napoleon in regions under his control.
Ans: Napoleon had brought revolutionary changes in the administrative field in
order to make the whole system rational and efficient through implementing the
Civil Code of 1804 also known as the Napoleonic Code.
a) It did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before law
and secured the right to property.
b) Administrative divisions were simplified.
c) Feudal system was abolished and peasants were freed from serfdom and
manorial dues (abuse of manorial lords).
d) In towns, guild restrictions were removed.
e) Transport and communication systems were improved.
f) Peasants, artisans, workers and new businessmen enjoyed a new found
freedom.
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g) Businessmen and small-scale producers of goods in particular began to
realize that uniform laws, standardized weights and measures and a
common national currency would facilitate the movement and exchange of
goods and capital from one region to another.
11. How did the local people in the areas conquered by Napoleon react to
French rule? Explain. (2014 D)
Ans:
The reactions of the local population to the French rule were mixed.
a) Initially, in many places such as Holland and Switzerland, as well as in cities
like Brussels, Mainz, Milan and Warsaw, the French armies were welcomed
as harbingers of liberty.
b) As new administrative arrangements did not go hand in hand with political
freedom, enthusiasm turned into hostility.
c) Increased taxation, censorship and forced conscription into the French armies
to conquer the rest of Europe, outweighed the advantages of the administrative
changes.
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Grade 10

8. What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of

Social Science/History/Gr10/Notes-1/04th April 2024

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