Nationalism Develops

The last half of the 1800s can be called the Age of Nationalism. Nationalism is a feeling of strong devotion to one's country. It often is displayed by people who share the same language and culture.

By harnessing national feeling, European Leaders fought ruthlessly to create strong, unified nations. There are other nationalist movements that have occurred such as the creation of United States...but in this lesson we are going to take a look at the unification of Germany and Italy as well the breaking up of Greeks in the Ottoman Empire and how Pan Slavism caused it.

Nationalism Vocabulary and Key Terms

Unification Movements Develop in Italy and in Germany

Countries began to unify that shared the same language and culture. Two instances of this is in Germany and Italy. This flow chart will give you an overview of the unification of Germany under Bismark. To get more detailed information about the unification of these two countries, please watch the Google presentation below.

Nationalism causes Conflict/ Pan Slavism Develops

Much like in Italy and in Germany, people like to be united with those that have a common language and culture. During the 1800s following the Congress of Vienna, the Austrian and Ottoman Empires began to break up. People wanted to be united with those with common beliefs, values, and practices. This led to the PAN SLAVISM movement. Slavs had been ruled for centuries by the Ottoman Empire and Austria- Hungary. As you can see in the map of ethnic groups below, Slavs make up a great deal of Eastern Europe. Today, countries such as Russia, Poland, Serbia, The Czech Republic, Bosnia all have people who are Slavic.

Antisemitism Develops

The rise in nationalism, led to an intensification of anti-Semitism (anti-Jewish) in the late 1800s. As citizens grew more patriotic about their own nations, they often grew more intolerant of those who they saw as outsiders, including Jews.

In France, a French soldier who was Jewish, Alfred Dreyfus, was accused falsely of spying for the Germans. This accusation spread through France and let to a rise in anti-semitic or anti Jewish feelings. He was court-martialed and found guilty.

A French newspaper published an open letter titled “J’Accuse…!” by well-known author Emile Zola in which he defended Dreyfus and accused the military of a major cover-up in the case. As a result, Zola was convicted of libel, although he escaped to England and later managed to return to France. The political cartoon below shows Zola stabbing the accusation.

The Dreyfus affair deeply divided France, not just over the fate of the man at its center but also over a range of issues, including politics, religion and national identity.

As antisemitism grew in Europe, many Jews moved to Palestine, the ancient Jewish homeland. They bought land and organized into small farming communities. In 1897, fearing how much Jews were hated in France, a journalist named Theodor Herzl called for Jews to establish their own state.

His writings helped to build ZIONISM. It is the movement devoted to creating a Jewish state in Palestine. His dream would be realized a little more than 50 years later with the creation of Israel.

This quizlet below is a great guide to help you with the Regents Review.