5.3 Nationalism, Revolution, and Reform

Period 5 – Industrialization and Global Integration, c. 1750 CE to c. 1900 CE

The 18th century marked the beginning of an intense period of revolution and rebellion against existing governments and the establishment of new nation-states around the world. Enlightenment thought and the resistance of colonized peoples to imperial centers shaped this revolutionary activity. These rebellions sometimes resulted in the formation of new states and stimulated the development of new ideologies, including an increasing insistence on self-rule and pursuit of democracy in a number of instances. These new ideas in turn led to the revolutionary and anti-imperial movements of this period.

Key Concepts 5.3.I.A–C have been reworded to improve clarity and reflect current scholarship.

Illustrative examples, nationalism:

• German nationalism
• Italian nationalism
• Filipino nationalism
• Argentinian nationalism

Illustrative examples, subjects challenging imperial governments:

• The challenge of the Marathas to the Mughal Sultans
• The challenge of the Taipings to the Manchus of the Qing dynasty

Illustrative examples, slave resistance:

• The establishment of Maroon societies in the Caribbean or Brazil
• North American slave resistance

Illustrative examples, anticolonial movements:

• The Indian Revolt of 1857
• The Boxer Rebellion in Qing China

Illustrative examples, rebellions:

• The Ghost Dance in the U.S.
• The Xhosa Cattle-Killing Movement in southern Africa
• Taiping rebellion in China

Illustrative examples, demands:

• Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
• Olympe de Gouges’s Declaration of the Rights of Women and the Female Citizen
• The resolutions passed at the Seneca Falls Conference in 1848