Nationalism
Driving Question: Why do we live in a world of nation-states?
Nationalism is the most impactful ideology in modern history. It is a cultural and political concept that argues that nations exist and have a right to govern themselves. That might not seem controversial, but it has been an incredibly disruptive force over the last 200 years. From the Atlantic Revolutions, the concept of nationalism spread around the world, sometimes liberating people from empires, and sometimes warping into new, destructive ideologies like fascism. Nationalists make historical claims that help them achieve their political goals. It’s time for you to test those claims.
- Understand the origin and effects of nationalism on human communities including its role in political revolutions and the formation of new nation-states.
- Assess the connections between political revolutions and nationalist wars of unification.
- Use close-reading skills to analyze how nationalism affected different societies and ethnic groups during this period.
- Utilize quick-sourcing skills to evaluate how revolutionary transformations of this period impacted communities and networks.
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What is a nation? Are nations natural or biological?
- How are nations “imagined communities”?
- How did French military victories contribute to the rise of nationalism in France and elsewhere?
- In what context did nationalism take hold in Europe? In the Americas?
- What factors helped nationalism take hold in Germany and Italy?
Evaluate
- What are some of the ways in which nationalism helped liberate people or bring about positive political change in the period covered in this unit? Can you predict any potential problems or challenges that nationalism might also bring? If so, what are they?
Nationalism
Key Ideas
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Guiding Questions
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Before you watch
Before you watch the video, it’s a good idea to open and skim the video transcript. And always read the questions below so you know what to look and listen for as you watch!
While you watch
- How does this video define nationalism?
- What did Benedict Anderson mean when he called the nation an “imagined political community”?
- Where did nationalism begin and how did it spread?
- How did nationalism contribute to the extreme violence of the twentieth century?
- How do nationalists construct ideas about their nation?
- What is some evidence referenced in this video as to whether nationalism is good or bad?
After you watch
- The opening quote of this video is by the American novelist Kurt Vonnegut. In the quote, Vonnegut warns that “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” Why do you think this quote was included in this video?
- This video is pretty clear about nationalism’s impacts on communities. What are some ways that nationalism affected networks and production and distribution?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What caused the revolutions of 1848 in Europe?
- Why did the revolutions of 1848 fail?
- What effects did the Taiping Revolution and the Great Revolt of 1857 have on British power in Asia?
- Why does the author suggest that all these revolutions happened around the same time?
- From Europe to China, what was the common effect of the failed world revolutions from 1848 to 1865?
Evaluate
- The 1848 revolutions were driven by two questions: a communities frame question that mostly the middle class liberals pushed (who gets to participate in ruling?) and a production and distribution frame question that mostly working class radicals pushed (who gets the profit from industrialization?) Were either of these questions resolved by these revolutions?
As you read the primary source excerpts in this collection, use the accompanying Quick-Sourcing Tool to guide your analysis.
Extension Materials
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- Describe Germany before 1800. How were political communities organized?
- What does Snow White have to do with German nationalism?
- What role does the author say violence played in creating the German state?
- Why did Bismarck succeed against internal and external opposition?
Evaluate
- Bismarck seems to be the stereotypical “great man” who creates historical change through his will and his actions. But historians have criticized “great man” history, arguing that wider forces are more important than individuals in creating historical change. Given the evidence you have read so far, do you think nationalism was more a result of the actions of a few big men, or more the result of wider historical forces? Is Bismarck an exception?
- Many of the political revolutions you encountered in previous lessons and the nationalist movements you’ve encountered in this lesson have ended up being controlled by men, despite the role many women played in these revolutions. Why do you think this is, and why do you think the role of women in these movements is often minimized after independence or unification is achieved?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- Describe the Italian peninsula before 1800. How were political communities organized?
- How did Napoleon help start Italian nationalism?
- Why did the revolutions of 1848 fail to create a unified Italy?
- What helped Count Cavour succeed in defeating the Austrians and establishing the Kingdom of Italy in 1861?
Evaluate
- Most nationalist histories are told from the perspective of great men. How do you think the story is different when told from the perspective of a common woman?
- The woman in this narrative experienced a lot in her lifetime. Using the communities frame, make a list of the different identities she might have had and the different communities of which she was a part.