How did the concept of nationalism transform the European political landscape in the nineteenth century?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Nationalism built on the ideas proposed during the Enlightenment of sovereignty resting in the body of the state rather than the individual power of a king. The concept of nationalism was promoted hand in hand with patriotism in the nineteenth century. In part, this was because of acts of settlement under the Congress of Vienna to break apart the Napoleonic empire; individual countries felt the need to reassert their own culture and power. However, working within the diplomatic agreement and maintaining a balance of power, while maintaining a degree of political stability that recognized the rights of each individual nation, also fostered competition as each state zealously guarded the agreement to ensure that no nation became more powerful than any other. Nationalism also played a significant role in unifying people who were culturally, ethnically, and religiously distinct in one general area under the banner of one nation. National unification was promoted in large part by cultural transmissions of traditions, historical achievements, and the collective value of every region in comprising a nationalist perspective; for example, the Grimm brothers travelled extensively throughout the different regions in Germany to collect the folk tales and publish them as representative of all the German people. Their compilation of the German Dictionary had a similar intent: to preserve and foster the German language. Similar endeavors were undertaken in Russia, Hungary, and Ireland, each of these areas being under a complex political and ethnic umbrella.