The Rise of the Nation-State occurred when the unification of several European powers demanded a new kind of state. This state was based on nationalism, rather than political influence.
The Crimean War was a key point in historical nationalism, as it weakened both Russia and Austria, the latter of whom holding great influence and preventing much unification. Italy, which had been split by Austria and France, took the opportunity to unite as Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, brought the people together. Count Cavour, the prime minister of Sardinia, sought to unify as well, and attempted to bring the French in to help. However, as Prussia felt threatened, the French troops were forced to remove themselves from Italy. Though now alone, Cavour persisted and eventually succeeded in a northern revolution, with a parliament set up in Turin. After communication and compromise with Garibaldi and his army of Red Shirts, Cavour launched yet another revolution in the south, almost completely uniting Italy, save Rome. Thus, Italy became a united nation-state under the monarch Victor Emmanuel I.
In the mess of ethnicities brewing in central Europe, Germans in particular began to unite due to Napoleon's influential nationalist ideas. Some attempts were made at German unification, such as the Frankfurt Assembly, which tried to unite the people as a state, but had no political power. A Zollverein, or economic link, already existed between Prussia and Germany, making the way for unification, but not completely allowing it. As Prussia began to decline, however, Kaiser Wilhelm required a Chancellor to help: Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck worked outside the realms of Parliament to raise tax money for a larger army, completely ignoring the government speaking against him. With this new army, Bismarck joined with Austria in an attack on Denmark, and when the pieces of land were given to each country, Austria felt threatened, as Bismarck's new land nearly surrounded Austria's. In response, Austria declared war; just as Bismarck had planned, Prussia was the "victim" as seen by the populus. His modernized army quickly disposed of the Austrians in the appropriately-named Seven Weeks War. Now, in order to unite southern Germany, Bismarck needed to remove France from the equation. Using the same technique of goading the opposition into attacking first, Bismarck tampered with a document, the Ems Dispatch, that insulted the country, causing another breakout of war. After once again subduing the opposition with its superior army in the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia united with Germany as the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm.
France, as usual, had trouble keeping a stable government for very long during this century, especially after the weakening of the country caused by Napoleon III's defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. When war broke out between the National Assembly and the French people, a Commune was set up to act as the new government, a more radical regime. However, fighting continued, with a violent attack by conservatives, ending in yet another change: the Third French Republic. This new republic lasted longer than any other new form of government beforehand, but this was not the expected result, and was thought to be temporary, just as the other revolutions were. This was especially apparent after the Dreyfus Affair, in which an innocent Jewish officer in the army was accused of treason. Word soon spread that the man was innocent, and writers such as Emile Zola influenced the decision, provoking anti-Semitic movements opposed by the republic's new policy of separation of church and state. The republic was shaky, but it held the people together for quite some time, up until the first world war.
Austria, meanwhile, had troubles of its own, and went the opposite way from these new unifications. After being defeated by both Italy and Prussia, the Habsburgs were quickly losing influence and power, not helped at all by the monarch, Franz Joseph, being isolated from the country's problems. Nationalism was brewing among the various ethnic groups in Austria, with the Hungarians being the biggest problem. After a series of attempts to unify, Austria finally gave in and offered an Ausgleich, a dual monarchy that split the country into two pieces, each with its own constitution and parliament, but both reported first to the Habsburgs. This did not liberate the Hungarians at all, and further infuriated the other ethnic groups who had no representation, especially the Slavs. This suppression of groups that already had nationalist ideas would cause even greater turbulence down the line.
The Crimean War was a key point in historical nationalism, as it weakened both Russia and Austria, the latter of whom holding great influence and preventing much unification. Italy, which had been split by Austria and France, took the opportunity to unite as Mazzini, an Italian revolutionary, brought the people together. Count Cavour, the prime minister of Sardinia, sought to unify as well, and attempted to bring the French in to help. However, as Prussia felt threatened, the French troops were forced to remove themselves from Italy. Though now alone, Cavour persisted and eventually succeeded in a northern revolution, with a parliament set up in Turin. After communication and compromise with Garibaldi and his army of Red Shirts, Cavour launched yet another revolution in the south, almost completely uniting Italy, save Rome. Thus, Italy became a united nation-state under the monarch Victor Emmanuel I.
In the mess of ethnicities brewing in central Europe, Germans in particular began to unite due to Napoleon's influential nationalist ideas. Some attempts were made at German unification, such as the Frankfurt Assembly, which tried to unite the people as a state, but had no political power. A Zollverein, or economic link, already existed between Prussia and Germany, making the way for unification, but not completely allowing it. As Prussia began to decline, however, Kaiser Wilhelm required a Chancellor to help: Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck worked outside the realms of Parliament to raise tax money for a larger army, completely ignoring the government speaking against him. With this new army, Bismarck joined with Austria in an attack on Denmark, and when the pieces of land were given to each country, Austria felt threatened, as Bismarck's new land nearly surrounded Austria's. In response, Austria declared war; just as Bismarck had planned, Prussia was the "victim" as seen by the populus. His modernized army quickly disposed of the Austrians in the appropriately-named Seven Weeks War. Now, in order to unite southern Germany, Bismarck needed to remove France from the equation. Using the same technique of goading the opposition into attacking first, Bismarck tampered with a document, the Ems Dispatch, that insulted the country, causing another breakout of war. After once again subduing the opposition with its superior army in the Franco-Prussian War, Prussia united with Germany as the German Empire under Kaiser Wilhelm.
France, as usual, had trouble keeping a stable government for very long during this century, especially after the weakening of the country caused by Napoleon III's defeat in the Franco-Prussian war. When war broke out between the National Assembly and the French people, a Commune was set up to act as the new government, a more radical regime. However, fighting continued, with a violent attack by conservatives, ending in yet another change: the Third French Republic. This new republic lasted longer than any other new form of government beforehand, but this was not the expected result, and was thought to be temporary, just as the other revolutions were. This was especially apparent after the Dreyfus Affair, in which an innocent Jewish officer in the army was accused of treason. Word soon spread that the man was innocent, and writers such as Emile Zola influenced the decision, provoking anti-Semitic movements opposed by the republic's new policy of separation of church and state. The republic was shaky, but it held the people together for quite some time, up until the first world war.
Austria, meanwhile, had troubles of its own, and went the opposite way from these new unifications. After being defeated by both Italy and Prussia, the Habsburgs were quickly losing influence and power, not helped at all by the monarch, Franz Joseph, being isolated from the country's problems. Nationalism was brewing among the various ethnic groups in Austria, with the Hungarians being the biggest problem. After a series of attempts to unify, Austria finally gave in and offered an Ausgleich, a dual monarchy that split the country into two pieces, each with its own constitution and parliament, but both reported first to the Habsburgs. This did not liberate the Hungarians at all, and further infuriated the other ethnic groups who had no representation, especially the Slavs. This suppression of groups that already had nationalist ideas would cause even greater turbulence down the line.