Unit 4: NATIONALISM: FROM CONCERT TO COMPETITION

Recap:

In this section, I learned the role of nationalism in the (relatively recent) formation of several modern European nations. Nationalism was a strong feeling of pride in and devotion to one's country. The msot common example can be found in the national anthems of countries, such as The Star Spangled Banner for the U.S.A. or La Marseillaise for France. Nationalism emerged in the late 19th Century in Europe, and its impact on Europe was incredible! Nationalism saw the birth of the countries of Germany and Italy, through the unification of the many territories that made up these areas. The many states and kindoms within Germany were unified under the ideas of Otto von Bismarck, and Italy became unified for the first time since the time of the Romans by the work of Victor Emmanuel II, Count Camillo Cavour and Guiseppe Garibaldi. In short, these leaders provoked feelings of pride among their citizens, so they began to bond together as nations! Meanwhile, in Russia, there were evolts agains the Czars and attempts to reform, which came more slowly than they did in Western Europe.

Review:

In my group's presentation about Nationalism in Italy, we did a good job at highlighting certain events surrounding Victor Emmanuel, cavour and Garibaldi. We also made some detailed and effective puppets! However, I feel that we kind of missed comunicating the big picture, such as how each event contributed to Italy's coming together as a nation. That is, we sort of skimmed over the whole idea without empasizng how it all came to be. (Also, I think our puppets should have had more speaking roles...)

In comparing and contrasting the Italian unification struggle with the situation in Russia, they really were quite different in the usage of nationalism. In Italy, nationalism was used by the leaders in order to cause their citizens to bond together and create a unified kingdom. In sharp contrast, the Russian Czars were extremely opposed to nationalism, mainly because they knew it would bring an end to their rules. In fact, many Czars made attempts to silence any and all people who had nationalistic ideas. This tended to cause the people to revolt, demanding reforms for their benefit, or that the current Czar be removed. Howver, the situations do have at least one similarity: in both cases there were violent struggles (Garibaldi's conquest in Italy and the peasant revolts in Russia).

Reflect & Reinvent:

In general, I find nationalism to be a fairly useful ideology, in that in helps to keep nations together and can give them spirit and hope in times of hardship or war. On the other hand, it can also be dangerous in that it can provoke wars or violence that lead a country into disaster or endless fighting without hope of success. If nationalism were to be reinvented, I think it ought to be used more for peaceful reforms that don't lead into huge struggles. It could actually be used to point out similarities between warring countries. For example "Hey, we're both fighting for the same thing here- why can't we try to get along? After all, we may behave differently, but deep down, were really the same!"