Here are some important “Sources” from History Chapter 1 Rise of Nationalism in Europe to help you practice Source-Based Questions for the CBSE board exams.
Source – 1
“A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea. To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in the present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these are the essential conditions of being a people. A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity … Its existence is a daily plebiscite… A province is its inhabitants; if anyone has the right to be consulted, it is the inhabitant. A nation never has any real interest in annexing or holding on to a country against its will. The existence of nations is a good thing, a necessity even. Their existence is a guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if the world had only one law and only one master”
Q.1 Who was ‘Ernst Renan’? (1)
Ans. Ernst Renan was a French philosopher.
Ans. Ernst Renan was a French philosopher.
Q.2 What is a nation? (1)
Ans. “A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea.”
Ans. “A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion. A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea.”
Q.3 Define Plebiscite. (2)
Ans. A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.
Ans. A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.
Source – 2
The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789. France, as you would remember, was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute monarch. The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens. The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth constitute the nation and shape its destiny. From the very beginning, the French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people. The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution. A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal standard. The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
Q.1 When did the first clear-cut expression of nationalism come in France? (1)
Ans. The first clear-cut expression of nationalism came in France with the French Revolution in 1789.
Ans. The first clear-cut expression of nationalism came in France with the French Revolution in 1789.
Q.2 What was the situation of France before the French Revolution? (1)
Ans. France was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute monarch.
Ans. France was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute monarch.
Q.3 What steps did the French revolutionaries take to create a sense of collective identity? (2)
Ans.
1. A new French flag, the tricolour, replaced the royal standard.
2. The Estates General was elected by active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
Ans.
1. A new French flag, the tricolour, replaced the royal standard.
2. The Estates General was elected by active citizens and renamed the National Assembly.
Source – 3
Ideas of national unity in early-nineteenth-century Europe were closely allied to the ideology of liberalism. The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free. For the new middle classes liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law. Politically, it emphasised the concept of government by consent. Since the French Revolution, liberalism had stood for the end of autocracy and clerical privileges, a constitution and representative government through parliament. Nineteenth-century liberals also stressed the inviolability of private property.
Q.1 Define ‘Liberalism’. (1)
Ans. The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free.
Ans. The term ‘liberalism’ derives from the Latin root liber, meaning free.
Q.2 What did liberalism mean for the new middle class in Europe? (1)
Ans. For the new middle classes, liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law.
Ans. For the new middle classes, liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law.
Q.3 What do you mean by universal suffrage? (2)
Ans. The right to vote for all adult citizens.
Ans. The right to vote for all adult citizens.
Source – 4
One such individual was the Italian revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini. Born in Genoa in 1807, he became a member of the secret society of the Carbonari. As a young man of 24, he was sent into exile in 1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He subsequently founded two more underground societies—Young Italy in Marseilles, and Young Europe in Berne—whose members were like-minded young men from Poland, France, Italy and the German states. Mazzini believed that God had intended nations to be the natural units of mankind. So Italy could not continue to be a patchwork of small states and kingdoms. It had to be forged into a single unified republic within a wider alliance of nations. This unification alone could be the basis of Italian liberty. Following his model, secret societies were set up in Germany, France, Switzerland and Poland. Mazzini’s relentless opposition to monarchy and his vision of democratic republics frightened the conservatives. Metternich described him as ‘the most dangerous enemy of our social order’.
Q.1 Who was Giuseppe Mazzini? (1)
Ans. Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary.
Ans. Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary.
Q.2 Who described Mazzini as ‘the most dangerous enemy of our social order’? (1)
Ans. Metternich.
Ans. Metternich.
Q.3 How was Mazzini involved in the unification of Italy? (2)
Ans.
1. He attempted a revolution in Liguria.
2. He joined and founded secret societies such as Young Italy.
3. He inspired people to aim for a united liberal republic.
Ans.
1. He attempted a revolution in Liguria.
2. He joined and founded secret societies such as Young Italy.
3. He inspired people to aim for a united liberal republic.
Source: NCERT
