Crash Course European History - Nation Building in Europe

Introduction

• Europe today has unified countries like Italy and Germany that didn't exist as such during earlier episodes.
• Many modern national stereotypes are recent; in 1850, most Italians didn't identify as "Italians."
• European nation-building was significant after the revolutions, eventually leading to 20th-century nationalism.

Napoleon III and France

• Napoleon III declared himself emperor on December 2, 1851, following his uncle Napoleon Bonaparte.
• Focused on modernizing France by boosting the economy, creating banks, and building railroads.
• Established a rubber-stamp legislature and outlawed worker activism.
• Provoked the Crimean War, weakening the Holy Alliance and leading to Russian reforms.

Italy's Unification

• Camillo di Cavour aimed to unify Italy, modernizing economically and politically.
• Napoleon III supported Cavour to gain territory from Austria.
• In 1859, Piedmont provoked Austria into war, leading to victories and growing Italian nationalism.
• Giuseppe Garibaldi, a revolutionary, captured the south for Italy, leading to Italian unification in 1861.

Realpolitik

• Realpolitik: Focus on practical politics and power rather than romantic or divine ideals.
• Otto von Bismarck, a key realpolitik figure, sought German unification under Prussian leadership.

Otto von Bismarck and Germany

• Bismarck, initially a non-serious aristocrat, became a significant political figure.
• Supported Prussian King William I, aiming for German unification.
• Used diplomacy and power politics to advance Prussia, avoiding parliamentary obstacles.
• Orchestrated wars for strategic gain, notably the Austro-Prussian War.

The Franco-Prussian War

• Bismarck manipulated media to provoke France into war in 1870.
• Prussia's victory led to the declaration of the German Empire in 1871.
• Bismarck's tactics included "negative integration," targeting enemies to unify Germans.

Challenges of Nation-Building

• Negative integration involved antagonizing groups like Catholics and Social Democrats.
• Bismarck enacted social welfare programs amidst economic downturns.
• Nations were built through shared beliefs or opposing others.

Conclusion

• Nation-building in Europe involved creating shared identities and sometimes opposing others.
• Modern communities can reflect these dynamics by sharing common traits or defining themselves against others.

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• Key Concepts:
  • Nation-building, Realpolitik, negative integration, economic modernization, shared identity vs. opposition
• Important Figures:
  • Napoleon III, Camillo di Cavour, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Otto von Bismarck
• Significant Events:
  • Crimean War, Italian unification, Austro-Prussian War, Franco-Prussian War, declaration of the German Empire.