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Treaty of Westphalia
Ratification of the Peace of Münster (Gerard ter Borch, Münster, 1648)
This seres of peace treaties not only ended the Thirty Years' War but instituted the system of Westphalian sovereignty in Europe. This system discouraged intervention in other nation's affairs, gave independence to the Swiss and Netherlands, and was a nationalistic precurser to national self-determination. -
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French Revolution
"Liberty Leading the People" by Eugène Delacroix
This movement marked a shift away from the historical kingdoms and empires, which marked European history until this point, towards a new era of nationalism and a new political structure. The piece by Delacroix is an accurate and effective visualization of the spirit of patriotism and passion for the new liberal democratic ideals which gave rise and momentum to the movement. -
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Greek War of Independence
Hymn to Liberty by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823
The Greek War of Independence was a movement driven by the increase of nationalism which arose as the result of the influnce of the European enlightenment and radical nationalistic ideals circulating across Europe at this time. This was picked up by Greeks studying in Europe at the time, causing a rise in national Greek identity back home which demanded action to achieve Greek independence. -
Unification of Germany
Nationalist Speech by Otto Von Bismarck
The unification of Germany represents a larger cultural phenomenon of a lerger period in history when linguistic and cultural similarities compiled to draw seperate political states into unified nation-states. This realization of a shared identity that was distinct from that of other nations was a leading factor in the rise of nationalism and quickly became a pattern. -
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The Great War
WWI propaganda poster for Great Britain
The Great War formed a need for a huge number of men to serve their country by laying down their lives out of patriotism. Governments would not have been able to ask this of their citizens without a strong background of nationalism from which to draw loyalty and national pride in service. This war also resulted in the founding of the modern nation-state we know now -
League of Nations mandate system
League of Nations Article 22
The League of Nations was established after WWI with the purpose of maintaining global peace, although its mandate system laid out in article 22 has the unintended consequence of perpetuating the practice of imperialist colonialism. This practice is a long standing one in European history, stemming from the nationalist interests of the mother country.
