What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for?

Q: What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for?

The dominant social and political class on the continent was the landed aristocracy. This class’s members had a common way of life that transcended geographic boundaries. Their families were frequently linked together by marriage. However, this powerful aristocracy included a relatively tiny number of people.

The Aristocracy and the New Middle Class

New Conservatism after 1815

The ideology of liberalism was closely associated with early-nineteenth-century Europe. The term “liberalism” is derived from the Latin root liber, which means “freedom.” Liberalism promoted legal equality and personal freedom. It emphasized the concept of consent-based government. A constitution and parliament-based representative government. Property-owning men were granted the right to vote and run for office. They were a prominent group in the “Age of Social Change“.

Equality before the law did not stand necessarily for universal suffrage. Political rights were denied to men without property and to all women. Women, as well as non-property men and women, organized opposition movements calling for equal political rights. Only for a brief period of time, under the Jacobins did all the adult males enjoy some form of suffrage. However, the Napoleonic Code limited suffrage and reduced women to minor status, subject to the authority of fathers and husbands.

In the economic sector, liberalism meant freedom of markets and abolition of state-imposed restrictions in the movement of goods and capital. This was a strong demand for people of emerging middle classes in the 19th century.

The removal of state-imposed barriers to the free movement of goods and capital. In 1833, a merchant traveling from Hamburg to Nuremberg to sell his goods would have to pass through 11 customs barriers and pay a customs duty of approximately 5% at each one. Economic exchanges and growth were hampered by the new commercial classes, who advocated for the creation of a unified economic territory that allowed the free movement of goods, people, and capital. Tariff barriers were eliminated, and the number of currencies was reduced from over thirty to two.

In 1834, a customs union, or Zollverein was formed at the initiative of Prussia and was joined by most of the German states. The tariff barriers were removed and reduced the number of currencies was from thirty to two. The network of railways further stimulated mobility, economic interests, and national unification.

The Making of Nationalism in Europe | Class 10

In the mid-18th century, nation-states were not present in Europe and the whole of Europe was divided into kingdoms which were ruled by the monarchs who were fighting against each other for capturing more territories. The people did not share a common identity and history. The making of nationalism in Europe is based on many factors and agencies, which are discussed in the article.

The Making of Nationalism in Europe

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