Nation-States developed in the West in the period 1500 to the present because the before the 1500s, the Nation-State that we know today did not exist. Prior to the 1500s people did not think themselves as part of a nation but kept to themselves in their town/villages. People identified with their religion or sovereign. The process of consolidating power was a bloody and violent task to complete. Those in power would ally themselves with neighboring locals who shared the same ideals as themselves. Monarchs spent a great deal of time uniting the people in their territories under one rule. Not surprisingly, as the Nation-State was developed so did a sense of nationalism. Specifically, with Germany and Italy the push to become a Nation-State was
…show more content…
In 1806 Napoleon combined a large portion of the German states except Prussia and Austria and established Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon taxed the people heavy and placed strict laws that eventually caused an outbreak with the people. Even though the Prussian armies where destroyed when fighting napoleon, this created a sense of nationalism as the people fought Napoleon and demonstrated that not only do they not want to be under French rule, the Prussians where not going to give in like the other states have done before them. The Prussians found loopholes in Napoleon’s laws and demonstrated that as a nation they were proud people. Napoleon established the Continental System, which forced Germany under Napoleon’s rule to forbid trading good with Britain. The Continental System caused a spike in nationalism as the people themselves resented Napoleon more than they did France. The people wanted Germany to have a true self government, without Napoleon. The spike in Germany’s Nationalism was far more than just a feud against Napoleon. The people wanted more for their country, even though they lost almost all of their language, traditions and sense of what the “old” Germany was like. Since the beginning of Napoleons rule over Germany in 1806 the people’s since of patriotism grew larger by every step Napoleon took to control the
In 1806 Napoleon combined a large portion of the German states except Prussia and Austria and established Confederation of the Rhine. Napoleon taxed the people heavy and placed strict laws that eventually caused an outbreak with the people. Even though the Prussian armies where destroyed when fighting napoleon, this created a sense of nationalism as the people fought Napoleon and demonstrated that not only do they not want to be under French rule, the Prussians where not going to give in like the other states have done before them. The Prussians found loopholes in Napoleon’s laws and demonstrated that as a nation they were proud people. Napoleon established the Continental System, which forced Germany under Napoleon’s rule to forbid trading good with Britain. The Continental System caused a spike in nationalism as the people themselves resented Napoleon more than they did France. The people wanted Germany to have a true self government, without Napoleon. The spike in Germany’s Nationalism was far more than just a feud against Napoleon. The people wanted more for their country, even though they lost almost all of their language, traditions and sense of what the “old” Germany was like. Since the beginning of Napoleons rule over Germany in 1806 the people’s since of patriotism grew larger by every step Napoleon took to control the