Highlight the reasons for the growth of nationalist tensions in the Balkan region before the First World War.

OR

Why was 1848 considered phase of the revolution of the Liberals in Europe? Explain.

The reasons for the growth of the Nationalist tension in the Balkan region before the first World war are highlighted below:

● The Balkan was the region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern-day Romania, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, etc.

● A large part of the Balkan was under the control of the Ottoman Empire.

● It was an explosive area due to the spread of the ideas of romantic Nationalism in Balkan and the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire.

● The Empire was not even able to strengthen itself through modernization and internal reforms.

● The people of the Balkan claimed for independence and political rights using their nationality and history to prove that they were an independent nation but were subjugated by a foreign power.

● The people struggled to define their identity and their Balkan area became an area of intense conflict.

● At the same time the great European powers of Russia, England, Germany and Austro Hungary were keen on capturing this area as it was important from the viewpoint of trade.

● This led to a series of War and finally became the cause of the first world war.

OR

1848 is called a period revolution of the liberals in Europe to the following reasons:

● The events of February 1848 in France had brought about the abdication of the monarch and Republic based on the universal male suffrage had been proclaimed.

● Germany, Italy, Poland, and Austro Hungary- men and women of the liberal class had combined the demand for constitution with National unification.

● They took advantage of the public interest to push the demand for the creation of a nation-state based on the principles of the Parliament- constitution, freedom for press and freedom for Association.

● Many political associations in Germany, whose members were middle-class professionals, businessmen and artisans came together to Frankfurt and decided to vote for an all-German national assembly.

● The middle-class class who resisted the demands of workers and artisans lost their support.

● The troops were called in and the Assembly was forced to disband.

● The issue of extending political rights to women was very controversial within the liberal movement.

● Women had actively participated and found their political associations, newspapers, etc.