Give the reason behind the rising nationalism in Europe.

The ideological basis for the development of the modern nation-state is called nationalism. It was the ideological motivation that enabled the transformation of Europe. It caused the replacement rule by monarchies and foreign control of territory with newly formed national governments. The initial movement toward the modern nation-state was made through the French Revolution. This later on found further expression when new countries like Germany and Italy were formed by uniting various regional states with a common "national identity". Other European countries such as Greece, Serbia, Poland, Romania and Bulgaria, adapting nationalism were formed by uprisings against the Ottoman Empire and Russia.

The following are the reasons behind the rise of nationalism in Europe –

1) Rise of the middle class - Socially and politically, a landed aristocracy was the dominant class on the continent. This aristocracy, though dominant were a small group, albeit a powerful one. Initially, peasants made up the majority of the population. Western Europe was characterized by the presence of tenants and small owners. Eastern and Central Europe had vast estates which were cultivated by serfs. The commercial classes emerged in western Europe once the growth of industrial production and trade led to the growth of towns. This led to the emergence of new social groups like a working-class population and middle classes made up of industrialists, businessmen, professionals who were educated to a certain degree unlike the peasantry. They formed a educated liberal social group to whom the ideas of national unity held merit. They aided in the rise of nationalism and helped to abolish the privileges enjoyed by the aristocracy.

2) Liberal Nationalism - Ideas of national unity in early-nineteenth-century Europe were closely allied to the ideology of liberalism. The ideology of liberalism stood for freedom for the individual and equality of all before the law. This made it an appealing concept for the newly established middle-class groups who wanted the abolishment of aristocratic privileges. Liberalism emphasized the concept of government by consent. It stood for the freedom of markets in the economic sense. The abolition of state-imposed restrictions on the movement of goods and capital was another point of emphasis as per liberal nationalism. Zollverein, or The German Customs Union established in 1834 under Prussian leadership created a free-trade area throughout much of Germany and is often seen as an important step in German reunification. It proved that harnessing economic interests aided in national unification.

3) French and British Revolution – The French and British revolutionary armies carried the slogan of "liberty, equality and brotherhood" and ideas of liberalism and national self-determinism. These armies contributed by emphasizing on national identity and considered nationhood as a form of cultural self-expression. At the end of the Napoleonic wars in 1815, promoted the concept of "legitimism" which was concerned with the assertion of traditional claims to royal authority. During this period, nationalism as a concept was still confined to small groups of intellectuals and political radicals. There occurred a period of political repression which caused nationalist agitators to go underground.

4) Revolutionaries - During the years following 1815, the fear of repression drove many liberal-nationalists underground. This led to the formation of secret societies in many European states whose purpose was to train revolutionaries and spread their ideas. The ideas mostly comprised of commitment to oppose any and all monarchy and to uphold the ideals of liberty and freedom. To replace the existing monarchial system, the revolutionaries supported the creation of nation-states, giving nationalism a boost in popularity.

5) Cultural Contribution – The development of nationalism did not come about only through wars and territorial expansion. An important role was played by cultural aspects in order to create the idea of a nation. Nationalist feelings were shaped and expressed with the help of art and poetry, stories and music. Since the majority of the peasant class was illiterate, to make them understand the modern nationalist message emphasis was put on vernacular language and local folklore.

The spread and development of the ideals of European nationalism went on to not only threaten the empires ruled by colonial European nation-states but also compete and create unified nations based on the concept.