New words
1. Absolutist – Literally, a government or system of rule that has no restraints on the power exercised. In history, the term refers to a form of monarchical government that was centralised, militarised and repressive
2. Utopian – A vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.
3.Plebiscite – A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.
4. Suffrage – The right to vote
5. Conservatism – A political philosophy that stressed the importance of tradition, established institutions and customs, and preferred gradual development to quick change.
6. Feminist – Awareness of women’s rights and interests based on
the belief of the social, economic and political equality of the genders.
7. Ideology – System of ideas reflecting a particular social and political vision.
8. Ethnic – Relates to a common racial, tribal, or cultural origin or background that a community identifies with or claims.
9. Allegory – When an abstract idea (for instance, greed, envy,
freedom, liberty) is expressed through a person or a thing. An
allegorical story has two meanings, one literal and one symbolic.
Some important dates
1797
Napoleon invades Italy; Napoleonic wars begin.
1814-1815
Fall of Napoleon; the Vienna Peace Settlement.
1821
Greek struggle for independence begins.
1848
Revolutions in Europe; artisans, industrial workers and peasants revolt against economic hardships; middle classes demand constitutions and representative governments; Italians, Germans, Magyars, Poles, Czechs, etc. demand nation-states.
1859-1870
Unification of Italy.
1866-1871
Unification of Germany.
1905
Slav nationalism gathers force in the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires.
Important information according to the source as given in the NCERT text book
Ernst Renan, ‘What is a Nation?’
In a lecture delivered at the University of Sorbonne in 1882, the French philosopher Ernst Renan (1823-92) outlined his understanding of what makes a nation.
The lecture was subsequently published as a famous essay entitled
‘Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?’ (‘What is a Nation?’).
In this essay Renan criticises the notion suggested by others that a nation is formed by a common language, race, religion, or territory:
How were liberty and equality for women to be defined?
The liberal politician Carl Welcker, an elected member of the Frankfurt Parliament, expressed the following views:
‘Nature has created men and women to carry out different functions … Man, the stronger, the bolder and freer of the two, has been designated as protector of the family, its provider, meant for
public tasks in the domain of law, production, defence.
Woman, the weaker, dependent and timid, requires the protection of man. Her sphere is the home, the care of the children, the nurturing of the family …
Do we require any further proof that given such differences, equality between the sexes would only endanger harmony and destroy the dignity of the family?’
Louise Otto-Peters (1819-95) was a political activist who founded a women’s journal and subsequently a feminist political association. The first issue of her newspaper (21 April 1849) carried the following editorial:
‘Let us ask how many men, possessed by thoughts of living and dying for the sake of Liberty, would be prepared to fight for the freedom of the entire people, of all human beings?
When asked this question, they would all too easily respond with a “Yes!”, though their untiring efforts are intended for the benefit of only one half of humanity – men. But Liberty is indivisible!
Free men therefore must not tolerate to be surrounded by the unfree …’
An anonymous reader of the same newspaper sent the following letter to the editor on 25 June 1850:
‘It is indeed ridiculous and unreasonable to deny women political rights even though they enjoy the right to property which they make use of. They perform functions and assume responsibilities without however getting the benefits that accrue to men for the same …
Why this injustice?
Is it not a disgrace that even the stupidest cattle-herder possesses the right to vote, simply because he is a man, whereas highly talented women owning considerable property are excluded from this right, even though they contribute so much to the maintenance of the state?’
1. Absolutist – Literally, a government or system of rule that has no restraints on the power exercised. In history, the term refers to a form of monarchical government that was centralised, militarised and repressive
2. Utopian – A vision of a society that is so ideal that it is unlikely to actually exist.
3.Plebiscite – A direct vote by which all the people of a region are asked to accept or reject a proposal.
4. Suffrage – The right to vote
5. Conservatism – A political philosophy that stressed the importance of tradition, established institutions and customs, and preferred gradual development to quick change.
6. Feminist – Awareness of women’s rights and interests based on
the belief of the social, economic and political equality of the genders.
7. Ideology – System of ideas reflecting a particular social and political vision.
8. Ethnic – Relates to a common racial, tribal, or cultural origin or background that a community identifies with or claims.
9. Allegory – When an abstract idea (for instance, greed, envy,
freedom, liberty) is expressed through a person or a thing. An
allegorical story has two meanings, one literal and one symbolic.
Some important dates
1797
Napoleon invades Italy; Napoleonic wars begin.
1814-1815
Fall of Napoleon; the Vienna Peace Settlement.
1821
Greek struggle for independence begins.
1848
Revolutions in Europe; artisans, industrial workers and peasants revolt against economic hardships; middle classes demand constitutions and representative governments; Italians, Germans, Magyars, Poles, Czechs, etc. demand nation-states.
1859-1870
Unification of Italy.
1866-1871
Unification of Germany.
1905
Slav nationalism gathers force in the Habsburg and Ottoman Empires.
Important information according to the source as given in the NCERT text book
Ernst Renan, ‘What is a Nation?’
In a lecture delivered at the University of Sorbonne in 1882, the French philosopher Ernst Renan (1823-92) outlined his understanding of what makes a nation.
The lecture was subsequently published as a famous essay entitled
‘Qu’est-ce qu’une nation?’ (‘What is a Nation?’).
In this essay Renan criticises the notion suggested by others that a nation is formed by a common language, race, religion, or territory:
- ‘A nation is the culmination of a long past of endeavours, sacrifice and devotion.
- A heroic past, great men, glory, that is the social capital upon which one bases a national idea.
- To have common glories in the past, to have a common will in the present, to have performed great deeds together, to wish to perform still more, these are the essential conditions of being a people.
- A nation is therefore a large-scale solidarity … Its existence is a daily plebiscite … A province is its inhabitants; if anyone has the right to be consulted, it is the inhabitant.
- A nation never has any real interest in annexing or holding on to a country against its will.
- The existence of nations is a good thing, a necessity even.
- Their existence is a guarantee of liberty, which would be lost if
- the world had only one law and only one master.’
How were liberty and equality for women to be defined?
The liberal politician Carl Welcker, an elected member of the Frankfurt Parliament, expressed the following views:
‘Nature has created men and women to carry out different functions … Man, the stronger, the bolder and freer of the two, has been designated as protector of the family, its provider, meant for
public tasks in the domain of law, production, defence.
Woman, the weaker, dependent and timid, requires the protection of man. Her sphere is the home, the care of the children, the nurturing of the family …
Do we require any further proof that given such differences, equality between the sexes would only endanger harmony and destroy the dignity of the family?’
Louise Otto-Peters (1819-95) was a political activist who founded a women’s journal and subsequently a feminist political association. The first issue of her newspaper (21 April 1849) carried the following editorial:
‘Let us ask how many men, possessed by thoughts of living and dying for the sake of Liberty, would be prepared to fight for the freedom of the entire people, of all human beings?
When asked this question, they would all too easily respond with a “Yes!”, though their untiring efforts are intended for the benefit of only one half of humanity – men. But Liberty is indivisible!
Free men therefore must not tolerate to be surrounded by the unfree …’
An anonymous reader of the same newspaper sent the following letter to the editor on 25 June 1850:
‘It is indeed ridiculous and unreasonable to deny women political rights even though they enjoy the right to property which they make use of. They perform functions and assume responsibilities without however getting the benefits that accrue to men for the same …
Why this injustice?
Is it not a disgrace that even the stupidest cattle-herder possesses the right to vote, simply because he is a man, whereas highly talented women owning considerable property are excluded from this right, even though they contribute so much to the maintenance of the state?’
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