The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation - Concepts - Chapter 1 Class 10 History - Rise of Nationalism in Europe - History

Measures taken by French Revolutionaries to create a sense of national belonging in the hearts of French people.

• In 1789 , the first clear expression of nationalism came out with the French Revolution.
• France in 1789 was a full-fledged territorial state under the rule of an absolute monarch.
• In the wake of the French Revolution , the political and constitutional changes that came led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.
• The French revolution proclaimed that it was the people of France who would constitute the nation and shape its destiny.
• From the very beginning of the revolution , the revolutionaries started introducing various measures and practices that could create a sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
• The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) were introduced to promote the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
• To replace the former royal standard , a new French flag , the tricolor was chosen.
• The body of active citizens elected the Estates Genera l and renamed the National Assembly.
• In the name of the nation new hymns were composed , oaths were taken and martyrs were commemorated .
• A centralized administrative system was put in place.
• Uniform laws were formulated for all citizens of the nation.
• Internal custom duties and dues were abolished.
• Uniform system of weight and measures were adopted.
• Other regional dialects were discouraged and French became the common language of the nation.
• The French revolutionaries declared that it was their aim and mission and the destiny of the French nation to liberate the people of Europe from despotism.
• With the news of the F rench revolution reaching other cities of Europe , students and members of educated middle classes began setting up Jacobin clubs.
• In the 1790s the activities and campaigns prepared by the J acobin Clubs prepared the way for the French armies which moved into Holland , Belgium , Switzerland and much of Italy.
• French armies began to carry the idea of nationalism abroad.

Napoleon destroyed the democracy in france.

But,  

• Although he again set up a monarchical regime , in the administrative field he incorporated r evolutionary principles to make the whole system rational and efficient.
• The Civil Code of 1804 also known as Napoleonic Code was introduced which did away with all the privileges based on birth , established equality before law and secured right to property.
• Napoleonic code was exported to regions under French control.
• Napoleon simplified administrative divisions, abolished the feudal system and freed the peasants from serfdom and manorial dues.
• In towns , Napoleon removed the guild restrictions.
• Transport and communication system was improved.
• A new found freedom was enjoyed by peasants , artisans, workers and new businessmen.
• Small scale producers and businessmen started to understand that uniform laws , standardised weights and a common national currency would make the movement of goods and exchange of goods and capital from one region to another easier .
• However, the reaction of the local population to French rule was mixed. 
• Some places like Holland, Switzerland, Brussels, Mainz, Milan and Warsaw French armies were welcomed as harbingers of liberty.
• But soon hostility developed among people as administrative arrangements did not go hand in hand .
• Increased taxation , censorship , forced administration into french armies outweighed the advantages of the administrative system.