History of European Nationalism

1789-1914

This course will explore the history of modern European nationalism from the French Revolution to the beginning of World War I. Particular attention will be paid to its transformation from a revolutionary and internationalist force with relatively few supporters to a mass movement that was increasingly used to support state power and imperial expansion. Sources will include two novels and writings by both nationalists who developed the modern European “national idea” over the course of the nineteenth century and their critics. Contemporary scholarship and theories on the nature of nationalism and its relationship to gender, ethnicity, empire, and class will also be explored. Finally, the course will examine the relationship between modern European and anti-colonial nationalism as well as the role of nationalism in an increasingly globalized world.