19th Century Isms: Nationalism and Romanticism

Objective:
Today you will be guided through a series of activities to deepen your understanding of nationalism and romanticism, particularly their combined impact on the politics of early 19th century Europe.  Along the way, you will maintain your training in key class writing skills.


Steps:

1. 5 minutes: Read the brief background below, which summarizes the significance and major outcomes of nationalism and romanticism.
2. 15 minutes: Maintain your "fitness" by doing some DBQ training: read, annotate, and outline the provided DBQs on Greek independence.  This will deepen your understanding of how nationalism and romanticism powerfully combined in a case study of Greece.  
3. 10 minutes: Analyze the examples of art, music, and literature posted below.  Each is romantic, but also played a central role in the formation of national identity.  These are artists, composers, and writers whose names you should know for this unit (good for buzz words!).  
4. Remainder: Using that analysis, complete the FRQ outline on pg. 22 of your unit packet.  This will help with an "Isms" quiz during tomorrow's class.  

Background:
While nationalism and romanticism aren't purely political ideologies, they were strong cultural and intellectual currents that gave force and direction to many of the other political "isms" of the 19th century.  For example, conservatives often used the words and images of the romantic genre to uphold the ancient customs of European traditions.  On the other hand, liberals used nationalism to rile up working class pride and commitment to government.

Most importantly, when combined, nationalism and romanticism were extremely powerful tools to motivate political movements.  The romantic artists, composers, and writers of the early 19th century were important influences in the creation of national identities - particularly among those peoples who were a "nation" without a state (the Irish, Greeks, Italians, Germans, Poles and countless other Eastern European groups).

Therefore, romantic nationalism tended to have two impacts on the political geography of Europe:

1. A unifying force that brought together nations of people divided by existing borders (i.e. Germany and Italy)
2. A "balkanizing" force that broke apart the old multi-ethnic empires (i.e. the Austrian and Ottoman Empires)

Examples: Art, Music, Literature of Romantic Nationalism

Artist: Eugene Delacroix (click to view larger images)

Greece Expiring on the Ruins of Missolonghi, 1826

The (Greek) Massacre at Chios, 1824

Artist: Francisco Goya

The Third of May 1808, 1814

Artist: Caspar David Friedrich (romanticism, not nationalism)

The Wanderer Above the Sea Fog, 1814

Composers (if the iPad doesn't display the videos below, use your phone)

Literary Poets

"I am of Ireland," William Butler Yeats

'I am of Ireland,
And the Holy Land of Ireland,
And time runs on,' cried she.
'Come out of charity,
Come dance with me in Ireland.'

One man, one man alone
In that outlandish gear,
One solitary man
Of all that rambled there
Had turned his stately head.
That is a long way off,
And time runs on,' he said,
'And the night grows rough.'

...

'The fiddlers are all thumbs,
Or the fiddle-string accursed,
The drums and the kettledrums
And the trumpets all are burst,
And the trombone,' cried he,
'The trumpet and trombone,'
And cocked a malicious eye,
'But time runs on, runs on.'

I am of Ireland,
And the Holy Land of Ireland,
And time runs on,' cried she.
"Come out of charity
And dance with me in Ireland.' 

"Nemzeti Dal" ("Rise Up, Magyar"), Sandor Petofi (Hungarian)

Rise up, Magyar, the country calls!
It's 'now or never' what fate befalls...
Shall we live as slaves or free men?
That's the question - choose your `Amen'!
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

For up till now we lived like slaves,
Damned lie our forefathers in their graves -
They who lived and died in freedom
Cannot rest in dusts of thraldom.
God of Hungarians,
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee - that slaves we shall
no longer be!

...

Magyars' name will tell the story
Worthy of our erstwhile glory:
We must scrub off - fiercely cleansing
Centuries of shame condensing.
God of Hungarians
we swear unto Thee,
We swear unto Thee that slaves we shall
no longer be!