Question

"The idealistic liberal-democratic sentiment of the nationalism in the first half of the nineteenth century became a narrow creed with limited ends." examine the statement.

Answer 1

• Towards the last quarter of the 19^th century, nationalism could not retain its idealistic liberal-democratic sentiment of the first half of the century, but became a narrow belief with inadequate ends.
• This period saw nationalist groups becoming increasingly prejudiced of each other and ready to go wage a war at the slightest of the pretext
• The chief European authorities saw this as an opportunity and manipulated the nationalist desires of the subject peoples in Europe to enhance their own imperialist objectives.
• The most severe nationalist tension in Europe after 1871 was in the area called the Balkans.

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