Question

1. Write a note on:
a) Guiseppe Mazzini
b) Count Camillo de Cavour
c) The Greek war of independence
d) Frankfurt parliament
e) The role of women in nationalist struggles​

Answer 1

Answer:

(a) Guiseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary. He was born in Genoa in 1807. He was sent into exile at the age of 24 in 1831 for attempting a revolution in Liguria. He founded two secret societies, namely Young Italy and Young Europe. He inspired the young members of these societies to involve in revolutionary activities. Following his ideas and on the model of his secret societies, more such societies were set up in Germany, France, Switzerland and Poland. Austrian Chancellor DukeMattermich once describe him as ‘the most dangerous energy of our social order’.

(b) Count Camillo de Cavour was the Chief Minister of Piedmont. He was neither a democrat nor a revolutionary. But he led the movement to unify the regions of Italy. Through tact and diplomacy he entered into an alliance with France and succeded in defeating Austrian forces in 1859.

(c) This was a successful war waged by Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1829 against the Ottoman Empire. Greek nationalists were influenced by the idea of Liberal nationalism. They were supported by the West European countries in this war of independence. Further, the poets and artists, who added romanticism to the Greek struggle of independence, participated in this war against the Ottoman Empire. With the Treaty of Constantinople in 1832 Greece was recognized as an independent nation.

(d) The German middle class decided to vote for an all – German National Assembly in 1848, and 831 persons were elected. They comprised the National Assembly. The assembly decided to organize the Parliament at Frankfurt in the church of St. Paul. Thus, on 18th May, 1848, the famous Frankfurt Parliament was convened. The assembly decided that the German nation would be a constitutional monarchy controlled by Parliament, and offered the crown to the Prussian King, Friedrich Wilhelm IV. But he rejected it and joined other monarchs to oppose the elected assembly. The Parliament also faced strong opposition from the aristocracy and military as it was dominated by the middle class who resisted the demands of workers and artisans. As a result of this the middle class lost their mass support.

Ultimately, the monarchy and military combined together with the aristocracy and won over the liberal nationalist middle class. This forced the assembly to disband.

Therefore, the Frankfurt Parliament is famous in history as a failure of liberalism and a victory of the monarchy.

(e) Women played very significant roles in nationalist struggles all over the world. They actively participated in movements, faced the tortures of police, stood by their male counterparts, spread the idea of liberal nationalism and also were members of various revolutionary organizations. A good example is the French Revolution, in which men and women participated equally. Even the concept of Liberty is personified as a woman.

Liberal nationalism proposed the idea of universal suffrage, leading to women’s active participation in nationalist movements in Europe. In spite of this, they were given little or no political rights or right to vote till the end of the 19th century

Answer 2

Question :-

1. Write a Note on:

a) Giuseppe Mazzini

b) Count Camilo de Cavour

c) The Greek War of Independence

d) The Frankfurt Parliament

e) The role of women in nationalist struggles

Answer :-

a) Giuseppe Mazzini: Giuseppe Mazzini was an Italian revolutionary. He was born in Genoa in 1807. He

was a member of the secret society of the Carbonari. At the age of 24, he was sent into exile in 1831 for

attempting a revolution in Liguria. He founded underground societies named ‘Young Italy’ in Marseilles

and ‘Young Europe’ in Berne, whose members were like-minded young men from Poland, France, Italy

and the German States. He believed that God had intended nations to be the natural units of mankind.

So, Italy had to be forged into a single unified republic within a wider alliance of nations.

b) Count Camilo de Cavour: Cavour was chief minister of Sardinia-Piedmont state who led the movement

to unify the regions of Italy. He was neither a revolutionary nor a democrat. Like many other wealthy and

educated members of the Italian elite, he spoke French much better than he did Italian. He engineered a

careful diplomatic alliance with France, which helped Sardinia-Piedmont defeat the Austrian forces in

1859, and thereby free the northern part of Italy from the Austrian Habsburgs.

c) The Greek War of Independence: Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire since the 15th century.

The struggle for independence amongst the Greeks began in 1821. Nationalists in Greece got support

from other Greeks living in exile and also from many Western Europeans sharing sympathies for ancient

Greek culture. Poets and artists lauded Greece as the cradle of European civilisation and mobilised public

opinion to support its struggle against a Muslim empire. Finally, the Treaty of Constantinople of 1832

recognised Greece as an independent nation.

d) The Frankfurt Parliament: It was an all-German National Assembly formed by a large number of

political associations whose members were middle-class professionals, businessmen and prosperous

artisans. Its first meeting was convened on 18 May 1848 in the Church of St. Paul at Frankfurt. They

drafted a constitution for the German nation to be headed by a monarchy subject to a parliament. The

king of Prussia rejected the crown offered by the deputies of parliament and joined other monarchs to

oppose the elected assembly. As it was dominated by the middle classes who resisted the demands of

workers and artisans and consequently lost their support. In the end, troops were called in and the

assembly was forced to disband.

e) The role of women in nationalist struggles: The issue of extending political rights to women was a

controversial one within the liberal movement, in which large numbers of women had participated actively

over the years. Women had formed their own political associations, founded newspapers and taken part

in political meetings and demonstrations. Despite this, they were denied suffrage during the election of

the Assembly. When the Frankfurt Parliament convened in the Church of St. Paul, women were admitted

only as observers to stand in the visitors’ gallery.

Hope it helps ❤