Question

Choose three examples to show the contribution of culture to the growth of nationalism
in Europe.

NCERT Class X
Social Studies - India and the Contemporary World II

Answer 1

Three examples to show the contribution of culture to the growth of nationalism in Europe were:

→ Romanticism was a European cultural movement aimed at developing national unity by creating a sense of shared heritage and common history. The Romantic artists' emphasis on emotions, intuition and mystical feelings gave shape and expression to nationalist sentiments. The strength of art in promoting nationalism is well exemplified in the role played by European poets and artists in mobilising public opinion to support the Greeks in their struggle to establish their national identity.


→ Folk songs, dances and poetry contributed to popularising the spirit of nationalism and patriotic fervour in Europe. Collecting and recording the different forms of folk culture was important for building a national consciousness. Being a part of the lives of the common people, folk culture enabled nationalists to carry the message of nationalism to a large and diverse audience. The Polish composer Karol Kurpinski celebrated and popularised the Polish nationalist struggle through his operas and music, turning folk dances like the polonaise and mazurka into nationalist symbols.


→ Language also played a distinctive role in developing nationalist feelings in Europe. An example of this is how during Russian occupation, the use of Polish came to be seen as a symbol of struggle against Russian dominance. During this period, Polish language was forced out of schools and Russian language was imposed everywhere. Following the defeat of an armed rebellion against Russian rule in 1831, many members of the clergy in Poland began using language as a weapon of national resistance. They did so by refusing to preach in Russian, and by using Polish for Church gatherings and religious instruction. The emphasis on the use of vernacular language, the language of the masses, helped spread the message of national unity.

Answer 2

Answer: the development of nationalism did not came only through words and territorial expansion culture played an important role to the Rise and growth of nationalism in Europe the following three examples show the contribution of culture to the growth of nationalism in Europe
1) The effect of culture in creating the idea of nationalism was said by a romantic German philosopher Johann Gottfried Herder (1744 to 1803) he claimed it was through folk songs,folk poetry and folk dances that the true spirit of the nationalism was popularised.

2) The effect of culture in erosing National feeling was presented by a polish writer Karol Kurpinski he celebrated the national struggle against the partition of his country through his operas and music turning folk dances which he used as national symbol roused at the national feeling of the people of the Poland

3) Language also played an important role in the growth of nationalism of traditional occupation, the polish language was forced to approved from polish schools and offices the polish people revolved giant the Russian rule which was ultimately crushed following this many members of the clergy in Poland and begin to use language as a weapon of national resistance