THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE IDEA OF A NATION
1 The first clear expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789.
France was a full-fledged territorial state in 1789 under the rule of an absolute monarch.
2 French Revolution gave way to the political and constitutional changes that led to the
transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens.
3 The revolution proclaimed that it was the people who would henceforth constitute the
nation and shape its destiny.
4 The French revolutionaries introduced various measures and practices that could create a
sense of collective identity amongst the French people.
5 The ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasized the notion
of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution.
6 Some changes that occurred:
A new French flag, the tricolour, was chosen to replace the former royal
standard.
7 The Estates General was elected by the body of active citizens and renamed the
National Assembly.
8 New hymns were composed, oaths taken and martyrs commemorated, all in the
name of the nation.
9 A centralized administrative system was put in place and it formulated uniform
laws for all citizens within its territory.
10 Internal customs duties and dues were abolished and a uniform system of weights
and measures was adopted.
11 Regional dialects were discouraged and French, as it was spoken and written in
Paris, became the common language of the nation.
Post a Comment