Sunday, April 26, 2020
Reformation and Rise of Nationalism
Introduction Profound changes in human conduct have been witnessed in the world especially in medieval Europe. The changes which were mainly brought about by rights movement and discontent with established practices culminated into the organization society with orderly and systematic way of doing things. This paper seeks to describe the sequence of things that led to Reformation, the rise of nationalism and finally the development of universal laws.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Reformation and Rise of Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Reformation Reformation is a term that is used to refer to the ââ¬Å"Christian reform movement that led to the establishment of Protestantism as a constituent branch of contemporary Christianityâ⬠( Revesz 45). The advent of this reform movement can be traced to 1517 after the publication of the ââ¬Å"Ninety-Five Thesesâ⬠by Martin Luther (Malhotra , pars. 3). The reformation was facilitated by Catholics from western European Catholics who had tried to transform the Roman Catholic Church (Revesz 26). This faction was opposed to the doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. They were especially discontented with the habit of ââ¬Å"buying and selling of clerical offices which they regarded as evidence of the systematic corruption of the Churchââ¬â¢s Roman hierarchyâ⬠(Social Origins of Democracy, pars. 34). The ââ¬Å"ninety-Five Theses on the power and Efficacy of indulgencesâ⬠written by Martin Luther mainly argued and criticized both the Pope and the church (Revesz, pars. 3-5). The movement was joined by various reformers who later disintegrated due to lack of doctrinal consensus. As a consequence, various protestant denominations were established. This later led to a 30 year ware between the rulers who had adopted Protestantism and those who defended the Roman Catholic. In the end a treaty was signe d to ensure that: all the states be aware of the ââ¬Å"peace deal which allowed the prince of a given state to determine the religion of his own state; Christians living in states where their denominations were not the established church would be guaranteed the right to practice their faithâ⬠. Origins of nationalism and equal rights The roots of nationalism can be traced to the reformation period. The interdenominational wars resulted into insecurity. In the ââ¬Å"absence of strong Governmentââ¬â¢s the people surrendered their lands and labor to local war loads in return for shelter and supportâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 2). This systematically gave rise to aristocracy which would later form the basis for revolutionaries towards nationalism. ââ¬Å"The first expression of nationalism came with the French Revolution in 1789â⬠(Malhotra, pars. 3). The country was then an already operational state was being ruled by monarchy. ââ¬Å"The political and constitutional changes that came in the wake of the French Revolution led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to the body of the French citizenâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 4).Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This was the first historical instance in which collective identity was being introduced on the people by various practices and actions that ââ¬Å"emphasized the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitutionâ⬠(Malhotra, pars.4). During this period many changes took place including the election of estate generals, abolition of duties, and establishment of a system for administration and nationalizing of the French language which was previously used in Paris alone (Malhotra, pars. 4). The French revolutionaries required the established French nation to play an integral role in the liberation of Europeans from despotism. The campaigns that followed led to mo vement of the ââ¬Å"French armies into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and much of Italy in the 1790sâ⬠(Social Origins of Democracy, pars. 6). The return to monarchy in France under Napoleon led to the destruction of democracy though he brought onboard other principles that led to a more balanced system. The ââ¬Å"Civil code of 1804, which is often referred to as the Napoleonic Code-did away with privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to propertyâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 6). This code was replicated in other states that were controlled by France. ââ¬Å"In the Dutch Republic, in Switzerland, in Italy and Germanyâ⬠, the administrative divisions were made simple, feudalism done away with and freedom from serfdom offered to peasants (Social Origins of Democracy). Before nationalism was established in ââ¬Å"Europe, Germany, Italy and Switzerland were divided into kingdoms, Duchies and cantons whose rulers had autonomous territorie s of which lived diverse peopleâ⬠. The individual groups in these countries communicated in different dialects and never envisioned themselves coming together ââ¬Å"under a common culture or collective identityâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 5). The groups had only the emperor as common factor. In terms of social and political status, the aristocrats were the foremost class in Europe. Members of this class were drawn from different regions and were unified by similar lifestyles which were basically defined by owning estates in the countryside in addition to townhouses, speaking French for societal status or diplomatic reasons among others (Malhotra, pars. 4). The aristocrats constituted a small percentage of the population that was dominated by peasants. In the 19th century, the concept of national unity was closely associated with the notion of liberalism (Revesz 45). Liberalism, as interpreted by the emerging middle classes was seen as a concept that emphasized ââ¬Å"freedom for a n individual and equality of all before the lawâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 6).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Reformation and Rise of Nationalism specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More A political definition depicted the term stood for ââ¬Å"Government by consentâ⬠(Revesz, 56). However, equality before the law did not have the same meaning as universal suffrage. In France, the initial steps to the attainment of liberal democracy had several downsides. For instance, ââ¬Å"the right to vote and get elected was granted exclusively to property owning men. Men without property and women were excluded from all political rightsâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 7). Thus in the 19th the new middle class based their strong demands on these practices. The ââ¬Å"defeat of Napoleon led to the establishment of conservatism whereby established traditional institutions such as the church, monarchy and social hierarchies were t o be conservedâ⬠(Malhotra, pars. 6). ââ¬Å"Conservative regimes became so autocratic and did not tolerate any criticism and dissentâ⬠which led to the rise of many secret societies composed of liberals (Social Origins of Democracy, pars. 4). This culminated into revolutions that ended in the creation of nations states. Conclusion This paper sought to describe the sequence of things that led to Reformation, the rise of nationalism and finally the development of universal laws. It has been established that the reformation of the church and the resulting wars formed a strong foundation for the establishment of nationalism (Malhotra, pars. 4). It has been established that the first forms of nationalism were expressed after the French revolution. Works Cited Malhotra, Jyoti. THE RISE OF NATIONALISM IN EUROPE. June 2009. Web. Revesz, Imre. History of the Hungarian Reformed Church, Knight. Washington D.C: Hungarian Reformed Federation of America, 1956. Print Social Origins of D emocracy. February 2010. Web.1 November 2010 http://www.icpd.org/democracy/index.htm.Advertising Looking for research paper on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This research paper on Reformation and Rise of Nationalism was written and submitted by user BettyBrant to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.
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