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Peace of Westphalia
This tableau, "The Ratification of the Treaty of Münster" was painted by Gerard ter Borch. It depicts the ratification of the Treaty of Munster in 1648, a part of the Peace of Westphalia. The Peace marked the end of the Thirty Years' War and origins of the sovereign state. The establishment of sovereignty in 1648 coupled with the emergence of popular sovereignty during the Enlightenment and French Revolution were prerequisites to the materialization of nationalism in later years. -
Period: to
Nationalism
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The Age of Enlightenment
Painted in 1812 by Anicet Charles Gabriel Lemonnier, the painting is of Madame Geoffrin's salon in 1755. Voltaire's bust, Rousseau, Diderot, and Montesquieu, the great Enlightenment thinkers, are present. These men emphasized rationalism and individualism and advocated for liberty, equality, and reform of the system. Byproducts of the movement included the development of national consciousness, the French Revolution, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of 1789. -
Napoleon and the Napleonic Code
Napoleon was an admirer of the Englightenment and drew much influence from the movement. The Napoleonic Code of 1804 granted freedom of religion, eqaulity before the law, property rights, and forbade birth rights. The Code helped centralize power. Over 2,000 articles long, this article helped codify law and the judicial system not only in France but also in conquered and surronding regions. -
The Springtime of the People - Revolution in Berlin
The Springtime of the People in 1848, ignited by the February Revolution in France, marked the most extensive revolutionary wave in European history. "Revolution in Berlin" is dotted with variations of the national German flag. The flag was first introduced during the 1848 uprisings. The revolts in the German states were mostly fueled by a desire for German unification. The birth of widespread nationalism is considered to be dated 1848. -
Treaty of Versailles
World War I was largely the result of rampant nationalism, especially in the Balkans and Central European region. The Treaty of Versailles ended the state of war between Germany and the Allies. Influenced by US President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, the Treaty established the principle of self-determination and created new nation-states in the Balkans, Central Europe, and Middle East. -
The Sinews of Peace (Iron Curtain Speech), Winston Churchill
In 1946, following the end of the War, Winston Churchill delivered The Sinews of Peace at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. He spoke of the “iron curtain descend[ing] across the continent.” Churchill saw the impending conflict the Soviets’ territorial ambitions would instigate. Having witnessed two world wars and the Holocaust, he did not wish for anything but peace. Audio Clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJxUAcADV70
