The decadence of the Universal model was the direct consequence of the strengthening of the State, thanks to the nationalist narrative. We have already seen in Teaching guide 2 that during once kings turned into monarchs they could organize better their Realms creating administrative bodies that enabled them to collect taxes for paying the maintain a permanent army. They could impose a protectionist economic policy aiming at augmenting the wealth of the state by the way of increasing as much as possible the reserves of gold and silver. Something that could be reached by the way of establishing a favorable balance of trade, exporting more than importing and monopolizing as many trades as possible. This economic policy was called “mercantilism”
Every monarch started competing with other monarchs in order to accumulate wealth and therefore power. Part of the wealth was of course the result of having as many territories as possible and as many subjects that could pay taxes and join their armies. For this the kings developed step by step a “proto-national feeling.”
Starting may be with Jeanne d’Arc (1412-1431) that helped his king Charles VII to get rid of the English soldiers that occupied a substantial part of French soil during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Napoleon considered her the symbol of France. Beatified in 1909 ans canonized in 1920, Saint Joan of Arc became one of the patrons of France.
Royal states during the absolutist period did not disdain to foment patriotic sentiments amongst their subjects during political and military conflicts. We cannot speak of proto-nationalism, as in Tudor England, Bourbon France and Habsburg Spain these feeling did not emanate from a loyal people who felt invested in, and identified with, their land and its institutions. In fact, according to Anderson (Lineages of Absolutist State, London: Verso, 2013) these “national passions” under absolutism, though they may have appeared to be significant, were in reality highly contingent and volatile, as power and political legitimacy were of a dynastic nature, constantly vulnerable to manipulation by grandees and sovereigns. (see pages 44 and 45 of your Materials).
But regardless of the abovementioned debate, it is quite clear that after the Peace of Westphalia (1648) the idea of a universal Christian Empire was replaced by an international order based on the struggle between different secular “national monarchies” that would struggle to impose their hegemony through successive wars during the next three centuries.
To fight a war required money. A soldier is someone who received his pay. It comes from the latin word “soldatus” that is the one who receive solidus, a golden coin in the Latter Roman Empire. In Spanish salary is still designated as “SUELDO”. For a very long time armies were made of “mercenaries”.
This changed in America for the first time when colons rebelled against the British Crown and declared their independence on July 4, 1776, starting a Revolutionary War of 7 years (until 1783). Patriotism was at the stake in George Washington’s Camp. British soldiers fought essentially for money, but American soldiers fought to have a country of their own. Of course not all of the Americans were for rebellion. Some wanted to keep on being British subjects: they were called Loyalists. If you want to really feel what was it like I strongly recommend the US TV Serie “Turn. Washington Spies” (2014) and of course the classic Mel Gibson’s Movie The Patriot (2000). You will enjoy them very much.
Fighting for your own country and not for your king was a powerful narrative that lead you to be willing to die by patriotism. That was very clear under another Revolution: the French one. The French Revolution was such a mess that it may have disappeared if the Revolutionary Constituant Assembly had not had the brilliant idea of declaring the war to the kings of Prussia and the Emperor of Austria on the 20 of April 1792. Prior to this on July 14, 1790 delegations from all over France met in Paris in the Champ de .
The conflict of the newborn United States of America with the UK between 1776 and 1783, and the conflict of Revolutionary France against Absolutist European kings of the Ancien Regime created a new type of State. The Nation-State in which sovereignty was not vested on the Monarch, but on the People, considered as Nation, that is a Political Body that govern themselves through the representatives elected (Representative democracy).
The crucial point is that “nationalism” became a very powerful narrative that consolidated the state and dissolved any rest of “universalism”. The Law for instance became “national” and the result was “codification”. Every State created its own ordered set of national laws. Including the Law that declared who was “national” of the state.
In this Teaching Guide 4 we will see the origins of the “Nation State” idea through the American and French Revolution. And in the next Teaching Guide 5 we will see the apogee of the Nation-States during the period starting with Napoleon and leading to the Era of great colonialism that ended for European States with the holocaust of World War I.
INSTRUCTIONS: First read the text included in your Materials (pages 54 to 78), before proceeding to answer the Concrete Questions, the Concepts and the General Questions.
Concerning the Basic Chronology (pages 74 to 75) the crucial dates are the following:
a) For the American Revolution: 1607, 1620, 1754-1763, 1773, 17775, 1776, 1777, 1783 and 1787
b) For the French Revolution: the periods of Constituant Assembly (June 1789 to September 1791); the Legislative Assembly (October 1791 to August 1792); the Convention (September 1792 to October 1795) and the Directory (October 1795 to November 1799).
Crucial dates are : 1789 (17 June, 20 June, 27 June, 14 July), 1790 (July 14), 1792 (April 20; 10 August, 20 and 22 September); 1793 (21 January); 1794 (January until July: Robespierre). 1799, 9 November.
TOPIC FOR DISCUSSION IN CLASS: How important is your country for you?
Please consider the following aspects:
1. Are you proud of being Spanish?
2. Do you think that Spain is an arbitrary invention that does not make sense today?
3. Do you think that Catalonians and Basques should be independent Nation-States? Give reasons for and against.
4. Do you feel more Spanish or more European?
5. What moves you more: your local soccer team or the Spanish National team?
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