Why did nationalist tensions emerge in the Balkans?

1. It was a region of geographical and ethnic variation comprising modern-day Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia and Montenegro. The people of the region were broadly known as Slavs.
2. A large part was under the control of the Ottoman Empire. Gradually, independence was declared from them.
3. The spread of the ideas of romantic nationalism in the Balkans, together with disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, made this region very explosive.

Rise of Nationalism in Europe Summary

Chapter 1 of NCERT Social Science History textbook – India and the Contemporary World-II is titled as ‘Rise of Nationalism in Europe’. The rise of nationalism in Europe is considered to have begun with the Spring of Nations in 1848. During the nineteenth century, nationalism emerged as a force which brought about sweeping changes in the political and psychological landscape of Europe. The end result of these changes was the emergence of the nation-state, in place of the multi-national dynastic empires of Europe.

The students will also get to know about the following topics:

1. The French Revolution and the Idea of the Nation
2. The Making of Nationalism in Europe
1. The Aristocracy and the New Middle Class
2. What did Liberal Nationalism Stand for?
3. A New Conservatism after 1815
4. The Revolutionaries
3. The Age of Revolutions: 1830-1848
1. The Romantic Imagination and National Feeling
2. Hunger, Hardship and Popular Revolt
3. 1848: The Revolution of the Liberals
4. The Making of Germany and Italy
1. Germany – Can the Army be the Architect of a Nation?
2. Italy Unified
3. The Strange Case of Britain
5. Visualising the Nation
6. Nationalism and Imperialism