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Following Napoleon’s defeat and demise, French nationalism evolved from the 19th to early 20th centuries into an assertive and radical patriotism that embraced military force to achieve political goals. France pursued irredentist claims to the Alsace-Lorraine territory, which Germany had lost at the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1870–1871. The long, drawn-out battle with Germany on French soil in World War I harmed French national pride, particularly in World War II, when the French government surrendered to Germany in 1940, and when France lost many of its colonies as a result of decolonization after World War II.
Nationalism during French Revolution:
Nationalist icons included not only Joan of Arc, but also Roland, the hero of The Song of Roland (La chanson de Roland). He died in battle defending Charlemagne and his warriors against the Unfaithful, making him an appropriate patriotic figure for the current era.
Politics on the left and right played a role, with conservatives using nationalism to attack the left. Conservative French nationalists effectively labelled antimilitarism as antinationalist from 1898 to 1914. Among the most prominent antimilitarists were activist anarchists and radical Marxist organisations. Historians have interpreted this incident as a sign that French nationalism was drifting away from its roots in the French Revolution and becoming a protofascist movement. Most antimilitarista, on the other hand, claimed to be fighting for the Republic, which they equated with the nation. The conservatives were viewed as a danger to a republican France.
Frustrated by the failure to restore the monarchy, the large conservative Catholic element embraced a new brand of nationalism. In 1883, the Assumptionist priests founded the daily journal La Croix, which criticised the Republic’s anti-clericalism and promoted Boulangism and Germanophobia. It promoted French imperialism as the realisation of a “mission civilisatrice” to bring civilization and Christianity to the pagans, and it boasted of France’s cultural superiority over the rest of the world.
During the Dreyfus case in the 1890s, conservatives used nationalism to oppose the Third Republic. When republicans enacted anti-Catholic legislation, such as disbanding the Assumptionists, in 1901-1905, many conservatives shifted their talents and resources away from nationalistic causes and toward Church defence. Devout Catholic ladies played an important role in the conversion. According to historian Robert Fuller, it effectively ended the nationalist challenge to the Third Republic.
World War I was summoned to save France once more in the name of French nationalism. “The necessity of remaining in France, preparing for a national renaissance, and sharing our people’s pains,” he explained. The government cannot leave or desert France without leaving the country. The government’s job is to remain in the country at all costs, or else it is no longer considered the government.”According to Robert Bruce, he wanted to actively participate in remaking France in his image and ridding the country of the socialist and Marxist ideas and goals that had resulted in the agonising defeat of 1940. France would regain its power. It was his duty to return France to its former glory.”
Pétain’s main adversary was Charles de Gaulle, the leader of Free France. After being elected President of France, he set out to restore national pride. De Gaulle envisioned France as the leader of a free Europe, free of American and Soviet influence. De Gaulle’s government sought Franco-German reconciliation and was instrumental in the formation of the European Coal and Steel Community, which aimed to resolve economic tensions between France and Germany and was intended, according to French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, “to end Franco-German hostility once and for all.”
Conclusion:
The French Revolution of 1789 had a significant role in the formation and development of contemporary nationalism, the viewpoint that a state should represent and advance the interests of a people, or “country,” who are united by a shared culture and history. Nationalist views, however, were also a significant factor in the Revolution itself and frequently had their origins in the generally cosmopolitan world of the Enlightenment. The Revolution’s speech and writings make clear how important national principles are. Nationalist beliefs were propagated across French society by the Republic using national symbols like the tricolour flag and the “Marseillaise” hymn, as well as by using a nationalised military to invade other nations.
