Other
Ruling Europe Exam Preparation notes
- Course
- Institution
A combination of personal class notes, lecture notes, and personal reading notes to provide an in-depth, full render for a thorough preparation for the Ruling Europe Exam
[Show more]
Seller
Follow
cosmatchialexia
Content preview
Tutorial 1/ 07.11.23Father/Motherlands
Primary Source Analysis
Renan E. “What is a nation?”
Content
● Lecture given at the Sorbonne University by Ernest Renan, a philosopher, and French historian of the
19th century with an audience of male university students
○ Pro-nationalist: French created nationality, it is the glory of France
● Text divided in 3 parts:
○ 1st part
■ History of nations will disappear and become a United States of Europe
○ 2nd part
■ Proving wrong other theories on what constitutes a nation and language, ethnicity,
geography
○ 3rd part
■ Own definition of a nation
■ Daily plebiscite : people “choose” national identity
■ Will to belong to a community
■ Common historical legacy, forgetting past divisions/conflicts
● The main subject is the nation, the importance for us to know and remember what it is, the idea of
nationalism, nationhood, national identity
● Nation :
○ He claims that nations had existed for a long time and will continue to exist
○ He claims nations developed through the common need of the people, and that different groups
of people search for a “collective identity” and search for a “national unity”
○ Historical context of nations and how they’re different based on location and past origins
○ Used as a tool of identification
○ The essence of it is having a lot in common (history/legacy) but also forgetting internal issues
and conflicts
● He has a theory about the race being the basis for unification of people because neither the language
nor religion unite them “It invites them but doesn’t force them” (-othering)
● The “Spiritual Principle” -“a nation is a soul, a spiritual principle” → a nation is based on the past and the
present, people have in common a rich legacy of memories, and the present consent, the desire to live
together and invest in the heritage
● Theories defending nation
○ Language: some countries have multiple languages
○ Religion: uniting in past, now: personal choice
○ Geography: not absolute divisions
Context
● Ernest Renan
○ Very important French philosopher with a huge public influence and exposure
○ Administrator of College de France and a member of the Academie Francaise
● Source produced in the 19th century
○ When “nationalism” and the new “nation state” are emerging as a new political ideology
■ The emergence of nationalism is an important link because of a new relation between
the state and the people began to emerge
○ Link with the continuity of the 1848 revolution → European Spring Revolution against European
monarchies
● 19th century - characterized by the desire to form nations
● 1880s - France characterized by the emergence and implementation of a republican regime, with more
political liberty
, ● He tries to find an argumentation that would return Lorraine to France on the basis of a nationalist theory
○ Leerssen:
■ Context of Alsace-Lorraine annexation in 1870
■ Germany annexed A-L, claiming it’s culturally German
○ Renan:
■ Against German A-L
■ Needed other way to explain a nation that didn’t match the Germans’ and people choose
nation, not ethnicity/language
Research Value
● Significant because it shows the importance of the nation as a tool for national identification
○ People at this time wanted to find this national unification
● The notion of a “collective identity” is essential in the reconstruction of nation after war or revolution
○ The relation between the state and citizens changed throughout history and the desire to have
common memories and shared values beyond christianity was essential
● It gives an overall definition, context, and history of nations which can still be used today
○ Critique of other past and ethnic forms of nationalism that can still be used today
● He gives examples which are helpful for researchers - concrete ideas
● Shows how rulers use nationalism to legitimize their own regimes
● A historian could use this text to learn about:
○ Opinions on A-L in the late 19th century (from a French scholar)
○ Reactions to German nationalism
○ Link French Revolution - civic nationalism
Tutorial .11.23
Industralizations and Ideology
Primary Source Analysis
Marx, Engels , “The Communist Manifesto”
Content:
● Structure of the text:
○ Bourgeoisie and proletariat (formation of the bourgeoisie, description of the proletariat)
○ Different stages of the proletariat
○ Changes and needs for the future (solutions)
● Published in 1848 by Karl Max and Friedrich Engels (two German philosophers)
● Formed the basis for the modern communist movement, often characterized as one of the most
influential political documents
● An analytical approach to class struggle, and criticism of capitalism
● Main themes:
○ Class struggle
○ Bourgeoisie
○ Proletariat
● Marx and Engels claim that the world is divided into 2 classes of people and conflict between them is
inevitable
○ The Bourgeois - who controls the means of production
○ The Proletariat - the one who produces goods
● Marx: most historical change is caused by friction between the two → revolution in order to have reform
○ Marx claims that the only real revolutionary class is the proletariat because the others are just
conservative
● They claim that in all society is under the form of oppressed majority (proletariat) who are exploited by
the oppressive minority (bourgeoisie)
○ As the Bourgeoisie exploit the labor, the proletariat will inevitably become conscious and will
revolt in order to overthrow the bourgeoisie
○ Relationship between the oppressor and the oppressed
○ The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer
, ● Communism is seen as a negative thing throughout Europe
● Marx and Engels provide an actual explanation of their ideology
● The bourgeoisie made changes that led to changes in society as a whole (changes that others have to
adapt to)
● Paradox of over production as critique of the new system of society
○ Too much production → loss of the value of the things, wide change of prices, loss of
possibilities to compete, economic, and social crises
○ Too much capitalism → Extension of the middle class
● Stages that proletariat has to gone through
○ Birth of the proletariat in the struggle with the bourgeoisie
■ Protests of the workers to their rights and conditions
● Not organized, not united
● Sabotage, vandalize
○ Creation of organized, concrete, and compact groups of workers against the bourgeoisie →
Trade Unions
■ Unable to create anything bigger than that
■ Working class was so diverse, too much competition between workers, difficult to
organize or unite
■ Hard to create a coherent social class ; competition between workers
● Working class was so diverse so it was difficult to organize in one group
○ Union is using the means of communication to share and spread “struggles” and values
→national struggle
■ Small part of the bourgeoisie was allied with the proletariat
■ One the top of society : bourgeoisie / elites are becoming smaller and richer
■ On the bottom: proletariat is growing and becoming bigger; more allies
■ The elites can’t stand that much power
● What proletariats need to do:
○ Change the system → revolutionary communism
○ Violently rise against the system (first at national level)
○ Usually minorities against majorities; by that time, the proletariat was the majority fighting
against the minority of the bourgeoisie
● Lower middle class
○ They fight to maintain their existence
○ They protest because they fear what will come (poorer)
● The impact of industrialization, the exploitation of labor, and the revolutionary potential of the working
class
○ It also critiques the societal changes brought about by the bourgeoisie, such as the
transformation of family relations and the commodification of labor
Context:
○ Written in 1847 and published in 1848 in London during the time of the Industrial Revolution
(18-19th centuries) - a time when labor was replaced by machine labor (capitalist farms) and
when solutions for the political system and society were needed
■ This period of industrialisation and urbanization creates a context where workers
suffered → this is where an underclass worker emerged
○ The Communist manifesto was written just before the fail of the German revolution of 1848
against republican monarchy, which ended the repression
○ Originally written as a political brochure for the political organization of revolutionary socialists of
the Communist League to articulate their goals and perspectives
○ It aimed to rally the working class and promote the principle of communism, and to inspire and
guide the proletariat towards a class-conscious revolution
○ It was a response to the social and economic changes of the time
■ Particularly the rise of industrial capitalism
● b.Who is the author? (Background, Ideologies, Social Status)
, ○ Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels - were part of the “Communist league” (associated with the
socialist and communist movements)
■ Marx: academic pursuits in philosophy and economics
■ Engels: businessman and self-taught scholar
■ Their collaboration resulted in significant contributions to socialist theory
○ Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, German philosophers, economists, and political theorists,
belonging to the bourgeoisie, that promoted the new model of society with a new economic
system too: communism
○ Marx didn’t think about the failure of the revolution
○ They tried to influence all this upheaval and unrest in European politics, and tried to stir it into a
certain direction - they propose one particular solution to the problems there are - influence this
mood of change
Research Value
● The authors show that the solution may be a society without class because they argue a conflict
between the Proletariat and Bourgeoisie is inevitable
● The Industrial revolution at this time put the social question at the heart of the society
○ It highlights that industrialization led to the emergence of new classes and ideologies
● It shows how, at this time of economic change, the relationship between politics and workers, or between
rulers and ruled, were handled
● It’s significant to understand that the Communist Manifesto was one of the most influencing political
document - it can be viewed as the base of the first communist idea, which was spread all over the world
- seen as a guide of communist idea
○ The manifesto has inspired social and political movements worldwide and remains a cornerstone
of Marxist theory
■ Serves as a foundational document for understanding Marxist theory
● It’s a call of revolution for workers
● They describe the political and economic system; they give a possible solution to the unrest that was
happening at that time
● Having one clear document of what communism was about ease the understanding of the characteristics
and bases of the communist ideology
● Representative of a really small group of social activists
● Researchers would gain insights into the historical materialist perspective of Marx and Engels,
understanding their analysis of class struggle, capitalism, and the potential for proletarian revolution
● It offers a lens through which to analyze societal structures and envision alternatives
Learning Goals
The development and impact of industrialisation
● The old aristocratic was swept away, and a newly emerging working class was ready to confront the
industrial bourgeoisie
● Recent findings in economic history :
○ Indicate that even in Britain, industrialisation was such a gradual and fragmented process that it
would have been unable to produce a clear cut polarization of society into a dominant
bourgeoisie and a subordinate working class
○ Britain was the “birthplace” of industrialization, but it spread all over Europe
● The new system of industrialisation was having a disastrous effect on the moral and material condition of
labor,
○ Shift on the moral and material condition of labor
○ Shift from the old problem of poverty to the new one of pauperism
● There were new areas of regional developments in Europe
○ Britain being the main territory where this industrialization took place
○ North/east France
○ Some regions in Germany [this decision can be explained with Prussia’s aim for new weapons]
● The way the means of production were distributed changed
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller cosmatchialexia. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $16.60. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
Can Stuvia be trusted?
4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)
53068 documents were sold in the last 30 days
Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now