The French Revolution in 1789 was the first explicit statement of nationalism.
The Revolution resulted in the monarchy’s sovereignty being transferred to a group of French citizens. The revolution declared that the people would henceforth be the ones to form the nation and determine its fate.
The French revolutionaries employed different tactics and practises from the start in order to foster a sense of group identity among the French people.
The concepts of la patrie (fatherland) and le citoyen (citizen) emphasised the idea of a cohesive society with equal rights under the law. The ancient royal standard was replaced by a new French flag, the tricolour.
The Estates General were renamed the National Assembly after being chosen by a body of active citizens. All in the name of the nation, new hymns were written, oaths were given, and sacrifices were remembered.
Regional languages were discouraged, and French became the national language as it was spoken and written in Paris.
The revolutionaries went on to say that it was the French nation’s purpose and destiny to free the peoples of Europe from despotism, in other words, to assist other European peoples in becoming countries.
