(no subject)
My research paper is kinda shitty. that's what happens when you stay up all night writing papers.
Romanticism, Nationalism, and Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
*footnotes not included
Cara-Rae Pike
December 2009
Professor Roberts
Research paper
Nationalism, Romanticism, and Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
Imagine being in the Wembley Stadium in 1924 witnessing the exhibition of an empire you know nothing about. It’s an exciting scene, a funfair: smiling faces moving about amongst vendors of a vast variety of goods, displays of wonder and festivity- two hundred and sixteen acres of museums of science, industry, and natural history, anthropological and folk displays, emigration bureaus, musical festivals, art galleries, examples of transport and media innovations. Lively music rings through the air, pleasant and proud .
How would you interpret the meaning behind the event, the relationship between the country you are in and the ones represented in the empire? Does this scene of merriment reflect attitude of the people towards their country, its affairs, and their place in it? Would you gather by the size of the new modern building and event, by the money changing hands within is indicative of an expansive and successful economy? The music is by Britain’s most famous and beloved composer, Sir Edward Elgar. For example, the Imperial March, commissioned specially for this occasion, is a romantic expression of pride and patriotism, Christianity and chivalry .
It was King George’s hope that the exhibition would present to the world,
“a graphic illustration of that spirit of free and tolerant cooperation which has inspired peoples of different races, creeds, institutions, and ways of thought, to unite in a single commonwealth and to contribute their varying natural gifts to one great end…that it may conduce to the unity and prosperity of all my peoples and to the peace and well-being of the world. ”
By the looks of it, it appears that you are visiting a country with a contented public, a country that interacts positively with other nations. Is this the result of just and efficient government and policy that arrived at this state of existence by working with distant and surrounding countries to achieve secure and beneficial relationships, growing strong from within through democratic reform to reach the ideals that came about during a time when revolution and romance danced hand in hand to the tune of change?
It was late in the nineteenth century when the British Empire seemed to blossom fully into its grandeur. This romantic nationalism was not gradually built up over the years; it was instilled into the British people after decades of noninvolvement for the people of lower class with its country’s empire - until it needed their support as the changing world brought forth competition and danger. Imperialists began to share their glorious Empire; common interest and amusement developed into genuine admiration for some and at least distracted others from conditions and circumstance that were not quite ideal .
In the years leading up to the nineteenth century, France led its revolt against its nobility to overthrow King Louis XVI, replacing absolute monarchy, which only looked out for its high class citizens, with an approved leader who would carry out principles of Enlightenment: liberalism and republicanism. The French were poor and hungry and generally pissed off, willing to fight for freedom and rights, to become a united people .
In 1874, a young Napoleon Bonaparte entered a military school in France. Noticeable was his mature character and determination, intelligence, and the air of excellence. He rapidly accelerated through the academy and the ranks A new constitution would be established and rejected in 1785. Napoleon soon stepped up to lead the rioting people of France . With his remarkable skills in leadership and strategy, Napoleon gained France’s support and began to organize his operation and make moves towards reform: he had an agenda.
In 1804, the early Beethoven had finished his third symphony and furiously removed the name “Buonaparte” off of the dedication on the front page. His former hero had declared himself “Emperor of France .”
“Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition. Now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant! ”
To the country’s amazement, Napoleon stepped up to power to implement a government of his own design, reorganize the governing class, settle with the church, and bring peace to France. Throughout the years of his rule, he made change after change to everything under his regime as he built his Empire. The French stood behind their beloved hero through difficult battles, even on the day in 1815 when he decided to take on Britain, an unsuccessful endeavor landing him into ‘time-out’ for a year. After serving his time, he’d lost no determination, rallying an army of over 400,000 to fight his final battle, where he met his defeat (150-151)
At this time, Beethoven was totally deaf and composing number six of nine symphonies. Beethoven built the bridge from the Classical period to the Romantic period in music. He was far too introverted to be considered a romantic, but he achieved a level of expression absolutely unprecedented in music history by breaking all the rules of composition the classicists followed: constructs of content, harmony, and form. Demanding complete attention to his creative genius, he changed the way music was experienced and the artist was perceived. Concert halls would now be filled, the attendants silent (or sobbing) and the composer now respected and allowed to create “art for the sake of art,” not just for commission. The romantic composers followed suit, kneeling at the altar of Beethoven and creating worlds of fantasy and expression within their music. Music and literature were packaged together, also touching on the social and political affairs of the day (whether by satire in comedic opera or with a more serious tone in realistic opera). The art of the era was more passionate than ever, reflecting changes in attitude, outlook, and lifestyle of the population - one that aspired toward a basic unity of ideals .
In attempt explain all that “Romanticism” entails, I realize that the word encompasses so much that I am at a loss to convey my understanding of it. I find it is best summarized in J.L. Talmon’s Romanticism and Revolt, so I humbly include this excerpt:
The enthusiasms and passions, the flights of thought and of idealism, the theories, aspirations and illusions, however contradictory they appear, and of course the artistic endeavors of the age - may all be viewed as the refractions of one great light, that of Romanticism. It was that all-pervasive mood which heightened the energies of man and shaped a distinct style that differentiates the period so sharply from those which preceded and followed it…Man wished to be free from restrictions imposed by religious tradition, political absolutism and a hierarchical social system in order to express and determine himself and create the kind of order in which he wished to live. That was the meaning of Romanticism on the social-political plane. In the personal context, man was visited by an urge to discover and recover his authentic self and to express it fully and creatively, instead of spinning the thread of tradition, subjecting himself to accepted conventions and fixed patterns, and imitating supposed models of perfection.”
After the fall of Napoleon, Europe divided into nation-states and implemented a theory of balance of power which allowed for no European state to become strong enough to dominate Europe in the future. The states were eager to form their own system of government and cultural identity, inspired by Revolutionary France’s desire for a united people, language, and culture achieved with the help of their spirited leader. But European countries struggled to establish their identity and systems of government rule. For, Napoleon may have fallen, but his system of administration was still in place. The laws and codes put into place for social, judicial, and religious reform were an oppressive imposition on the states under its control . The Romantics went on to revolt; conservative monarchies strove to hold centralized administration in place.
Britain was not involved nor affected by the revolutions. Her economy was productive, her legal system established. She put her people to work in industry and acquired additional resources from the colonies. Her parliament and legal system were strong enforcers/suppressors, stifling even small attempts of revolt . Britain was also decidedly non-romantic, one could surmise by little to no output of music and art while Romanticism flourished in continental Europe. From Britain, enjoying the comfort and stability of her position of power, there was mostly silence. I ambitiously draw the connection: no romance - no revolution, and vice versa, guessing that heavy industrialization and occupation over seas deterred the development of musical society. In-depth support can be found in The Absent-Minded Imperialist, by Bernard Porter:
Large swathes of British society were essentially philistine, and distrusted ‘high’ culture per se, supposing it to be ‘effeminate’ and parasitic. In some quarters this prejudice extended to any kind of intellectual pursuit. It was found among all classes: working-class parents resisted schooling for their children, because it was held to be ‘useless’; there was a pervasive myth among the middle classes that their nation’s industrial supremacy had been built on the practical skills of ignoramuses unfettered by book-learning; and the aristocracy was notorious for its preference for hunting, drinking, and wenching over any intellectual pursuits at all. Such philistinism could even be a matter of pride (page 135).
Not to say the country was completely untouched by Romance, but of the British composers of this period, most composed for the church and the others weren’t very successful. In countries bursting with romantic sentiment, a national style of music arose when the personal style of a major composer was welcomed as the style of the nation - individualism being rooted in nationalism, as a composer’s work reflects the culture that produced him . Italy and France dominated the genres opera and operetta; Germany - the symphony. Folk was the closest Britain had to nationalist music, reflecting the culture and needs of the common man, enduring the hardship of new industrialism. But no country lacks folk tunes.
Non-romance aside, we are still a far cry from the patriotic Great Britain exhibited at the exhibition, for even well into the mid-nineteenth century with Romanticism on the decline in continental Europe, the British population are little aware or concerned with the Imperial efforts usually exclusive to the high class . Imperialism functioned without the interest and commitment of the British people, so often they were indifferent to it .
In continental Europe, failed revolutions of the mid-century produced disillusioned romantics. Some left behind nationalism and delved further into individual pursuits, such as the case of Wagner. Others, like the era itself, were dying out or giving way to realism as the modern world reared its ugly head. And soon the lower classes in Britain would reach a point of social unrest, complaining about pay, working conditions, trade-union rights, foreign policy, women’s right to vote. Apparently Britain was due for her revolution. The Parliamentary Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 expanded the electorate to four times as many men, giving the working class a voice and a new place in society. Imperialists began to share their Empire in an effort to unite the classes under a veil of patriotism because times had changed and were changing still. The year 1870 brought danger to the British Empire; the German Empire had formed. Britain now needed the support of her people .
Organizations formed to spread propaganda that would make imperialism attractive to the masses formerly alienated by it; they would now be proud to serve it. In the 1880s, imperialist propaganda took effect; imperialism was advertised in magazines, featured in films, taught to children in history and geography class - subjects new to the curriculum - and displayed in huge productions of exhibition . The concept of Britain’s imperialism was romanticized, dressed up as “the embodiment and expression of a British character comprised of individualists, stoicism, sense of duty, sense of humor, and superiority. ” The propaganda seemed to work, gaining support for the empire as a vehicle for national ambition, service, and fulfillment of the Christian ethic on earth . Music was even being written in celebration of the Empire. Finally at the end of the nineteenth century, serious emerged from Britain expressing sentiments of pride for the empire, sorrow for the lives lost for it. The music of Sir Edward Elgar was embraced as the music of the country’s national spirit. He was a romantic, in love with the empire.
At the time the British Empire had reached the height of its popularity in the mother country; that popularity went beyond love and pride. In trying times, the Britons were asked to have faith in their empire and feel duty towards it, incorporating the Protestant work ethic and a Calvanistic belief in British as an “elect” that would reach delusions of grandeur. Lord Curzon is quoted calling the empire “the greatest secular agency for good the world has ever seen, ” these ideals justifying Britain’s actions, including her position in the scramble for Africa - so many failed to question the morality of the empire, ignoring the negative impact on Africans, who were believed to be inferior anyway.
So things were not as they appeared to be in Wembley. As it turns out, an Imperial power is almost always an imposition on the countries it conquers, and trade is not usually fair, but exploitative. The money spent on the exhibition did not accurately reflect the current economy, which had suffered with the rise of industrialism in other countries. More money was spent on the exhibition than was made from it. And the public opinion of the empire was largely built on false hope and a sense of purpose that was misconstrued.
The public clung to the Idealistic notions of Empire, a romantic fantasy, until the very end when both power and land were lost after World War Two. Porter submits that Britain’s overtaking was inevitable, her position of power rested on a weak foundation, as other countries would surely advance their own technology and strategy, which Britain had failed to do since her early surge to the forefront in these fields. In the end, both Romance and the Empire flickered and went out, for “the center did not hold.”
Bibliography
Broers, Michael. Europe after Napoleon: Revolution, Reaction, and Romanticism, 1814-1848. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1996.
Conner, Susan P. The Age of Napoleon. London: Greenwood Press, 2004.
Dahlhaus, Carl. Nineteenth Century Music. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
Lyons, Martyn. Post-Revolutionary Europe, 1815-1856. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Namier, L.B. The Revolution of Intellectuals 1848. Oxford: University Press, 1918.
Porter, Bernard. The Absent-Minded Imperialists. Oxford: University Press, 2004.
Porter, Bernard. Britain, Europe, and the World 1850-1986: Delusions of Grandeur. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1983.
Richards, Jeffrey. Imperialism and Music. Manchester: University Press, 2001.
Sperber, Jonathan. The European Revolutions 1848-1851. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Talmon, J.L. Romanticism and Revolt: Europe 1815-1848. Great Britain: Harcourt, Brace, and World Inc, 1967.
Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2004.
Romanticism, Nationalism, and Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
*footnotes not included
Cara-Rae Pike
December 2009
Professor Roberts
Research paper
Nationalism, Romanticism, and Imperialism in the Nineteenth Century
Imagine being in the Wembley Stadium in 1924 witnessing the exhibition of an empire you know nothing about. It’s an exciting scene, a funfair: smiling faces moving about amongst vendors of a vast variety of goods, displays of wonder and festivity- two hundred and sixteen acres of museums of science, industry, and natural history, anthropological and folk displays, emigration bureaus, musical festivals, art galleries, examples of transport and media innovations. Lively music rings through the air, pleasant and proud .
How would you interpret the meaning behind the event, the relationship between the country you are in and the ones represented in the empire? Does this scene of merriment reflect attitude of the people towards their country, its affairs, and their place in it? Would you gather by the size of the new modern building and event, by the money changing hands within is indicative of an expansive and successful economy? The music is by Britain’s most famous and beloved composer, Sir Edward Elgar. For example, the Imperial March, commissioned specially for this occasion, is a romantic expression of pride and patriotism, Christianity and chivalry .
It was King George’s hope that the exhibition would present to the world,
“a graphic illustration of that spirit of free and tolerant cooperation which has inspired peoples of different races, creeds, institutions, and ways of thought, to unite in a single commonwealth and to contribute their varying natural gifts to one great end…that it may conduce to the unity and prosperity of all my peoples and to the peace and well-being of the world. ”
By the looks of it, it appears that you are visiting a country with a contented public, a country that interacts positively with other nations. Is this the result of just and efficient government and policy that arrived at this state of existence by working with distant and surrounding countries to achieve secure and beneficial relationships, growing strong from within through democratic reform to reach the ideals that came about during a time when revolution and romance danced hand in hand to the tune of change?
It was late in the nineteenth century when the British Empire seemed to blossom fully into its grandeur. This romantic nationalism was not gradually built up over the years; it was instilled into the British people after decades of noninvolvement for the people of lower class with its country’s empire - until it needed their support as the changing world brought forth competition and danger. Imperialists began to share their glorious Empire; common interest and amusement developed into genuine admiration for some and at least distracted others from conditions and circumstance that were not quite ideal .
In the years leading up to the nineteenth century, France led its revolt against its nobility to overthrow King Louis XVI, replacing absolute monarchy, which only looked out for its high class citizens, with an approved leader who would carry out principles of Enlightenment: liberalism and republicanism. The French were poor and hungry and generally pissed off, willing to fight for freedom and rights, to become a united people .
In 1874, a young Napoleon Bonaparte entered a military school in France. Noticeable was his mature character and determination, intelligence, and the air of excellence. He rapidly accelerated through the academy and the ranks A new constitution would be established and rejected in 1785. Napoleon soon stepped up to lead the rioting people of France . With his remarkable skills in leadership and strategy, Napoleon gained France’s support and began to organize his operation and make moves towards reform: he had an agenda.
In 1804, the early Beethoven had finished his third symphony and furiously removed the name “Buonaparte” off of the dedication on the front page. His former hero had declared himself “Emperor of France .”
“Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only his ambition. Now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant! ”
To the country’s amazement, Napoleon stepped up to power to implement a government of his own design, reorganize the governing class, settle with the church, and bring peace to France. Throughout the years of his rule, he made change after change to everything under his regime as he built his Empire. The French stood behind their beloved hero through difficult battles, even on the day in 1815 when he decided to take on Britain, an unsuccessful endeavor landing him into ‘time-out’ for a year. After serving his time, he’d lost no determination, rallying an army of over 400,000 to fight his final battle, where he met his defeat (150-151)
At this time, Beethoven was totally deaf and composing number six of nine symphonies. Beethoven built the bridge from the Classical period to the Romantic period in music. He was far too introverted to be considered a romantic, but he achieved a level of expression absolutely unprecedented in music history by breaking all the rules of composition the classicists followed: constructs of content, harmony, and form. Demanding complete attention to his creative genius, he changed the way music was experienced and the artist was perceived. Concert halls would now be filled, the attendants silent (or sobbing) and the composer now respected and allowed to create “art for the sake of art,” not just for commission. The romantic composers followed suit, kneeling at the altar of Beethoven and creating worlds of fantasy and expression within their music. Music and literature were packaged together, also touching on the social and political affairs of the day (whether by satire in comedic opera or with a more serious tone in realistic opera). The art of the era was more passionate than ever, reflecting changes in attitude, outlook, and lifestyle of the population - one that aspired toward a basic unity of ideals .
In attempt explain all that “Romanticism” entails, I realize that the word encompasses so much that I am at a loss to convey my understanding of it. I find it is best summarized in J.L. Talmon’s Romanticism and Revolt, so I humbly include this excerpt:
The enthusiasms and passions, the flights of thought and of idealism, the theories, aspirations and illusions, however contradictory they appear, and of course the artistic endeavors of the age - may all be viewed as the refractions of one great light, that of Romanticism. It was that all-pervasive mood which heightened the energies of man and shaped a distinct style that differentiates the period so sharply from those which preceded and followed it…Man wished to be free from restrictions imposed by religious tradition, political absolutism and a hierarchical social system in order to express and determine himself and create the kind of order in which he wished to live. That was the meaning of Romanticism on the social-political plane. In the personal context, man was visited by an urge to discover and recover his authentic self and to express it fully and creatively, instead of spinning the thread of tradition, subjecting himself to accepted conventions and fixed patterns, and imitating supposed models of perfection.”
After the fall of Napoleon, Europe divided into nation-states and implemented a theory of balance of power which allowed for no European state to become strong enough to dominate Europe in the future. The states were eager to form their own system of government and cultural identity, inspired by Revolutionary France’s desire for a united people, language, and culture achieved with the help of their spirited leader. But European countries struggled to establish their identity and systems of government rule. For, Napoleon may have fallen, but his system of administration was still in place. The laws and codes put into place for social, judicial, and religious reform were an oppressive imposition on the states under its control . The Romantics went on to revolt; conservative monarchies strove to hold centralized administration in place.
Britain was not involved nor affected by the revolutions. Her economy was productive, her legal system established. She put her people to work in industry and acquired additional resources from the colonies. Her parliament and legal system were strong enforcers/suppressors, stifling even small attempts of revolt . Britain was also decidedly non-romantic, one could surmise by little to no output of music and art while Romanticism flourished in continental Europe. From Britain, enjoying the comfort and stability of her position of power, there was mostly silence. I ambitiously draw the connection: no romance - no revolution, and vice versa, guessing that heavy industrialization and occupation over seas deterred the development of musical society. In-depth support can be found in The Absent-Minded Imperialist, by Bernard Porter:
Large swathes of British society were essentially philistine, and distrusted ‘high’ culture per se, supposing it to be ‘effeminate’ and parasitic. In some quarters this prejudice extended to any kind of intellectual pursuit. It was found among all classes: working-class parents resisted schooling for their children, because it was held to be ‘useless’; there was a pervasive myth among the middle classes that their nation’s industrial supremacy had been built on the practical skills of ignoramuses unfettered by book-learning; and the aristocracy was notorious for its preference for hunting, drinking, and wenching over any intellectual pursuits at all. Such philistinism could even be a matter of pride (page 135).
Not to say the country was completely untouched by Romance, but of the British composers of this period, most composed for the church and the others weren’t very successful. In countries bursting with romantic sentiment, a national style of music arose when the personal style of a major composer was welcomed as the style of the nation - individualism being rooted in nationalism, as a composer’s work reflects the culture that produced him . Italy and France dominated the genres opera and operetta; Germany - the symphony. Folk was the closest Britain had to nationalist music, reflecting the culture and needs of the common man, enduring the hardship of new industrialism. But no country lacks folk tunes.
Non-romance aside, we are still a far cry from the patriotic Great Britain exhibited at the exhibition, for even well into the mid-nineteenth century with Romanticism on the decline in continental Europe, the British population are little aware or concerned with the Imperial efforts usually exclusive to the high class . Imperialism functioned without the interest and commitment of the British people, so often they were indifferent to it .
In continental Europe, failed revolutions of the mid-century produced disillusioned romantics. Some left behind nationalism and delved further into individual pursuits, such as the case of Wagner. Others, like the era itself, were dying out or giving way to realism as the modern world reared its ugly head. And soon the lower classes in Britain would reach a point of social unrest, complaining about pay, working conditions, trade-union rights, foreign policy, women’s right to vote. Apparently Britain was due for her revolution. The Parliamentary Reform Acts of 1867 and 1884 expanded the electorate to four times as many men, giving the working class a voice and a new place in society. Imperialists began to share their Empire in an effort to unite the classes under a veil of patriotism because times had changed and were changing still. The year 1870 brought danger to the British Empire; the German Empire had formed. Britain now needed the support of her people .
Organizations formed to spread propaganda that would make imperialism attractive to the masses formerly alienated by it; they would now be proud to serve it. In the 1880s, imperialist propaganda took effect; imperialism was advertised in magazines, featured in films, taught to children in history and geography class - subjects new to the curriculum - and displayed in huge productions of exhibition . The concept of Britain’s imperialism was romanticized, dressed up as “the embodiment and expression of a British character comprised of individualists, stoicism, sense of duty, sense of humor, and superiority. ” The propaganda seemed to work, gaining support for the empire as a vehicle for national ambition, service, and fulfillment of the Christian ethic on earth . Music was even being written in celebration of the Empire. Finally at the end of the nineteenth century, serious emerged from Britain expressing sentiments of pride for the empire, sorrow for the lives lost for it. The music of Sir Edward Elgar was embraced as the music of the country’s national spirit. He was a romantic, in love with the empire.
At the time the British Empire had reached the height of its popularity in the mother country; that popularity went beyond love and pride. In trying times, the Britons were asked to have faith in their empire and feel duty towards it, incorporating the Protestant work ethic and a Calvanistic belief in British as an “elect” that would reach delusions of grandeur. Lord Curzon is quoted calling the empire “the greatest secular agency for good the world has ever seen, ” these ideals justifying Britain’s actions, including her position in the scramble for Africa - so many failed to question the morality of the empire, ignoring the negative impact on Africans, who were believed to be inferior anyway.
So things were not as they appeared to be in Wembley. As it turns out, an Imperial power is almost always an imposition on the countries it conquers, and trade is not usually fair, but exploitative. The money spent on the exhibition did not accurately reflect the current economy, which had suffered with the rise of industrialism in other countries. More money was spent on the exhibition than was made from it. And the public opinion of the empire was largely built on false hope and a sense of purpose that was misconstrued.
The public clung to the Idealistic notions of Empire, a romantic fantasy, until the very end when both power and land were lost after World War Two. Porter submits that Britain’s overtaking was inevitable, her position of power rested on a weak foundation, as other countries would surely advance their own technology and strategy, which Britain had failed to do since her early surge to the forefront in these fields. In the end, both Romance and the Empire flickered and went out, for “the center did not hold.”
Bibliography
Broers, Michael. Europe after Napoleon: Revolution, Reaction, and Romanticism, 1814-1848. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press, 1996.
Conner, Susan P. The Age of Napoleon. London: Greenwood Press, 2004.
Dahlhaus, Carl. Nineteenth Century Music. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989.
Lyons, Martyn. Post-Revolutionary Europe, 1815-1856. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.
Namier, L.B. The Revolution of Intellectuals 1848. Oxford: University Press, 1918.
Porter, Bernard. The Absent-Minded Imperialists. Oxford: University Press, 2004.
Porter, Bernard. Britain, Europe, and the World 1850-1986: Delusions of Grandeur. London: George Allen and Unwin, 1983.
Richards, Jeffrey. Imperialism and Music. Manchester: University Press, 2001.
Sperber, Jonathan. The European Revolutions 1848-1851. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
Talmon, J.L. Romanticism and Revolt: Europe 1815-1848. Great Britain: Harcourt, Brace, and World Inc, 1967.
Wright, Craig. Listening to Music. Schirmer Cengage Learning, 2004.