Summary Europe witnessed sweeping changes in matters relating to polity, economy and society – all owing to emergence of nationalism during the nineteenth century. The American war of Independence (1776) and the French Revolution (1789) had already paved way for the rise of nationalism in the European society. The idea of la patrie (the fatherland), and le citoyen (the citizen) emphasised the notion of a united community enjoying equal rights under a constitution. There emerged, in the following years, especially in France, a new France flag, the National Assembly, centralised administrative system, uniform laws, a common language – all three helped make a nation : a nation is formed by a common language, race, religion or territory (Earnest Renon ). From France, the idea of nationalism travelled to other regions of Europe. With industrial revolution, numerous European societies turned into manufacturing houses, replacing thus the landed aristocracy. Economics liberalism (free trade, laissez faire, abolition of tariff walls) made it possible to give way to political liberatism (liberal polity, government based on consent of the people, suffrage movement). With Napoleon declaring himself as the emperor of France and with his wars, and later defeat in 1815, Europe was driven by a spirit of conservatism. The Treaty of Vienna (Representative from Britain, Russia, Prussia, Austria) in 1875, undid what Napoleonic wars had done. There followed autocratic conservative regimes in the most of Europe. Against these autocracies, the revolutationaries stood up; the age of revolution (1830 - 1848) led to economic problems (hunger, hardship and at times revolts), but soon the educated middle classes took over the leadership. The result was the victory of liberatism in Prussia and Italy, through army too had its role. The story was much different in other parts of Europe. The European nationalism got cemented in due course of time. Its next step was imperialism.