History College Entrance Examination Reading Expansion: The Emergence of Modern Western Nation-States

One. The strengthening of the king's power

(1) Cause

(1) Around the 15th century, the feudal forces of Western European countries were weakened and strengthened.

(2) The Reformation in the 16th century dealt a heavy blow to the power of the church, and the concept of national and national identity was increasingly apparent.

(2) Performance

(1) England: In 1534, England promulgated the Supreme Act, declaring himself the head of the Church of England, freed from the control of the Holy See, and established the autocratic rule of the king.

(2) France: The reign of Louis XIV reached its peak.

(3) Other European countries: they have become autocratic monarchies.

Two. The rise of the status of the national language

(1) Reason: With the weakening of Christian power and the rise of national identity concepts, the status of national languages in Britain, France and other countries has gradually risen.

(1) England: In the 13th century, English, based on the London dialect, appeared in official British documents and began to gradually become a widely used language in britain.

(2) France: In the 16th century, the King of France signed an edict stipulating that French legal documents must be written in French, which is mainly formed in the Parisian dialect, which became the official language of France.

Three. The awakening of national consciousness

(1) Reason: The French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars not only spread ideas, but also promoted the awakening of national consciousness in European countries.

(1) Individual loyalty to the state is more and more than loyalty to the king and religion, countries have encouraged and organized the worship of patriots, the appearance of national anthems and various national festivals, the state is becoming more and more important in people's consciousness.

(2) The autocratic monarchies of Europe were gradually transformed into states.

【Special reminder】 The historical trend of the evolution of the nation-state in modern Europe

The first stage: from 1500 to the French Revolution, the stage of incubation and growth of the European nation-state, the major countries of Europe were transforming from the hierarchical monarchy of the Middle Ages to the absolutist dynastic state.

The second stage: from the beginning of the French Revolution to the end of the "World War II", the expansion stage of the European nation-state, the concept of the nation-state and the wave of nationalism spread from the beginning of the French Revolution to the whole of Europe, which stimulated the wave of the rest of the countries to strive for national independence and national unity, and thus led to violent turmoil and conflict in Europe.