The painting made by Frederic Sorrieu in 1848. The French artist had prepared four prints visualizing his dream of a world made up of democratic and social Republic. The painting which we are going to discuss is one of the four prints made by Sorrieu. The painting shows men and women from different ages and social groups marching in a long queue and giving honor to the liberty. Personified liberty as a female figure, the Charter of the Rights of Man. He has also shown shattered remains of absolutist institutions on the ground, where the power is concentrated in the hands of a one person. In his utopian vision he has described a group of people from different nations walking together towards statue of Liberty.
The Civil Code of 1804 known as Napoleonic Code did away with all privileges based on birth, established equality before the law and secured the right to property. This code was exported to the regions under French control. Peasants, businessman, artisans, workers enjoyed the new found freedom.
In 1789 Nationalism came with French Revolution and the political and constitutional changes led to the transfer of sovereignty from the monarchy to a body of French citizens. Various measures and practices were introduced such as the ideas of la patrie (the fatherland) and le citoyen ( the citizen). A new French flag, the tricolour was chosen to replace the former one.
Liberalism stood for freedom for one and equality for all. in the economic sphere, liberalism stood for the freedom on markets and abolition of states-imposed restrictions on the goods and capital. Zollverien abolished tarrif barriers, reduced the currency to two and promoted a network of railway to stimulate mobility
Nation is a stable community of people formed on the basis of a common language, territory, history, ethnicity, or psychological make-up manifested in a common culture. ... A nation has also been defined as a cultural-political community that has become conscious of its autonomy, unity and particular interests
Eastern and Central Europe were under autocratic monarchies within the territories of which lived diverse people. These people had nothing in common. They did not share any collective identity or a common culture. All of them had different languages and were from different ethnic groups. Some were Germans, some were Dutch, some spoke Polish.
No nation state was there because of no common identity or culture. People living in different places spoke different languages.