The French revolution performed a key role in establishing a sense of nationalism throughout France. Nationalism is when people of a certain nation have a desire for their nation to become stronger, show devotion to the interests of one's own nation, and generally show national spirit and aspirations for the development of the nation. So how did the French revolution instill a sense of nationalism?
             First before the reign of Louis the 16th, France was a once powerful nation but because of costly wars and an expensive lifestyle, France soon lost a lot of its once prosperous flow of money. Actually, the country was just about flat broke. The people would not stand for this; they soon started discussing ideas about the political and economical problems that plagued their nation and how to restore France's prosperity. The ideas caught on quickly. Soon meetings that used to only have a few select nobles now had hundreds of people coming to hear the new way of thinking and to become enlightened. The very definition of nationalism states that nationalism is "...the desire for national advancement..." the general population of France during the French revolution wanted to see change throughout their country. They wanted to see their nation once again become a strong world power. So, this is a good example of how the French revolution provoked a sense of nationalism.
             Another way France's revolution contributed to a sense of nationalism was that it gave the people a feeling of belonging to that nation. The new governments that were being formed were much more representative of the people. They were now elected instead of appointed so the people's voice and opinions were actually getting heard this gave people a sense that they were an essential part in the running of the country. This gave the people a sense of belonging, another characteristic of nationalism.
             A third and final way the French revolution contributed to nationalism was th...