What were jacobin clubs ? How did their activities and campaigns help to spread the idea of nationalism abroad ? explain.
Answer
Jacobin club was a political club that came into existence in the aftermath of the French Revolution. It derived its name from the conventof St. Jacob in Paris. Its members were mostly small shopkeepers, artisans like shoemakers, watchmakers, printers, servants and daily wage workers. Maximillian Robespierre was their leader. The activities and campaigns of this club helped spread the idea of nationalism abroad in the following manner :
(i) A collective identity among the French was created by the club members.
(ii) The notion of equal rights for the people was stressed upon by the club members giving rise to a centralised idea of equality among people.
(iii) Their activities and campaigns prepared the way for the French armies which moved into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland and much of Italy in the 1790s. With the outbreak of the revolutionary wars, the French armies began to carry the idea of nationalism abroad.
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