| The Cult of the Nation in France: Inventing Nationalism, 1680–1800 Subjects: Nationalism -- France -- History; France -- Politics and government -- 17th century; France -- Politics and government -- 18th century; French language -- Political aspects; National characteristics French; Using eighteenth-century France as a case study, David Bell offers an important new argument about the origins of nationalism. Before the eighteenth century, the very idea of nation-building--a central component of nationalism--did not exist. During this period, leading French intellectual and political figures came to see perfect national unity as a critical priority, and so sought ways to endow all French people with the same language, laws, customs, and values. The period thus gave rise to the first large-scale nationalist program in history. |