Napoleon, the conqueror of Europe,
helped propel a wave of nationalism across the continent. Napoleon helped pass
a set of civil laws, a novel at the time when monarchies were popular, now
known as the Napoleonic Code that first codified a country’s laws and gave people
easier time regarding owning property and civil liberties. The widespread
adoption of Napoleonic rule helped unify Italy, which spread feelings of
nationalism towards neighboring countries. Nationalism, among other factors
like widespread poverty and power concentrated on the hands of the royalty and
nobility, propelled the Revolutions of 1848 that engulfed many European
countries.
