Generally, the Napoleonic Wars are seen as a seminal event in the emergence of nationalism in several European nations. This is partly because many different peoples around Europe chafed under the rule of the French Empire. Napoleon held much of Europe under his sway for a number of years, and many peoples that did not imagine themselves as unified previously began to see themselves that way in opposition to French rule. This was especially true in the Iberian peninsula. But the French Revolution contributed to the emergence of nationalism in more subtle ways. It essentially created the idea of a citizen (as opposed to a subject) and of a body politic united in a common struggle in France. It also popularized the idea of universal rights, lending the nationalism that emerged in Europe a decidedly liberal bent. Other events, especially the Industrial Revolution, contributed to the emergence of nationalism in the early nineteenth century, but the Napoleonic Wars were a major turning point.
Does anybody know the etymology of the phrase "sweet dreams"? I tried googling but did not find anything satisfying. Is this a relatively new phrase of the modern world or has this been in use for some time? I think it's the latter one. Answer The OED has the interjection as "a farewell to someone going to bed" from the 20th century: 1908 Sears Roebuck Catal. 198/1 Tenor Solos..Good Bye, Sweet Dreams, Good Bye. But it goes back until at least the 19th and possibly 18th centuries. John Wolcot, writing under the pseudonym of Peter Pindar, used it in his poem "Orson and Ellen; A Legendary Tale" published in 1801: Also from 1801 in The infernal Quixote (Page 287) by Charles Lucas: In the March 1776 of The Universal Magazine was published "The Serenade. A Pastoral Tale. From the German of Gesner" , where the shepherd Daphnis watches over his beloved as she sleeps and sings: The same tale appears in 1776's as Idyl XI, " Daphnis ...
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