Stemming from the Romantic movement of the 19th century, many factors and various groups contributed to the rise of German nationalism. With a fragmented nation and Europe rife with social unrest, the German people yearned for a spiritual and emotional unity that Enlightenment thought could not provide. The population looked to existing religious groups, romantic thinkers, and secular political religions to fill the emotional void that existed in a modernizing Europe. In the article "Romanticism and the Rise of German Nationalism", Hans Kohn attempts to show how Romanticism developed from an entirely artistic movement, becoming a crucial element in the rise of German nationalism. In the first of five sections, Kohn begins by describing the origins of the Romantic movement's opposition to Enlightenment thought and the French Revolution. He argues that the Romantics revered history – namely the Middle Ages – which was the basis for the development of the “national community”. This idealization of history which, according to Kohn, rejected the present age and had the emotional effect of inspiring hope in the people, a point he makes clear when he states: "The Romantic movement began as a artistic revolt against 18th century culture which did not seem to adapt. satisfy the soul and not warm the heart. (FN, 445). The second section of the article focuses primarily on Novalis, whom Kohn calls "the first great German romantic." (FN, 447) He argues that Novalis wanted the state to play a more intimate role in people's lives. , but specifies that it was not a political concept, but a poetic one (FN, 448). He elaborates by stating that Novalis did not emphasize unification on a national basis, but on the basis of middle of paper......and denominations – namely Protestantism. Williamson makes this very clear when he states: "Indeed, I maintain in this study that the desire for myth should not be understood as a secularization of traditional religion or as a form of 'secular religion,' but rather as a development within Christianity. especially German Protestant culture)..." (FN, 4) Williamson takes time to discuss reforms within Protestantism and keeps religion at the center of the study. This is a good study for anyone interested in 19th-century German intellectual history and the important role religion played in the development of national ideas. In the midst of great changes on the European continent, Germany found itself in a position of uncertainty. . With the advent of modernization, people sought order and emotional fulfillment in a fragmented and changing nation..