AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
The Balkan peoples used history to prove that they had once been independent but had later been subjugated by foreign powers. Based on nationality, they claimed the right to win back their long-lost independence. They saw their struggles against the Ottoman Empire as attempts to reclaim freedom, not gain new rights.
Source: Chapter 1 – Nationalism in Europe, Section 6 (Nationalism and Imperialism)
---
The passage directly states: "The Balkan peoples based their claims for independence or political rights on nationality and used history to prove that they had once been independent but had subsequently been subjugated by foreign powers." For 2 marks, examiners want two key points: (1) history used to prove past independence, and (2) struggles seen as reclaiming lost freedom. Quote or paraphrase the textbook closely — do not add outside information.