Discuss nationalism played in the French Revolution. Nationalism, as we call it today, was not anything like the nationalism of the past. On the contrary, it was a new and more foreign concept. However, ultimately it played a more significant part than what shows on the surface, as the goal was to have a more unified and impartial France for the French people. Thesis Statement: The rise of nationalism within France as it played a heavily in the course of the French Revolution.