oper and natural condition of life and the inherent basis of sovereignty. Expressions such as "the British race" or "the German race" became common by the late 19th century.
In Western Europe, where proto-nationalist feelings had often been developing for centuries (and had been encouraged by governments), perceived nations corresponded more or less to states. The British spoke English, the French spoke French; and after 1871 Germans spoke German and Italians spoke Italian. Further east, however, the correspondence of state to "nation" broke down. The empire of the Hapsburgs was centered in (German-speaking) Austria, but its people spoke a variety of languages, with no one language or cultural heritage predominating -- naval officers found it necessary to speak six or seven (Preston 12). The empire could not be characterized as a nation, and was not felt to be one by most of its peoples.
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