 Most of these client states, or sister republics, were means of controlling occupied lands through a mix of French and local authority.The institution of republican governments as a means of promoting democratic nationalism over monarchies (primarily the Bourbons and Habsburgs) set the stage for the appearance of nationalist sentiment across Europe, which significantly influenced the course of European history (see 1830 and Revolutions of 1848).Today, "revolutionary republic" can refer to various governments in disparate locations.