Nationalism

Historical Overview

• Born during the French Revolution 

• Prior, inhabitants of a country were subjects and their political identity was formed by an allegiance to a rule

• Revolution in the name of the people - the nation 

• Revolutionary and democratic creed

• Nation should be its own master

• Experience of conquest can breed unity - italy and germany 

• In latin america there was revolutions against spanish rule

• Most successful and compelling creeds

• Reshaped history 

• Empires crumble

• Enthusiasm was mainly in the middle class - they wanted constitutional government (see socialism) 

• End of 19th century - popular

  • Flags and anthems and patriotic poetry and literature and public ceremonies and national holidays

  • Language of mass politics 

  • Possible by growth of primary education, mass literacy and the spread of newspapers

• Associated with liberal/progressive movements but began to be taken up by conservatives 

• Begun to stand for social cohesion, order and stability, in the face of growing challenge of socialism 

• Sought to integrate working class into the nation and preserve established social order 

• Chauvinistic and xenophobic - each nation claimed it was superior while others were bad 

• Fueled policies of imperialism - most of the population became under european rule 

• Contributed to international rivalry which led to WWI

• Wilson advocated for self determination 

  • German, auto-hungarian, and russian empires were broken up 

  • Other countries frustrated (GR, I, J) and that’s where the fascist came promising to restore national pride through expansion of the empire 

• Nationalism drives war yo 

• 20th century - nationalism spread all of the globe (asia, africa, etc) 

• Colonies disintegrated 

• Nationalism completed with fall of SU because so many nations now 

• 21st century - resurgence of nationalism 

  • Reaction to globalization (economic, cultural, and political changes it brought) 

  • 07 financial crisis 

  • Populist parties made progress

  • UK votes to leave brexit 

  • Opposition to immigration 

  • Nationalism growing because of rivalries (ex. China’s economy fueled nationalism there) 

  • Russia annex Crimea from Ukraine

  • DJT - economic nationalism 

  • Intensified by covid 

the nation

• The nation should be the central principle of political organization 

• Who gets to be seen as a nation? Ethnic groups or only recognized countries? 

• Nations are cultural identities bound together by shared values and traditions - language, religion, history, and geographical area

• No blueprint or objective criteria 

• Language is clearest symbol of nationhood 

• German nationalism - purity and survival of the german language 

• But then there’s also americans and australians soooooo and the swiss with french, german, and italian 

• Religion is also a major part 

  • Common moral values and spiritual beliefs

  • Ex. Northern Ireland 

  • But also not because USA and poland and brazil 

• ethnic/racial unity 

  • Nazi 

  • More cultural than actually about race 

  • National identity is preserved by recalling past glories and national independence 

  • May be based more on future expectations 

• The nation is a psycho-political entity - group of people who regard themselves as a natural political community and are distinguished by shared loyalty or affection in the form of patriotism 

• If nationalism is based on an unchanging identity how ddo immigrants fit in? This is how we get fascism - blurs nation and race 

• Also tho it’s civic consciousness and patriotic loyalty - nations may be multi-ethnic, multi-religious, blah blah blah - blurs nation and state/nationality and citizenship 

• Liberals are usually more inclusive 

organic community

• Nations are organic 

• Humankind is naturally divided into nations that possess distinctive character and separate identity 

• Higher loyalty and deeper political significance attached to the nation than to social group or collective body - bonds of nationhood are more fundamental 

• National ties endure over time 

• Primordialist

  • National identity is historically embedded 

  • Little difference between ethnicity and nationality 

• Modernist 

  • National identity is forged in response to changing situations and historical challenges

  • Industrial societies promote new source of social cohesion 

  • National community is deep rooted and enduring 

  • Nation is an imagined community and that within nations individuals only ever meet tiny proportion of those with whom they supposedly share a national identity 

• Constructivist 

  • Ideological construct 

  • Serves the interests of powerful groups 

  • Nationalism creates nations

  • Device where ruling class counters social revolution by ensuring national loyalty is stronger than class solidarity 

self-determination

• Nationalism as ideology only emerged when idea of national community encounter the doctrine of popular sovereignty - during french revolution and influenced by Rousseau 

• General will 

• Gov based not on the absolute power of the monarch but on the indivisible collective will of the entire community - sovereign power was in the nation of france because of their rights and stuff 

• Nation is a natural political community 

• Nationhood and statehood are linked 

• Goal of nationalism is founding a nation-state

• Achieved in one of two ways

  • Process of unification 

    • German history 

  • Achievement of independence 

    • Poland 

• Nation state is  highest and most desirable form of political organization - offers prospect of cultural cohesion and political unity 

• Some satisfied just with political autonomy (welsh)

culturalism

• Emphasises strengthening of defence of cultural identity over overt political demands 

• Regeneration of the nation as a distinctive civilization 

• Bottom up from of nationalism - draws on popular rituals, traditions, and legends rather than elite or higher culture

• May serve as agent of modernization 

• Cultural regeneration - brothers Grimm 

• Associated with demands of assimilation 

Liberal Nationalism

• Oldest form of nationalism - FR rev 

• Wilson’s fourteen points 

• Sun Yat Sen

• Nehru

• Aspiration for popular self-gov fused with liberal principles 

• Nineteenth century - nationalism and liberalism were virtually indistinguishable 

• Individual nation bro do you see the connections????

• Rights 

• Nations are equal 

• Promote unity with each nation and brotherhood among all the nations 

• Internationalism 

• National independence aimed at promoting mutual understanding and cooperation - free trade

conservative natonalism

• Conservative saw nationalism as radical early on - threat to political stability 

• Soon became sympathetic towards nationalism - natural ally in maintaining social order

• Develops in established states

• Promise of social cohesion 

• Organic - nation emerge naturally 

• Incorporate working class into nation - antidote to social revolution 

• De gaulle and thatcher 

• Appeal of tradition and history 

• Nostalgic and backlooking 

• Cultural diversity leads to instability and conflict 

• Common culture 

expansionist nationalims

• Aggressive military 

• Scramble for africa 

• Nationalism linked to the possession of an empire 

• High point during gr, I, and J imperialism 

• Some nations possess qualities that make them superior to others 

• Imperialism is a moral duty 

• Pan slavism - russias links to the slavic countries and unity between them

  • Slavs  are the best and russia should lead them 

postcolonial nationalism

• Colonial rule forged sense of nationhood and desire for national liberation 

• Treaty of versailles only about euro 

• Decolonization characterized by revolution and periods of violence (algeria, vietnam)

• Quest for political independence related to awareness of economic under development and their subordination 

• Non-euro modes for liberation - Gandhi (hinduism)

• Attracted to some form of socialism - related to internationalism 

  • Exploitation and community 

  • Class struggle switches to anti-colonial power 

• Shaped by rejection of western ideas 

Future of nationalism

• Nationalism in the process of being replaced by multi-culturalism???

• Internationalism - LON and UN

• Economic life is globalized 

• Nation is the enemy of the natural environment - Chernobyl 

• Can assume whatever ideological identity it needs to at the time 

• Has to be a them to hate - scapegoats 

nationalism vs. patriotism

• Superiority of one’s country vs. pride in one's country 

• Nationalism - humankind is naturally divided, nation is only legitimate unit of political rule - belief about political reality - nations is central to political organization and highest political value not universal rights but the nation 

• Patriotism - love for one’s country 

ethnic vs civil

• Ethnic nationalism is exclusive - gotta be a certain race to belong 

• Civil nationalism in inclusive - anyone can be there

nation is imagined

• Someone Anderson - the nation is an imagined community 

  • Imagined commonalities 

  • Imagined as limited and sovereign - doesn’t welcome everyone 

    • Sees itself as incommand over itself or sees itself that way 

  • Nations are defined by not including everyone 

  • Modular - ideas are placed on other places through colonization