Nationalism is a ideology that says that some groups of humans, called a nation, should be free to rule themselves. Nationalists think that the best way to make this happen and avoid control or oppression by others is for each group to have their own nation. So, Some nationalists think this is the best way to save small and weak groups threatened by the mixing of ethnic groups.
Nationalism is a modern movement. Throughout history people have been attached to their native soil, to the traditions of their parents, and to established territorial authorities; but it was not until the end of the 18th century that nationalism began to be a generally recognized sentiment molding public and private life and one of the great, if not the greatest, single determining factors of modern history. Because of its dynamic vitality and its all-pervading character, nationalism is often thought to be very old; sometimes it is mistakenly regarded as a permanent factor in political behavior. Actually, the American and French revolutions may be regarded as its first powerful manifestations. After penetrating the new countries of Latin America it spread in the early 19th century to central Europe and from there, toward the middle of the century, to eastern and southeastern Europe. At the beginning of the 20th century nationalism flowered in the ancient lands of Asia and Africa. Thus the 19th century has been called the age of nationalism in Europe, while the 20th century has witnessed the rise and struggle of powerful national movements throughout Asia and Africa.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/nationalism
Contents:
Nation Defined
A nation is a group of people who share the same culture, history, religion, language or ethnicity.
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Some nations are people with a particular belief, such as the Vatican City, or ethnic group, such as Armenia. Others share an idea, such as Democracy in the United States or Communism in China.
Some nations are controlled by a small minority who have all the power, such as Saudi Arabia, who hold the nation together with the use of this power.
Some of these may also be combined.
Enlightenment & Nationalism
The Enlightenment was cosmopolitan in its effort to spread the light of reason, but from the very beginning of the age there were nationalistic tendencies to be seen in varying shades.
Nationalism Problems
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Boundary issues
- Nations are hard to define. Who is in and out depends of interpretations. Those interpretations may vary.
- Some nations are spread across the boundary of the state. Often to unite the a nation across multiple states, nationalists use violence
- Some nations are part of larger multi-ethnic states. Those states like to keep power.
- Some nation are intermixes with other people, making separation difficult and at time violent
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Distrust and/or hatred of other groups
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often happens with nationalism
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Example - ethnocentrism, racism, antisemitism, homophobia, Islamophobia, etc.
1800s Nationalism
1900s Nationalism
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