nationalism

nationalism An idea which developed in the nineteenth century that binds population groups together through their territorial, cultural, and/or ethnic links. It emerged partly as a result of the economic, social, and political uncertainties of the modern, industrializing world. In addition, it was often used by a section of the population to mobilize popular support against a ruling class of different origin or religion, as happened in many nationalist movements in Austria-Hungary, and in many colonial countries.

Two types of nationalism can be broadly identified. An organic, cultural nationalism emerged largely in eastern and central European states, where among a scattered people a nation came to define itself by a common ancestry, common religion, and/or a common language. A second type of nationalism developed where the nation became identified with the existing state, a sentiment manipulated very successfully by Bismarck to justify the Prussian-dominated German state after 1871.

Common to most nationalist movements is a belief in national greatness supported by a glorified, mythical past, in a liberating mission (particularly in wartime), and some kind of ‘divine’ mission of the nation. Nationalism need not be hostile to other nations, but it did contribute towards widespread support for World War I on all sides. The new European territorial order after 1918 tried for the first time to take account of national communities, but its collapse from 1933 showed how fragile and flawed this had been. After World War II, the concerns of national communities (such as Poles and Germans) were largely ignored and subjected to geopolitical considerations of the two superpowers. The collapse of Communism and the Soviet Union took the lid off, and resulted in the (often violent) eruption of nationalist fervour in all former Soviet re publics, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia.

Since 1989, new types of identity have emerged that superimposed themselves on thriving nationalist sentiments. Globalization as well as growing international migration created a growth of regional identities as individuals needed to identify with smaller, more easily identifiable cultural structures. This growing regionalism was complemented by the acceleration of transnational identities. One manifestation of this was the creation of more stable transnational structures, such as the WTO, as well as firmer structures within the EU such as the euro. A more sinister manifestation was the growth of international terrorism, which led to the September 11 attacks and the War on Terrorism.