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Nationalists base nations on various notions of political legitimacy. These can derive from the Romantic theory of " cultural identity", the liberal argument that political legitimacy is derived from the consent of a region's population, or combinations of the two.
The modern vernacular use of nationalism refers to the political (and military) exercise of ethnic and religious nationalism, as defined below. Political scientists usually tend to research and focus on the more extreme forms of nationalism usually related with nationalsocialism, separatism etc.
Nationalism is a controversial term, as its most general definition is broad and has been controversial throughout history, and specific examples of nationalism are extremely diverse. Often the most negative consequences of the clash of nationalisms, ethnic tension, war, and political conflicts within states, are taken for nationalism itself, leading some to view the general concept of nationalism negatively and others to argue that viewing nationalism through its most negative consequences distorts the meaning of the term.
Depending on the specific content of a nationalism, it may or may not necessarily imply that one nation is better than another. At times it simply argues that a given nation is better off when it is permitted to govern themselves, following its own political, economic, and cultural interests independently. Jingoism is a more pejorative term for a nationalism that emphasizes the superiority of one nation over another.
All forms of nationalism must answer the question of who belongs to the nation and who does not, and what does belonging to a nation mean. Early theories of nationalism took the view that the existence and boundaries of a nation were the natural consequence of ethnicity and geography. However, in the late 20th century, theorists of nationalism influenced by postmodernism began to argue that the concept of nations is a socially constructed phenomenon. Benedict Anderson, for example, termed the concept of nation as imagined communities. Ernest Gellner further discusses the concept: "Nationalism is not the awakening of nations to self-consciousness: it invents nations where they do not exist." (Anderson and Gellner deploy terms such as 'imagined' and 'invent' in a neutral, descriptive manner. The use of these terms in this context is not intended to imply that nations are fictional or fantastic.) As such, they view the necessary conditions for nationalism as including such things as the printing press and capitalismCapitalism generally refers to a combination of economic practices that became institutionalized in Europe between the 16th and 19th centuries. Exactly which historic and current practices are considered part of "capitalism" varies among users of the term.
Anthony Smith proposes a synthesis of 'post-modernist' and traditional views. According to Smith, the preconditions for the formation of a nation are a fixed homeland (current or historical), high autonomy, hostile surroundings, memories of battles, sacred centres, languages and scripts, special customs, historical records and thinking. Smith considers that nations are formed through the inclusion of the whole populace (not just elites), constitution of legal and political institutions, nationalist ideology, international recognition and drawing up of borders.The nation-state was born in Europe with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648Events Peace treaty signed at Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' War. The Dutch and the Spanish sign the Treaty of Munster, ending the Eighty Years' War. The Spanish Empire recognizes the Dutch Republic of United Netherlands as a sovereign state, (governed. People long before that time often displayed great zeal for the place that they lived very much like nationalism but it did not rely exclusively on the idea of nationhood. Divisions along the lines of religion and culture were more important in times past and rather then owing allegiance to the land on which they lived they tended to owe their allegiance to the ruler who reigned over them. The ancient Greeks called everyone who was not Greek a barbarianBarbarian was originally a term applied to a foreigner, one not sharing a recognized culture or degree of polish with the speaker or writer employing the term. The word derives from the Greek, and expresses with mocking duplication ("bar-bar") alleged att but the Greek city states often fought amongst themselves for dominance. Nationalism can be thought of as recognition that another nation exists but our nation is superior whereas before that only one nation was recognised and barbarians were simply people who had not yet been conquered and made part of the nation.
Nationalism was still an elite phenomenon for a couple of centuries after the Treaty of Westphalia, but during the 19th centuryAlternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical ( 18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801- 1900. Events The Little Ice Age ended in EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se it spread widely and became popularized. Nationalism has dominated European and even global politics ever since. Much of 19th century European politics can be seen as a struggle between newer nationalist movements and old autocratic regimes. In some cases nationalism took a liberal anti-monarchical face whereas in other cases nationalist movements were co-opted by conservative monarchical regimes. Gradually through that century the old multi-national states such as the Austro-Hungarian Empire began to lose their grip, and various localized states were absorbed into larger national entities, most notably Germany and Italy.
By the end of the 19th century, nationalistic ideas had began to spread into Asia. In India, nationalism began to encourage calls for the end of British rule. In China, nationalism created a justification for the Chinese state that was at odds with the idea of the universal empire. In Japan, nationalism combined with Japanese exceptionalism.
The First World War marked the final destruction of several multinational states ( Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and to some extent Russia). The Versailles Treaty was marked by an attempt to recognize the principle of nationalism, as most of Europe was divided into nation states in an attempt to keep the peace. However, several multinational states and empires survived. The 20th century has also been marked by the slow assertion of nationalism around the world with the destruction of European colonial Empires, the Soviet Union, and various other smaller multinational states.
At the same time, particularly in the latter half of the century, trends which some have interpreted as anti-nationalistic have taken place. The European Union is now transferring power from the national level to both local and continental bodies. Also, many critics of globalization assert that trade agreements, such as NAFTA and the GATT, and the increasing internationalization of trade markets are weakening the sovereignty of the nation state.
However, nationalism continues to assert itself in response to those trends. Street demonstrators vehemently oppose the negative aspects of globalization (see ATTAC), nationalistic parties continue to do well in elections, and most people continue to have a strong sense of attachment to their nationality. Moreover, it is not necessarily the case that globalism and European federalism are necessarily opposed to nationalism. For example, many theorists of Chinese nationalism within the People's Republic of China have articulated the idea that China's national power is substantially enhanced, rather than being reduced, by engaging in international trade and multinational organizations. With regard to European federalism, some of the strongest supporters of a more powerful Europe are local nationalist groups such as Catalans and Welsh nationalists who believe that that a stronger European center will create a Europe of the regions and limit the power of current nation-states.
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