Nationalism

Nationalism Definition: A strong feeling of pride in, or devotion to, one’s nation.

Up until about 1750, monarchy was the prevailing form of government. At this time, language and ethnicity were not viewed as the proper basis on which to organize states. Individuals were subjects not citizens. The idea of modern Nationalism began to take shape during the French Revolution.

By about 1914, things began to change. Most people in Europe and the Americas widely accepted the nationalist principle that a “people” defined by shared language, culture, and history had a natural right to govern themselves. The rise of nationalist thought was linked to growing literacy and public education.

Nationalism gave people with a common heritage a sense of identity and the goal of creating their own homeland. Generally, the leaders of states encouraged nationalism, proclaiming that the interests of the state and the nation were one. In the later nineteenth century nationalist ideas became an important factor in politics in such places as the Ottoman empire, the Austrian empire, Egypt, China, India, and South Africa.

Nationalism