1. NATIONALISM

2. What is Nationalism? Nationalism is a mental attachment of the people towards a nation. It is a strong sense of a feeling of patriotism towards one’s own nation. It involves being prepared to defend one’s nation, working for its prosperity and promoting of its interests and values. Nationalism is a modern political idea behind the existence of countries in the world today.

3. Origins of Nationalism The term nationalism comes from the word nation. A nation is when a body of people feels a sense of unity based on a common history, language, religion, culture, traditions and identifies with a particular geographical location. Nations that have independent governments are called nation states.

4. Earliest modern nation states England emerged as the first nation state on 1 May 1707. France followed after the French revolution of 1789 when it became a Republic on 21 September, 1791. The idea of nation states spread to other parts of Europe. This saw the unification of Italy and Germany into powerful states in the 19 th century.

5. Colonization and the spread of Nationalism In the 19th century due to several factors European nation states conquered territory in many parts of the world making them colonies. During their colonial rule, these European countries exploited the wealth of these colonies for the benefit of their nation states. They made people of the colonies feel inferior. The people of the colonies were deprived of their political, civil, religious, linguistic and cultural rights.

6. The Rise of Nationalist Movements Some people in the colonies managed to receive western education. These western educated people from the colonies were quickly inspired by the idea of nationalism. The educated elite’ began to spread an awareness of nationalism among their people. These educated people became known as nationalists.

7. The nationalists emphasized that the people in the colonies with their rich cultural heritage of the past were in no way inferior to the European colonizers. The nationalist movement was further encouraged by the legacy of events such as the War of America Independence of 1776, the French revolution of 1793 and the Russian revolution of 1917. The nationalist movements in the colonies inspired the population, reformed societies and revived the native religious, linguistic and cultural freedom.

8. Nationalism and Liberation Movements In some countries the nationalist movements even formed liberation movements such as in most of the Southern African countries such Angola, Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. The nationalist movements were disgruntled at the slow pace by which European colonizers were yielding to the demands for independence and nation states.

9. Examples of Liberation Movements In South Africa the African National Congress (ANC) formed Umkhonto WeSizwe which means spear of the nation. In Mozambique, the Front for the liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO)had an armed wing which was also known by the same name. In Zimbabwe a nationalist movement called the Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU)PF formed the Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA) The nationalist and Liberation movements wanted the colonies to become independent, modern states. The nationalist movements became powerful political organizations in the 20th century and this shook many colonial powers.

10. Outstanding Nationalists in Asia Most notable among Asian nationalists are Mahatma Gandhi of India, Dr Sun Yat Sen of China, Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam and Sukarmo of Indonesia.