Nationalism has it's beginning back in 1770’s it has a crucial impact on defining many nations view of the world. It has without a doubt many pros and obvious cons. Nationalism has the ability to unite different people no matter how much they disagree n many cases. It could also make some individuals came together and fight against goverments. The biggest downside of nationalism is that it often leads to conflicts and. it can also start some oppresions against specific social groups.
Nationalism is a type of pride and loyalty of ones nation over other countries. This is different from past beliefs that pride and loyalty rests in religion. Nationalism developed in the 1770’s gaining major support throughout Europe. The earliest signs of nationalism were seen in England during the puritan revolution. England during the time of the revolution was becoming a leading nation scientifically and economically which they thought would change they viewed freedom. John Milton a major writer at the time defined this change in freedom as ‘celebrated for endless ages as a soil most genial to the growth of liberty.’The French revolution had a huge impact on the development of nationalism. French thinker Jean-Jacques Rousseau helped in spreading nationalism throughout Europe through his works about popular sovereignty where people would give their consent to be governed. This was the starting point for nationalism forever changing the governments throughout Europe during the times.
The strong point of nationalism is the power to unite people of different classes and ideologies promoting equality. One of the earliest forms of nationalism in the 1700’s in Europe show many of the positives of Europe. Europe during this time was still a feudal society ruled by an absolute monarchy. With only the monarchy and the nobility with political power the largest part of the populations had not political control over their lives. The idea of nationalism was to make these different classes equal and obtaining the same rights. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was a law adopted during the French revolution which was an early example of a human rights declaration. Article one said that all men were born with the rights of Life, Liberty and fraternity. This means that all men were born with rights that could not be discriminated or changed by any government. Article 6 of the declaration says that all citizens were able to participate in government activities ‘All citizens were equal before the law and were to have the right to participate in legislation directly or indirectly.’ Unlike the previous government all people have the equal right to participate in government. Disregarding the past where you social rights were decided at birth by what class you were born into. Now every man was born with the same rights.
From this declaration we can clearly see what caused the French revolution. France was set up with three different estates the clergy, nobility and the commoners who had very little power. With France struggling economically and more pressure put on the commoners this caused the group to revolt. Pressure for change came when the commoners were shut out of the estates-general by the nobility and clergy. Through pressure from the commoners on the other estates they demanded that they all come up with a new constitution. This also drew the attention of other estates some of the nobility also agreed to make the change happen. With the two being united they were able to make the changes they wanted to France. During this process the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen and a new constitution were created. When the two estates made changes they were able to create a society that gave the same freedom without the estate structure. This movement led to other movements throughout Europe and across the Atlantic Ocean.
Nationalism has the strength to unite groups that are being oppressed by their government. This can be clearly seen when governments decide to favor one group over another. This has been seen when governments create restrictions of ethnic minority in their own land. These restrictions lead to inequality which is one of the main reasons for Nationalism movements.
It is also commonly seen in the example of colonies where the ruling country abuses it power over its colony. Ruling countries will for example use force to take resources for their country. They will also control who the other colony trades with and who rules inside the colony.
An example of people being oppressed by their government is the American Revolution. England ruled over these colonies and used them as a way to gain resources. Mercantilism laws set up by England forced the colonies to send their resources directly to England without the ability to trade with other colonies or countries in order to make profits. Eventually the British tried to tax the colonies in order to fund their wars by the stamp act. Which was rejected by the colonist, they claimed that they could not be taxed without representation. British declined the colonists request for representation in order to be taxed. The colonies used writing to express their displeasure with the English government. Thomas Paine’s Common Sense expressed the wrongs of the British government. This pamphlet was spread around the entire colonies and helped gain attention for the independence movement. Common Sense helped some of the reluctant colonists begin to join the independence movement. Fighting would break out between the two before independence was declared. The thirteen colonies declared independence on July 4 1776. Nationalism was one of the major reasons why the colonists were able to work together and lead their successful independence movement.
Nationalism can be seen as a decent way to make people come together. There are times where those who are united are seen as a threat to society. Leaders of nationalism movements can blame certain groups of people for problems the country in order to gain support. The group that is blamed for the country’s struggles is seen as threat to the group that is united. That will lead to the group to become outcasts and in some cases they will be prevented from stopping the movement.
An example is the Nazi movement in Germany during the great depression. Nazi Germany is considered an example of ultra nationalism which is considered an extreme devotion to ones nations. This was the case in Nazi Germany as Hitler used the Jews and communists as a mockingbird for the Great Depression and their World War I failures. When in jail Hitler wrote Mein Kampf an auto biography in which he laid down his political beliefs. In this writing it is very easy to see his hatred for Jews, Democracy and Marxism. Hitler also showed in the book that all who did not agree with him would be his enemies ‘All who are not of a good race are chaff.’ Hitler blaming of the Jews, Democracy and Communists for their problems help him get in to power in Germany. He evoked fear in supporters telling them of how if they every came into power they would further destroy the country. These tactics used by Hitler created a fear of his opposition. Hitler enters power by the tactics he used eventually leading to the persecution of the groups he claimed would destroy the nation. When in power his regime would lead one of the largest mass genocides in the world.
Another weakness of nationalism is that a large amount of the movements end up turning into violent conflicts. This is common because most nationalism movements are started because a group of people believe they have the right to statehood. In most cases they under control from another state and no state will grant them statehood. That will usually result in major bloody revolutions. There are several examples that resulted in serious conflicts the French Revolution, American Revolution and Sri Lankan Civil War. One very good example of how nationalism movements work for the creation of a new state was the Sri Lankan Civil War. What makes the Sri Lankan Civil War such a great example is that it is such a recent example with the conflict ending in 2009. The Sri Lankan civil war started in 1983 it was caused by a nationalistic movement by the ethnic minority of the land the Tamils.This minority led a movement to be represented as a separate state. Obliviously the government would not allow the creation of a new state. They would lead the fight for independence from the Sri Lankan government. They would also become one of the most infamous terrorist organizations known in the world. There methods of fights proved to be destructive for both sides. By the end of the war in 2009 the group was feared throughout the country and by the Tamil people. When the war ended they had failed in trying to gain their independence and causing over 100,000 casualties. This example shows that when nationalism can turn very violent leading to massive long conflicts. This example is also good because it shows that not all nationalism movements are even successful.
Nationalism does have its strengths and weaknesses. Its con's in my opinion heavily outweigh its pro's. Nationalisms strength to united people despite their class to promote equality seen in the French Revolution is positive example of nationalism. Also the ability to unite against and outside ruler seen during the American Revolution are positives. These strengths are out weighed by the ability to unite a group of people by using evoking fear of another group. The biggest weakness of nationalism is the large amounts of conflicts that are created by nationalism movements. It seems like nearly all nationalism movement lead to some form of conflict. Even the examples that were considered positive example of Nationalism have led to conflict. The inevitability of conflict along with groups being persecuted for not being part of nationalistic movement makes nationalism more dangerous than good.