Nationalism Essay

1742 Words4 Pages

Nationalism is an ideology based on the basis that an individual's devotion and loyalty to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests:nation is the central entity which is a sense of identity and belongingness for the citizen.They always place their nation first before any other individual,group or country.When people attached to their nations deeply,they would sense emotions toward their nations-usually very intense or excessive.Nations are bodies that seek to be strong and pursue power by any means.Nationalism assumes that every nation has enemies that are intent on weaken such nation.It can be offensive to other nationalities when they want to explain how their nation is the best.

By the experiences of European states in 19th century was one of the causes of war among states in the most cases in history.There are different major attributes that can help to determine a nationalist group's predisposition towards the use of violence in war,also direct and indirect causality between nationalism and war.Nationalism was one of the causes why world war one and two started,it was also well-built in Europe especially under the Reich Republic of Adolf Hitler in Germany and under Benito Mussolini in France.Nazism and fascism are the most significant example of nationalism in the Second World War.

There are three main characteristics of a nationalist group that determines the possibility of such a group using violence to achieve its ambition.The first one is the statehood status of a group.A decisive characteristic of nationalist groups is the desire for a state to perceive as a whole representing their unique cultural and national identity.Thus a nationalist group which has attained statehood is less likely to us...

... middle of paper ...

... world war,many countries were left out the Treaty of Versailles and didn't receive enough piece of Treaty pie.This led to the self-interest within countries had a desire to prove their power and ability to rules as top leaders.Hitler and Mussolini incited the nationalist sentiments of the people so as to unite their nations.They promised to restore the glory of nations and placed their countries above everything.Hitler used Germany's over-national pride and raging anti-Semitism as steppingstones to create one of the most heinous and morally repulsive governments in world history. Millions of people died as a result of Hitler's lust for power.Benito Mussolini plunged his nation into a global conflict for which it was woefully unprepared. Aligning himself with Adolf Hitler, he sought world domination,only to lose the support of his own people and ultimately his life.

Open Document