“Nationalism cannot only aggravate ethnic relations within the state, but it can also spill over borders and increase the likelihood of international conflict”
(Downs and Saunders, 1998/99:115).
Introduction
Nationalism has become a major part of the Chinese Communist Party’s agenda to success and continued rule as it struggles to keep its legitimacy in China. Nationalism to an extent also shapes China’s international relations. This essay will first define what nationalism means for China by providing some background information to explain its rise, as well as the role that the ‘national humiliation’ narrative plays in it. It will also discuss the role of the patriotic education system and differentiate between state and popular nationalism. This essay will then go on to briefly mention the role nationalism plays in China’s relations with Africa and Taiwan and then it will provide a more detailed analysis of China’s nationalism and the impact it has on China’s relations with these countries. These four countries were picked as they have a long history and relationship with China that they sees as important. This essay will argue that although nationalism plays an important part in China’s relations with Japan and the United States, it isn’t the only factor that determines these relationships. The way other states treat China and Chinese history also plays a key part in shaping China’s international relations.
What is Nationalism?
Nations are central to understanding nationalism. Benedict Anderson, defines nations as ‘imagined communities’, this is because it is impossible to know the entire populace however there is still a sense of togetherness and unity amongst those from the same nation (Anderson, 2006:6). Therefore, n...
... middle of paper ...
... International Security, 29(3):64-99.
US Department of State, Chronology of U.S. China Relations, 1784-2000 [Accessed online at - https://history.state.gov/countries/issues/china-us-relations on 2nd April 2014].
Zhang, Y., (2005), ‘Chinese Nationalism and the 2001 US Spy Plane Incident’ International Studies, 42:77-85.
Zhao, S., (1998), ‘A State-Led Nationalism: The Patriotic Education Campaign in Post Tiananmen China’, Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 31(3):287-302).
Zhao, S., (2004), A Nation-State by Construction: Dynamics of Modern Chinese Nationalism (California: Stanford University Press).
Zheng, Y., (1999), Discovering Chinese Nationalism in China: Modernisation, Identity, and International Relations (Cambridge University Press).
Zhimin, C., (2005), Nationalism, Internationalism and Chinese Foreign Policy’ Journal of Contemporary China, 14(42):35-53.
Nationalism has been a potent force for change since the development of human civilization. However, opinion about the extent to which nationalism may be appropriately pursued is highly diverse, a factor that has led to immense tragedy and suffering in countless regions worldwide. While it is both appropriate and sometimes encouraged to take pride in being part of a nation, it is of the utmost importance that it is done without harming or subjugating people of another. Uniting a people by force and potentially eliminating or destroying those who may oppose it or not belong to it is unacceptable ethically, morally, and socially.
Throughout the years, humans have constructed many unique civilizations; all which follow a distinct social, economic, and political structure. Even so, there is one characteristic that prevails among these societies, the concept of nationalism. In short, nationalism refers to the feelings people have when identifying with their nation. This simple notion possesses the ability to divide or unite collective groups, and has played an important role in many historical events.
Chan, Sucheng. Chinese American Transnationalism : The Flow of People, Resources, and Ideas Between China and America During the Exclusion Era. Philadelphia, PA, USA: Temple University Press, 2005. Web.
"The Chinese Revolution of 1949." U.S. Department of State Office of the Historian. Office of the
Fairbank, John King. The Great Chinese Revolution 1800-1985. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1986.
Nationalism at its core is the support of a country. The goal of a country is to have some sort of resonance within the individuals that reside there that call themselves citizens. If the citizens don’t feel any connection with their country, they may move to find one that they feel closer too. Once found, they may support the country over others, defend it within conversations of politics or just find groups that have the same ideals they do about the country. This papers purpose is to illustrate the pros of nationalism as well as its cons.
Yiran, Feng. "To Help or Not to Help, a Dilemma in China." The Epoch Times [New York City]
Nationalism has played a crucial role in world history over the past centuries. It continues to do so today. For many, nationalism is indelibly associated with some of the worst aspects of modern history, such as the destructive confidence of the Napoleon’s army and the murderous pride of Nazi Germany. Large numbers of people, descent in their hearts, have carried out unbelievable atrocities for no better reason than their nation required them to. Authoritarian and totalitarian regime have crushed dissent, eliminated opposition, and trampled on civil liberties in the name of the nation.
For me, the most striking thought from this article is to find that the common thread of the Chinese youth and this new form of nationalism is not an intention to overthrow or reform their government, but to unite the people in pride and purpose. Writer Osnos explained that contrary to predictions, nationalism in China has flourished. “Nineteen years after the crackdown on student-led protests in Tiananmen Square, China’s young elite rose again – not in pursuit of liberal democracy but in defense of sovereignty and prosperity.”
Nationalism is the idea that a people who have much in common, such as language, culture and geographic proximity ought to organize in such a way that it creates a stable and enduring state. Nationalism is tied to patriotism, and it is the driving force behind the identity of a culture. Nationalism had many effects in Europe from 1815, The Congress of Vienna and beyond. In the following essay I will describe many of the consequences of nationalism on European identity, as well as some of the conflicts that it created.
Smythe went to China to study ideology and technology between December 1971 andJanuary 1972 on the eve of China's reinsertion into the global capitalist economy, a process that started with the formal breakth...
Yan, Xuetong. "The Instability of China–US Relations", The Chinese Journal of International Politics 3, no. 3 (2010): 263-292, http://cjip.oxfordjournals.org/content/3/3/263.full
Douglas Reynolds, China, 1898-1912: The Xinzheng Revolution and Japan. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1993.
Weiwei, Z., (2011) The China Wave - Rise of a Civilizational State. (World Century Publishing Corporation).
Wei-Wei Zhang. (2004). The Implications of the Rise of China. Foresight, Vol. 6 Iss: 4, P. 223 – 226.