Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, or “El Chivo”, controlled the people of the Dominican Republic in a manner that set him apart from the other leaders of that time. By controlling every aspect of the country’s economy, he controlled the people, by controlling each individual’s income and their jobs, he controlled their lives. (Sagas, 173) It is true that from the outside it may appear that the economy was getting better in the Dominican Republic, but the problem was that all of the enterprises and businesses were directly or indirectly owned and controlled by Trujillo himself, not the government. Building bridges, making better roads, and establishing monuments were Trujillo’s ideas as to how to make the Dominican Republic a better place. (de Besault, N/A) True that these things made the Republic more appealing and made transportation better, but the inhumane methods Trujillo employed to maintain his complete and utter control of the people completely overshadowed any positive things that he may have done.
As harmful as ethnic nationalism can be, nationalism can be a force for good. Civic nationalism, as opposed to ethnic nationalism, successfully unites people not by race or ethnicity, but by similar values and ideals. For example, the United States of America was upon the common ideals of freedom and equality. According to one expert, “The United States accepted men of all kinds of descent as their alma mater, transforming them into a ‘new race of men’” (Kohn). The non-exclusivity of American nationalism is exactly what sets apart civic nationalism from ethnic nationalism.
Does nationalism have a relationship with the causes of the wars between 1792 and 1914? This can be disputed through the events of the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, the unification struggles of Germany and Italy in the late 1800’s, the Alliance systems of the late 1800’s and the assassination of the Austrian archduke before the outbreak of World War 1.
American nationalism was the greatest by-product of the War of 1812 and became very important in U.S. politics as well as American social life between 1815 and 1836. American nationalism manifested itself in many different ways that was unlike the nationalism found in Europe. America has always been very much of a melting pot of different cultures in contrast to Europe. American nationalism was founded in everything from social to economic and political issues.
As defined, cosmopolitanism as a whole is the idea that all cultures and ethnic groups within our world belong to a single community based on a shared morality. Considering this, Anthony Appiah claims that “cosmopolitanism is universality plus difference.” He says this because cosmopolitanism is based upon people accepting the variety of people, but understanding that all the different people of the world belong to one group due to a shared moral standard. But how can this be, when there are wars and conflicts going on throughout the world? Appiah discusses this throughout his book Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers, as well as the commitments that cosmopolitans make, such as the commitment to the respect of differences in humans
The definition of nationalism, according to Anderson, is an “imagined impersonal community, defined by common history and perceived by distinctiveness, that is believed to exercise the collective right to sovereign control over a given territory.” Over the last 200 years, the United States has grown larger and stronger with every change, and with that, the understanding of nationhood and nationalism in the US has changed within the constraints of this definition. In the beginning, nationhood was very different. It was elite driven. The united states was built on immigrants brought together with the idea of building a free nation. This could be described by the elite theory, which states that elites are aspiring to nationalism and lead the movements.
The novel ‘The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao’, by Junot Diaz gives a very entertaining insight towards many social dynamics that are relevant to Dominican culture, and it fits very well within the scope of the course; and, although it is a work of fiction, this novel is set in New Jersey, and deals specifically with the Dominican Republic experience under the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. From what I’ve learned after reading the first half of this book, there is certainly a lot that can be discussed. Thankfully the book’s versatile portrayal of vivid topics that are seldom discussed shine light upon these many issues that face such an overlooked culture, especially for the American audience.
“Nationalism(n.) - loyalty or devotion to a nation, especially an attitude, feeling, or belief characterize by a sense of national consciousness” (The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism 1). Nationalism was a crucial part of America’s success during the War of 1812; nationalism was reflected in the post-war period through increased national pride, emphasis on national issues, increase in power and scope of the national government, and a growing sense of American identity (The War of 1812 and the Rise of Nationalism 1). The first to arise which was the driving force behind American victories against the British was nationalism. This nationalism was expressed in four ways; patriotism, political, economical and cultural. American patriotism
Q6. Nationalism was both known as a unifying and a disunifying force, your opinion depended on your perspective and background knowledge of the topic. Nationalism could be seen as a uniting force by bringing those together who believed in a single "nationality," or ancestors. Those who believed that nationalism was a unifying force also refused to be loyal to a king or queen, but they did remain loyal to those whom shared a common bond. Naturally, there were other who had different beliefs towards the topic. There were people who believed of nationalism as a disunifying force die to the fact that it would disrupt their wants to restore the old order before the French Revolution.
When engaging in the controversy surrounded around Sandra Bland’s arrest and followed death, one quote comes to mind, “ Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation”(Oscar Wilde). While numerous speculations have been created; for the most part America has divided into two perspectives. Those who believe this case is a suicide with a dash of coincidental, and those who believe this case is a homicide with racial intentions. Many ruling Bland’s case a homicide with racial intentions are treating the case like an axiom; however, this is a unique case that requires more than a glance over social media. Others look at this case blind due to racial beliefs and stereotypes. After conducting a personal investigation, I found error on both sides of the case.
It seems necessary to begin this essay by discussing the differences between a nation and a state before one can analyze what Collier meant when he declared, “leaders must build a nation before they can build a state” (Collier, 2009, pg. 52). A nation represents a collection of people that are united by the sharing of similar cultures, decent, history, and/or languages within a particular region. In contrast, a state represents a region that is considered to have an organized political structure beneath a single government. Therefore, in order to build a nation first, leaders must unite the people with similar backgrounds and languages. After a nation is built, leaders can proceed can continue to rule and shape this unified population within a structured political system. The question now remains as to how this information directly relays into the second chapter of Collier’s book?
1. The three components of the American System were establishing a new protective tariff, starting a new transportation system and restoring the national bank. Henry Clay thought that each of these components would strengthen and unify the nation because he thought the American system would unite the nation’s economic resources because the south would grow food and raise animals that the north would eat and in return the south would by the manufactured goods the north made. A new transportation system would allow trade between the north and the south. Now America could finally become independent economically. And the tariff would help because during the War of 1812 British merchants brought a great deal of products to the United States and sold them at much lower prices than American made goods, so the tariff would raise the prices of the British goods so the American merchants could sell their products at a lower price.
In Junot Diaz’s The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, he is telling the story of a Dominican family but mainly about the son, Oscar de Leon. The book opens with the story of Oscar as a child and him having two girlfriends at the same time. The older people in town see him as a ladies man and encourage him. The boy and the two girls all break up and his life seemed to be on a steady decline since then. He grows up to become a nerdy, fat, and awkward adolescence with few friends and even less interest from girls. This phase persists throughout his life and he never develops out of the nerdy boy he was as a child. The Dominican Republic was a hostile and poor place during the time of the novel. The dictator Trujillo controls the lives of the people in the country. This influenced the de Leon family’s present and future. Diaz develops the story by using the superstition, the cane field, and male dominance of the Dominican men
The Hispanic culture is a rich and diverse element that occupies a large amount of the United States of America. Throughout history, we can see the way this culture branches out to create different lifestyles. The novel, The Brief and Wondrous life of Oscar Wao, derives its story from the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (El Jefe) in the Dominican Republic; it shows how Trujillo affects the individual lives and culture of an entire country. To outsiders, it may seem like simple politics, but to the citizens of the DR, it changes their lives in ways they might not even notice.
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.