Chapter 3: Nationalism
Who is Pericles?
(495-429 BCE), Athen's most esteemed statesman that claimed, "we alone regard a man who takes no interest in public affairs, not as a harmless but as a useless character
What is a community?
A necessary condition for human fulfillment, and the formal organization of the community is the state
What is a state?
A political term that includes four elements: people, territory (a defined geographical space solely associated with a particular state), government, and sovereignty (ultimate legal authority within a given territory)
What is a nation?
A sociological term referring to a group of people who have a sense of union with one another (has no necessary political implication — just social)
What is the natural theory?
Aristotle — "the Father of Political Science" — was an early proponent of this theory of the origin of the state, which asserts that the formation of the state is a result of people's natural inclination to interact
Why was nationalism formed?
As a political response to the growth of trade and communications accompanying the era, but it was not until the French Revolution that nationalism became an irrepressible idea
How is nationalism used?
As a principal form of self-identification to both unite and divide people
What is the natural theory?
Bases its definition of humanity on the existence of the state
Why is it believed that the state evolved?
Because society had a practical need for it (as people ceased their nomadic wandering, territory became important); it probably evolved as a way of organized society to maximize the exploitation and distribution of resources, which had become limited when people stopped moving
How are nationalism and democracy related?
Both ideological goals were given substance and formed during the French Revolution, they have both become goals of a large percentage of the world's people, they are intellectually joined because they share similar philosophical foundations, and each is rooted in the concept of popular sovereignty
What is the divine theory?
Contends that a particular people was chosen By God
What is the term state a synonym for?
Country
What is the positive force theory?
Developed in Germany during the 19th century and asserts that the state was indeed created by force, but that rather than being evil, this feature dignified the state because force is not something to be avoided, but something that is a primary value in society; the state institutionalizing the power of the strong over the weak simply arranged affairs as they should be (i.e. the weak should be ruled by the strong and all of nature underscores this priority)
According to Aristotle, what was an individual outside the state?
Either a beast or a god, since he believed the state was the only environment in which one could be truly human
Who was the positive theory of the forceful origin of the state maintained by, principally?
Georg Hegel (1770-1831) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)
What is the negative force theory?
Goes back to ancient times and asserts that the state was created by conquest, growing out of the forceful domination of the strong over the weak, therefore making it an evil thing that should be resisted, justly (dogma to revolutionary groups throughout the ages)
How does national self-interest raise conflict?
If each nation-state's policy is determined primarily by what is best for that nation-state, then many policies will be opposed by other nation-states on the groups of their own national self-interest (i.e. the interests of the world as a whole are not considered)
Is geographical proximity alone seldom sufficiently cohesive to forge a nation from a diverse population?
No
How was the state according to ancient Greeks?
Not merely a natural phenomenon, but something that took on a much more important characteristic, made up of interacting individuals, greater than any single person or group; it became an entity with a life, rights, and obligations apart from those of the people it served
What is the only characteristic necessarily shared by state and nation?
People
How is the term "national self-interest" used?
Political leaders often need only claim that a particular policy is in the national self-interest to satisfy many of their compatriots that the policy is justified because the people's identification with the nation-state is so strong
What is another source of national identity?
Politics, although such affinity born of political factors alone is not common; in some relatively new societies, people have welded together in nationhood with politics as the main adhesive (such as America)
What is the divine theory?
Probably the oldest theory of the origin of the state, based on the assumption that some people are God's chosen ones; spiritual and temporal powers were separate but both came from God
What is chauvinism?
Puts the state above the people, giving the government a status that cannot be equaled or surpassed; thus, the institution itself has power separate from that of the people under it and the state is a self-contained being (i.e. an organic personality in and of itself, all-powerful and total)
What is the divine right of kings theory?
Regards the monarch as the personification of the state
What does national self-interest arise?
Selfishness among societies in the world to a level of acceptability that it would probably not achieve among individuals within a society, although unregulated capitalist economics comes close (conflict among nation-states becomes almost inevitable)
What is the two swords theory?
Suggested by Gelasius I, Pope from 492-496, that the spiritual and secular powers were both essential to human life, but they could NOT be joined under a single person
What is the social contract theory?
Suggests that people consciously create legitimate political power
What is the force theory?
Suggests that the state emerged as the strong imposed their power on the weak
In political terms, what is part of the definition of modern society?
That it is organized into a nation-state
What have some argued about the state?
That it is the most powerful form of human organization, and that as such, it is above any ordinary moral or ethical restraint and greater than any individual (not limited by individual rights)
What did Aristotle believe?
That people should constantly seek moral perfection, which they will probably never reach, but it is still the noblest of human pursuits; according to him, humans are social beings by nature (naturally gather together and interact with one another, thus forming a community) and the state was society's natural environment that people were human only within
What did Gregory believe about the divine theory?
That the Church should bow to the state in all secular affairs
What did Augustine and Ambrose imply about the divine theory?
That the state was subject to the spiritual leadership of the Church, but neither pressed the point too far
During what time was nationalism developed?
The Age of Enlightenment
What is nationalism?
The ideological expression of a nation-state, which has been the most powerful political idea for the past 2 centuries
How were the instruments of the state used?
The law and government were used to define, protect, and transfer property
What is history's most recent authoritative form of political organization?
The nation-state system
What is the ancient Greeks' theory known as?
The organic theory of the state, which was larger supported by Thomas Aquinas, Rousseau, and Mussolini; today it is referred to as the organic society
Which version of the force theory is probably the clearest example of extreme nationalism?
The positive force theory
What was the primary function of the State and the Church?
The primary goal of each was to contribute to the salvation of people — the State helped pave the way to paradise, providing peace and order and creating the atmosphere in which people could best serve God; the Church was responsible for developing the true spiritual doctrine and giving people guidance toward their heavenly goal
What is a nation-state?
The resulting political entity from which a nation of people managed to create a state of their own; it has become the principal form of political organization among modern people
What is national self-determination?
The right of national groups to organize themselves politically, forming nation-states
What political organizations did human beings rally before adopting the nation-state?
Tribes, city-states, empires, and feudal baronies
What is one of the important reasons for the successful emergence of the American nation and the failure of the Soviet Union?
Unlike the people of the Soviet Union, the people of the United States (apart from the Native Americans) had to leave the old countries and immigrate to new ones, whereas the Soviet nations had been there for hundreds of years and the people did not travel to a new politics (the new politics was imposed on them in their own land, and they ultimately rejected it)
When does a nation exist? What is the most common feature around which a nation is united?
When there is a union of people based on similarities in linguistic pattern, ethnic relationship (most common), cultural heritage, or even simple geographic proximity
What does nationalism do?
Calls on people to identify with the interests of their national group and to support the creation of a state (a nation-state) to support those interests
What do all states have?
Clear territorial boundaries, in which the lands are served by governments that technically have final legal authority over all of the people within their boundaries
What specific fact demonstrates the power of nationalism?
It has dominated almost every other idea system
How have Leftists used nationalism? Rightists?
Leftists have supported it as a vehicle to improve the well-being of citizens, whereas rightists have used it to encourage unity and stability
What does the term nation symbolize? State?
Nation symbolizes the unity of people and state formalizes the organization and structure of that union
