The Nature of Nationalism

If the 20th century teaches us a lesson, it must be about the danger of power and nationalism. As it has been many times, liberals, socialists and internationalists are vulnerable to these forces and intense irrationality. George Orwell wrote about nationalism in 1941: "... there is nothing left behind as a separate force, as weak as it is, compared with Christianity and international socialism." Nationalism has become a major problem. For historians and politicians, but for anyone interested in human psychology.

Image Source

The Nature of Nationalism

Beginning by comparing nationalism and patriotism can help you to understand this point. These words clearly coincide with different meanings for different people, but in general "nationalism" has mostly bad associations, while "patriotism" has positive connotations. A patriot feels excited about where he was born or where he belongs, but this feeling is polite, understanding and rational. Patriots keep their emotions under control and do not allow them to turn into imagination or blindness.

Patriots also praise the best things about countries: humor, food, literature, art, and so on. Sense. But these things are positive and everyone is open, and they enrich the world. For example, he said, "I love the country" because it is a French patriot "freedom, equality, fraternity", he believed that such ideas would affect others. National heroes prefer to be great philanthropists and poets as patriots, admirals, or war commanders. Patriots will accept that each group has its own strengths and weaknesses, and that each group can offer something different.

However, the word "nationalism" refers to extreme emotions that are not very much related to facts. It also includes aggression: the need to argue, bullying and dominance. Nationalism can sometimes be used in conjunction with racism. The most obvious example of racism is Nazi Germany, where the national proud thinker is the superior nirvana of Northern or Northern Europe. But the Nazis are not the only example of this. In the 1930s, many Japanese believed in the superiority of their own race. Even in the early periods of Irish nationalism, some Irish Celts had a racial era in which they were more sensitive, spiritual and imaginary than the materialist Anglo-Saxons. (For example, the Irish writer James Joyce received such ideas in his Ulysses novel.)

At the same time, nationalism can be fueled in a totally negative way in a disrespectful way to a country far from loving its own country. In other words, a person can remain indifferent to the country where he is born, but he can develop intense antipathy for his country's neighbors and exaggerate any difference. This is especially true when the neighboring country is larger, richer or more popular. People often feel humiliated, almost perceiving these successes.