Super European Nation And State example essay topic

For a long time, nationalism was seen as a thing of the past. Many had predicted, and even hoped, that with an increasingly globalized world, nationalism would become obsolete. However, this has not been the case, and in fact, nationalism has become somewhat of a renewed force in the late twentieth century: nationalism is a global phenomenon, with no area free from ethnic protests and nationalist uprisings. At present, the nation and nationalism remain the moral basis of states and of the international system, to the extent that the organisation grouping the states of the world is called the United Nations. This essay will attempt to explain this ubiquity and persistence of contemporary nationalism, by examining the factors that have helped make nationalism a worldwide success, and also those which have allowed it to stand the test of time, despite many obstacles and challenges. Firstly, however, it is necessary to define exactly what a "nation" and "nationalism" is.

Assuming that nations do exist, (and there are those who disagree, who claim that "the nation" is merely a concept, an "imagined community") a nation can be defined as "a named human population sharing an historic territory, common myths and historical memories, a mass public culture, a common economy and common legal rights and duties for all members". It is important to note, however, that a nation is not the same as a state. A state is "a territorial association of people recognised for purposes of law and diplomacy as a legally equal member of the system of states", whereas a nation refers more to a common culture and history. In saying that, nationalism can be seen as a movement that attempts to equate the nation with the state, giving rise to the "nation-state", a state which claims to represent a nation, and which is influenced by, and expresses, the will of the people.

Nationalism, therefore, is "both an ideology based on genealogical and ethnic grounds and a social political movement designed to achieve goals of the nation and promote its interests". It follows the national idea that all those sharing a common culture and history should be "autonomous, united and distinct in their recognised homeland". Nationalism has many functions in modern society. Firstly, it has provided a new system of legitimation for the state system: states can now claim to represent the interests of separate, individually legitimate people, thus also justifying their sovereignty. Secondly, nationalism has played a crucial role in state building, and in the formation of a common identity within societies.

Although on a larger scale, nationalism can be viewed as a divisive force, it also acts as a unifier, albeit only internally, but this in turn serves important psychological functions by providing people with a sense of identity, unity, and belonging, etc. As advantageous as these roles may be, it is the flexibility of nationalism that holds the key to its ubiquity. Throughout history, the national idea has been continually changed and expanded to accommodate different needs and interests, thus making it accessible to virtually all cultures. In addition, national aspirations tend to combine with other, non-national ideas, such as economic, social, or political issues, and often it is this combination which powers many movements, while at the same time extending the range of nationalism. Thus the ubiquity of nationalism can be explained by its ability to adapt, but also by its ongoing nature. In recent years, there has been a huge resurgence of nationalism in the form of ethnic separatism, many of which take the form of protests against the failure of states to recognise minorities' identities and rights, and surprisingly, many autonomist movements have occurred recently in well-established states which are fairly industrialised, and with a relatively prosperous economy and a well-educated population.

Yet despite all these advantages (which led many theorists to predict an end to nationalism) the ethnic minorities seem more dissatisfied than ever, and some even desire more than autonomy. For autonomy is not always enough: it implies only internal recognition of their nation, but this is inadequate if there is a desire to participate in modern world affairs, since the national state is the only internationally recognised structure of political association. Only duly constituted nation-states are admitted to the UN. These nationalisms are emerging now in particular for a variety of reasons.

Generally speaking, these minorities are seeking group autonomy, cohesion, and identity. But there are often other causes of these separatist movements, for example, they may be a reaction to attempted assimilation of their people, and thus an attempt to cling on to an integral part of their culture, be it a language, religion, or series of distinct institutions. On a political level, too much bureaucracy and over-centralisation can provoke these movements. Peripheral areas of a country are likely to resent the fact that they receive less input and attention, especially if this area is dominated by a minority group. What's more is that this process of separatism is self-reproducing. Once a state is divided, it is only a matter of time before similar conditions in these newly formed nation-states induce yet another separatist movement.

It is perhaps paradoxical that this recent resurgence of nationalism should occur in an era of globalization. One would think that with the spread of links between societies in trade, migration, tourism, and communications, that national identities may begin to erode, (especially since with globalization often comes Americanization) and with the growth of institutions of international and global governance, together with the globalization of markets, that the power of states may also be eroded. However, it would seem that nationalism is not an alternative to globalization, but a fundamental part of it: nationalism is what created the current international system, and in turn, it is the international system that is sustaining nationalism. Increased global interdependence throws together disparate cultures, and thus emphasises the differences in stark contrast, encouraging ethnic and historical comparison and the proliferation of fragmenting ethnic nationalisms. In addition, the emergence of one global culture has heightened nationalist sentiment as many see this as a threat to their own culture: take for example the middle eastern attitude towards American culture, or Quebec's reluctance to forego it's French traditions, culture, and language (which may inevitably lead to its eventual separation from Canada). These nationalist tensions have also been aroused by the world state system through economic competition and competition for status, creating rivalry between states.

However, some evidence does point towards unification, which may well lead to "supranationalism". The development of the EEC, for example, poses a potential challenge to existing state nationalisms, but there are two reasons why this will never truly supersede nationalism. Firstly, supranationalism may decrease the number of competing nationalisms, but only at the cost of creating a new "super nationalism" of a far more all-embracing kind. Secondly, if unification were to proceed to a much greater degree, these super-nations would in all probability act in the same way as current nation-states, and have similar goals and ideas. On the other hand, a super European nation and state, let alone a truly global nation, seems implausible.

A super-state is unlikely until each state surrenders its control over its military forces; and equally, if not more farfetched is the idea of a European super-nation since this would require the majority of each nation's population to shift their main loyalty to Europe as a whole. Assuming however, that such a super-nation was possible, and did in fact occur, this super-state would be extremely unstable and could not exist for long. Europe especially contains a plethora of markedly different cultures, religions and even languages, which would make integration of these many separate peoples into a single nation virtually impossible, especially since these former nations would still have clearly marked boundaries, and be concentrated within these. Thus the super-state would be likely to break back down into smaller nations for the reasons mentioned earlier in this essay (such as ethnic separatist movements in response to over-centralisation, lack of recognition, etc.

). In conclusion, nationalism at present has becomes structurally embodied, on a global scale, as the basis of the modern state: the nation-state remains the basic political unit. As of yet, it has not been seriously challenged, although the advancement of globalization and international interdependence may pose some threat in the not too distant future. Alternatively, it may just provoke nationalism to evolve, as it has done constantly since its birth: it is nationalism's very ability to do this that is responsible for it's widespread success and longevity. Similarly, nationalism is unlikely to die out due to the fact that its effects continue to be observed even now, and the self-reproducing nature of nationalism would indicate that these processes (of separatism) are unlikely to end any time soon, especially in an international system that was both created by nationalism, and continues to sustain it. Individual nations may come and go; may be united or divided; but regardless, there will always be nations, and with nations, nationalism.

Nationalism in the Twentieth Century Anthony D Smith National Identity Anthony D Smith Nations and Nationalism in a Global Era Anthony D Smith Nationalism and International Society James Mayall Nationalism and After Edward Hallett Carr The Globalization of World Politics Baylis & Smith An Idea of Nationalism: A Study of its Origins and Background Hans Kohn Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict Stephen Iwan Griffiths The Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity James G Kell as National Rights, International Obligations Simon Caney, David George & Peter Jones.