Paper Topic:
what is nationalism? On balance, has nationalism been a positive or negative force in the modern world? refer to specific examples.
Student Prof X Course 05 Nov 2007 Nationalism in the Modern World In an era of globalization it is difficult not to feel the impact of technology , free trade and immigration that translates to a shrinking planet in terms of the speed of communication and even the ease of travel to any point in the globe . In this modern world it seems that nationalism is an idea that is out of place - a socio-political term that belongs to a time when nation-states began to arise from the confusion of
the ancient world . Yet as of late , nationalism is again grabbing headlines as fragmented societies around the world are frantically resuscitating old glory and their leaders as well as follower are using the ideals of nationalism as their trumpet call for unity
This will look into the relevance of nationalism in the modern world - whether it has been a positive or negative force - especially in the light of modern trends such as globalization , rapid exchange of ideas , a high degree of cooperation between countries , and of course conflicts in different parts of the planet . This can be done by revisiting the past and try to understand nationalism , its development from the Dark Ages to the present day
Background
In the age long history of mankind the concept of nationalism is a relatively new idea . Many are in agreement that it is only in the Age of Renaissance where one can find the emergence of this particular idea wherein a group of people came together to form an association in to attain a common goal . There are those who point to England as the cradle from which this radical new idea emerged (see Haas , 1997 . Yet there are those who credit the French for inventing this new method of organizing disparate groups of people with differing interests and then turn them into one homogeneous unit that calls itself one nation
The French Revolution was an event in the post-Medieval Ages that would help shape present day Europe . It was like a great earthquake whose aftershocks were felt not only in the Western World but even beyond its bs as revolutionary forces and charismatic leaders look up to it as a model for successful uprising and the path to nation building (see Stone , 2002
Nationalism is easily understood from the point of view of culture and ethnicity . In this regard the proponent agrees with Hans Kohn - a well respected authority in the study of said subject matter - who argues that human nature plays a significant role in the creation of the concept of nationhood and nationalism . Hans Kohn then presented his case by saying that
There is a natural tendency in man . to love his birthplace or the place of his childhood sojourn , its surroundings , its climate , the contours of hills and valleys , of rivers and trees . Man has an easily understandable preference for his own language as the only one which he thoroughly understands and in which he feels at...
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