Nationalism has done more to shape the modern world system than anything else and has. Nationalism is a political force which has been more important in shaping the history of Europe and the world over the last two centuries than the ideas of freedom and parliamentary democracy and even communism (Kedourie, 13). It was during the last century that the term "nationalism" acquired the range of meaning that we associate with today. However, the beginning of nationalism started in the late eighteenth-century in Western Europe and North America. In North America for example, it is nationalism that is claimed for the unification of the United States in fighting for independence from the British Empire. The Americans were in agreement that a separate State could not be in a justified position to decide the destiny of the people in their country. It was this desire to associate themselves with a people of one language and culture living together that led to the Declaration of Independence of the year 1776 (Kedourie, 18).
According to Smith, this state of unification from a higher sense of belonging to a Nation-State is believed to have spilled over into Canada (12). Though the Canadians were granted sovereignty in 1867, this desire to be an independent state came from the unification of United States and the American Revolutions (Smith, 28). They also saw the higher reason to be a nation over other political or cultural differences that was inherent in the country.
In Europe for instance, several states had been divided into numerous smaller states despite the fact that they shared a common heritage. Smith asserts that Italy had been divided into several island states and small provinces each led by different warlords and rulers (16). It was until frustration of the Italian people, that a people-led nationalistic movement fronted the unification of Italy. The country was lucky to have a visionary leader; Camillo Cavour who used good skill and strong nationalist sentiments to forge a unified state. Germany was also a reference state which was unified in mid 1800s due to nationalism (Smith, 18). Germany, just like Italy, has had its territories separated from wars and other ideologies, but the revolution of 1848 created a united front for the nation. This success was however reverted after the separation of the country into East and West Germany. This separation was blamed on communist sentiments of the east that differed from the democratic sentiments of the west. Nationalism came into use when the two parts of Germany were reunited in October of 1990 (Smith, 21). Today Germany is the biggest economy in Europe and has fully adopted a democratic mode of Governance.
Most of East Europe also came to experience such nationalistic movements leading to their eventual unifications. Nationalist sentiments saw the steady and sure decay of authoritative rules such as the Ottoman Empire of present day Turkey and Hapsburg ruling house of Austria (Smith, 28). These countries were to later abolish such rulers and grow into strong developed united countries.
In conclusion, nationalism can be attributed to the many revolutions and unifications of several states. Nations have been shaped from revolutions and other countries have copied these changes to adjust their own methods of governance. Independences have been won from nationalism. It is still nationalism the call for many of the world changes we witness in the world today.
Works Cited
Kedourie, Elie. Nationalism. Wiley-Blackwell, 1993.
Smith, Anthony D. Nationalism; Key Concepts Volume 3 of PKC - Polity Key Concepts series. Polity, 2010.
