WHAT IS NATIONALISM?

Grade: 11Term: 3

Topic: 4 – NATIONALISMS – SOUTH AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA

Sub-Topic: CHAPTER 1 – WHAT IS NATIONALISM

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1.1 WHAT IS NATIONALISM?

• A feeling that people have of being loyal to and proud of their country often with the belief that it is better and more important than other countries

• A desire by a large group of people (such as people who share the same culture, history, language, etc.) to form a separate and independent nation of their own (Political Independence)

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So does South Africa have a

healthy form of Nationalism?

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UNITE OR OPPRESS?

• How has it been used to unite people in a struggle to throw off oppression?

• Think about African Nationalism.• How has it also been used to oppress

people of a different 'nation' or ethnic group?

• Think about Afrikaner Nationalism.

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“Nationalism is not the awakening of nations to self-consciousness: it

invents nations where they do not exist”.

- Ernest Gellner, Nations and Nationalism, 1983.

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Terminology

• What is a:• Nation: A group of people sharing the same

culture, language, traditions and history.• Ethnic group: People sharing a common ancestry

and distinctive culture and usually belonging to a tribe or clan.

• Nation State: A state established on a defined geographical territory and inhabited by a nation that is politically independent.

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History of Nationalism

• Before the emergence of nation states in Europe in the 19th century, most ordinary people were loyal to their immediate community, ruler or church.

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History of Nationalism

• After larger and centralized states or nation states were created in the 19th century, people's loyalty shifted to the newly formed state, or to nationalist movements inspired by progressive thinkers of the time who wanted to free people from the chains of oppressive rulers.

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History of Nationalism

• In the 20th century, some nationalist leaders in Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa became increasingly conservative and self-serving. They used nationalism to promote their personal power and to protect the interests and needs of one national group over another.

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French Revolution

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Industrial Revolution

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1.2 The origins of nationalism in Europe

• In Europe in the late 18th and 19th centuries, events like the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, and the unification of Germany and Italy challenged the old political and economic power institutions of the monarchy and the church.

• In their place emerged newly constructed societies in which power had shifted to the people and the nation was all important.

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1.3 The Industrial Revolution and the rise of the middle-class

• The Industrial Revolution dramatically changed social and economic structures in Europe.

• With the invention of new technology and the development of the factory system of production, large sections of the population left the rural areas and villages to seek work in the towns and cities.

• As they did so, society was changing, stimulated by improved access to newspapers and books, which increased the circulation of ideas and information.

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1.4 The rise of the middle class which often initiated nationalist movements

• By 1850, social divisions in European society had come to be based on wealth, rather than on the possession of land.

• Despite the in the French Revolution, most European countries were still ruled by monarchs who denied ordinary people any part in government.

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The rise of the middle class which often initiated nationalist movements

• In addition, the new wealth resulting from the Industrial Revolution remained in the hands of a few rich industrialists.

• These newly rich capitalists, together with other members of the growing middle-class, demanded more political rights.

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The rise of the middle class which often initiated nationalist movements

• During 1848 and 1849, there were several worker uprisings in France and the German states to demand political rights.

• Political and economic instability after 1850 stimulated increased nationalism in Europe.

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The rise of the middle class which often initiated nationalist movements

• Nationalist movements had achieved the unification of Germany and Italy by 1871. Before unification, Germany and Italy had consisted of many small states, each under its own ruler.

• The formation of a united Germany and a united Italy led to new developments. The two new states, especially Germany, looked to develop their economies and to find more wealth and power through colonial expansion.

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1.5 The theory of nationalism as an imagined community

• Modern nationalism has been responsible for shaping new identities and dreams for nations.

• In a new nation, people are encouraged to participate in and be loyal to their nation, even though they might not know everyone in it.

• This leads to an ‘imagined community’, sustained by a commitment to serve and defend one’s people.