Samantha Nicole C.

Arda Rizal Paper

3B8 September 07, 2017

Factors like race, religion, language, literature, culture etc., makes the people have a strong feeling
of like-mindedness which endows them with the quality of nationality. The great idea of nationalism
opened the gate of human development. This particular sense of unity has enriched the worlds
storehouse of knowledge by giving inspiration man to create newer arts, literature, fine arts, etc. The
goal of a country is to have some sort of resonance within the individuals that reside there that call
themselves citizens.

Many kings and rulers wanted the best for their own countries. Nationalism believes that the people
deserve all the comfort, good health, ease and the access to the best products of the mans artistic and
intellectual spirit that the highest achievements of modern science and art can provide. It also
understands how the country should have political, economic, scientific and cultural exchanges with
many other countries, always placing the priority on the needs and for the welfare of their people. It
demands both political and economic independence; it resists and condemns foreign intervention.

As Rajkoomar (2015) said, nationalism is one of the noblest virtues. It unites the people of a country
against the common enemy. It inspires the people for noble deeds. Love for ones country means a
regard for the countrys welfare. The most potent influence on the political development of the
nineteenth century was exerted by the ideals of nationalism and liberalism. Nationalism emphasized the
independence of the sovereign State with the glorification of a nationalistic spirit imbibed in the people.
It upholds nation as the ultimate reality and the highest manifestation of reason.

Calhoun (2007, 171) suggests that nations can be associated with structures of feeling that link
categories of thought to emotional engagements. Also Brubaker (2006, 15, 207) acknowledges the
important role of nationhood and ethnicity in helping people making sense of their world and Bhabha.
The people in the country should have the right to decide what kind of society they want and know what
is best for them. They should strive to have the fullest economic and political independence from any
other foreign countries to chart their own future.

However such patriotism can have an ugly side. And, most observers are convinced that patriotism
can leave most people more blind than they should be to their country's political flaws, something many
critics have argued about. One of the major causes of most of those conflicts has been nationalism of a
different kind -- one that gets out of hand, turns into hatred of others, and sparks violence, often of
the most brutal form. That is especially true when leaders of states can convince people that they have
somehow been treated abusively by the "other" or that members of "our" group who live outside "our"
borders need to be incorporated into the "homeland." (Hauss, 2013.)

Political scientists argue that there is a distinct difference between state and nation. State is in
reference to government and other bodies that control the country, and nation, by contrast, is a
psychological characteristic, what individuals identify with (Hauss). Japan, Italy, and especially
Germany were all led by leaders who stressed unmet nationalist goals and grievances in the years
leading up to the outbreak of fighting in 1939 (Hauss). German nationalism that began to develop
before World War II was a major motivation behind many individuals who joined the Nazi Party which
was led by Adolf Hitler (Motivations Behind the Holocaust). Hitler was able to use his incredible
speaking skills to manipulate people into agreeing with him (Motivations Behind the Holocaust).

During the lecture, it was discussed how different people of different countries and continents
showed one goal: The development of their own land. They would do anything just to show their love
for their own country and to make their own land the dominant one. Almost all of them used violence
and colonize weaker countries or even use the countrys resources as their own and trade them to their
allies. In the name of nationalism many European races discovered many new markets for their goods
in the name of racism and established colonies.

Later on for the sake of their national interests, they conquered many parts of the world and
expanded their empire. The English, Dutch, French, Russians, Japanese, Germans, Italians and Spanish
people acted similarly during the nineteenth and twentieth centurys. When nationalism takes the
extreme form in any country, that country invades other weaker countries, which becomes the basis for
a world war. For example, Hitler invaded Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Denmark, Norway, Belgium
and France and Russia. Nationalism in the hands of the industrially progressive countries degenerated
into imperialism, which holds the country above humanity aiming in the weakness of other nations
and opportunity for political domination and economic exploitation. One nation seizes its neighbors
throat and keeps him quiet.
 Nationalism is essentially a democratic ideal and as such, it is opposed to all those forces, which
impede the growth of the group personality of a people. In the lecture, it was discussed how the rulers
or kings or even queens or their country did everything just to gain the dominance in the world and also
for their country to benefit especially the natural resources of the land they are colonizing.

However, showing and declaring your nationalism doesn't always have to be about getting other
people's possession or property, rather protecting your own. As we all know, our country was
colonized by many countries a long time ago. This made many filipino angry and some of them bravely
fought and did a revolution. Many of them are who we know as our national heroes. They showed their
extreme love for their beloved Philippines by fighting for the freedom of the Filipinos against countries
colonizing us as well as fighting for what we know as ours. They showed extreme courage in showing
other countries that this is our country and we should be the one benefitting in our land and natural
resources and the whole country too.

Nation and Nationalism (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/

publication/285621875_Nation_and_Nationalism [accessed Sep 2, 2017].