History 102: The Origins of Nationalism

What is nationalism?

Possible definitions:

• Patriotism, allegiance to a nation; varying degrees, from pride to hatred of all other nations

• a force that makes one willing to die for a nation

• the belief, conviction, or principle that each national culture should be conterminous with state borders

• Sometimes this is associated with the struggle for independence, more accurately called a “national movement”

• Underlying all: the belief that nations are the main organizing group of humanity

Long-term causes of the rise of nationalism

1. Printing press

§ 1451: Johannes Gutenberg (1397-1468) and Johannes Fust

§ Movable metal type

§ Gutenberg bible

• Led to:

§ More, cheaper books (1500->)

§ Newspapers (1800->)

2. Reformation

1517: Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses against indulgences

1522: translated New Testament

Led to:

Secularization of culture

Vernacularization of language

3. Mass education:

§ Prussian reforms begin

§ Baron von Humboldt

§ led to growing literacy

Shorter-term political causes

1. American Revolution:

• If the people are sovereign (not the king), then who are the people?

• Declaration of Independence

• U.S. Constitution

2. French Revolution

§ National Assembly

§ Cut off Louis’s head

§ Nation became sovereign

§ Levee en masse: Why fight?

3. Partitions of Poland (1772, 1793, 1795):

§ Russia, Austria and Prussia gobbled Poland up

§ Constitution of 3 May 1791

§ Poland became THE NATION WITHOUT A STATE

Thinkers on nationalism

• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

§ Regenerated nation

§ More just (equality)

§ More powerful

• Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

§ Classical conservative

§ Against French Revolution

§ Proclaimed rights of historically developed nations

• Johann Gottfried Herder (1744-1803)

§ language is at the core of human beings

§ we speak different ones

§ affirmed the primacy of culture over politics