nationalism value and importance

7/24/2019 Nationalism Value and Importance

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Paul Stein

2/2/16HIST 491C

Nationalism: Importance and Value

Nationalism, tou! o"ten #itout a concrete de"inition, as pro$en an e%tremel&

po#er"ul and endurin! political ideolo!&' Tou! a(solute monarc&, totalitarianism, and

)ar%ism a$e saped te course o" #orld a""airs, te& are lar!el& (elie$ed to (e dead, at least as

political ideolo!&' Ho#e$er, nationalism, despite its cec*ered past, continues to (e a "orce to (e

rec*oned #it' +it current e$ents in urope, it seems li*el& tat nationalism is ere to sta&' -"

course, all o" tis is useless #itout a concrete de"inition o" nationalism' .or te purpose o" tis

discussion, nationalism #ill (e de"ined as an ideolo!ical mo$ement "or attainin! and

maintainin! autonom&, unit&, and identit& "or a population #ic some o" its mem(ers deem to

(e an actual or potential nation'01+it tis de"inition, a case can no# proceed' Nationalism must

(e studied in order to understand uropean istor&, speci"icall& te .irst +orld +ar'

Te .irst +orld +ar pro$ides te (est e%ample o" nationalism in uropean istor& and te (est

ar!ument "or its stud&' ltou! te #ar !uilt de(ate still continues amon! istorians, it is

incontro$erti(le tat nationalism #as a si!ni"icant cause o" te #ar' +ile te Sonderweg Tesis

is still otl& de(ated, it pro$ides a co!ent e%planation o" o# erman nationalism led to te .irst

+orld +ar' erman nationalism, especiall& (ased around its empire, "ed pu(lic opinion tat #as

un#illin!, in li!t o" erman industrial stren!t, to (e su(ordinate to te 3nited in!dom,

3nited States, and 5ussia'2In mainstream erman societ&, nationalistic or!aniations suc as te

erman 7e"ense 8ea!ue and te Na$& 8ea!ue rapidl& de$eloped, "indin! ea$& support amon!

1 nton& 7' Smit,NationalismCam(rid!e: Polit&, 21;, 9'

2 .rit .iscer, Germanys Aims in the First World WarNe#


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Paul Stein

2/2/16HIST 491C

middle>class $oters'?)oreo$er, erman nationalism and uropean nationalism more !enerall&4

e$ol$ed "rom a istoricall&>(ased o#e$er loosel&; nationalism to an etnicall&>(ased one'@

Tis e$olution o" nationalism as !reat implications "or erman "orei!n polic&'

erman "orei!n polic& oriented to#ards a li"e or deat stru!!le0 amon! te Teutons,

auls, and Sla$s, as so#n (& eneral .rederic $on AernardiBsDeutschland und der nachste

Krieg'6ll o" tis is directl& tied to erman nationalism' Tat is, te Teutonic people are

someo# special, and te Teutonic past elps "orm a collecti$e national identit&'=Tis is

especiall& true in te case o" te erman position a!ainst te 5ussians, #it te ermans o"ten

re"errin! to te 5ussians as a Sla$ic menace, and namin! teir earl& #ar $ictor& near llenstein,

ast Prussia a"ter te Aattle o" Tannen(er!, #ere te Teutonic ni!ts su""ered a crusin!

de"eat'Tis resapin! o" a de"eat into a $ictor& "urter illustrates erman nationalism> erman&

is no# te $ictor at Tannen(er!' Suc a coice onl& ma*es sense in li!t o" an etnic>(ased

nationalism' 5ater tan simpl& a $ictor& o$er te 5ussians, Tannen(er! #as a $ictor& o$er te

Sla$s' erman& sa# itsel" not as onl& te Second 5eic, te erman mpire tat ad come

? Ian ersa#, To Hell and Back !uro"e #$#%$%$Ne#


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Paul Stein

2/2/16HIST 491C

to!eter in (lood& #ars o" uni"ication, (ut also as a (ul#ar* a!ainst te sa$a!er& o" te Sla$s' 9

Suc a "orei!n polic&, as #ell as a national identit&, illuminates erman militarism Duite #ell'

erman militarism can onl& (e understood in li!t o" erman nationalism and "orei!n

polic&' ltou! te Sclie""en Plan is rapidl& modi"ied to a$oid an immediate attac* in te ast,

te #ar de$elops into a t#o "ront #ar rater Duic*l&'1


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Paul Stein

2/2/16HIST 491C

leaders in te .orei!n )inistr& tat erman e%pansion #as te onl& trul& success"ul outcome' 1?

In sort, erman nationalism ad pla&ed a lar!e part in te escalation o" a "airl& minor e$ent into

a "ull>"led!ed political crisis' erman nationalism, in te process o" pro$idin! a erman identit&,

ad also so#ed te seeds o" te .irst +orld +ar' 5ater tan ac*no#led!in! tat erman& #as

"ar "rom read& to #a!e #ar a!ainst te rest o" urope, as Gro,admiral l"red $on Tirpit did,

erman nationalists insisted upon re$en!e'14-$erall, tis leads to tree conclusions a(out

erman nationalism and te comin! o" te .irst +orld +ar'

.irst, erman nationalism e$ol$ed "rom a istoricall&>(ased one to a raciall&>(ased one'

Second, raciall&>(ased nationalism pla&ed a *e& role in erman "orei!n polic&' Tird, erman

nationalism led to erman diplomatic isolation and erman militarism' Aut #& does an& o" tis

matter "or whynationalism sould (e studiedF Te ans#er is actuall& "airl& strai!t"or#ard,

tou! it is not necessaril& simple' Nationalism illustrates te causal cain o" te .irst +orld

+ar' I" one does not *no# nationalism and cannot see o# it saped e$er& oter pro%imate

cause, one cannot *no# te causes o" te .irst +orld +ar, ar!ua(l& te most important con"lict

in te istor& o" umanit&' -ne cannot understand o# te .irst +orld +ar saped and continues

to sape uropean istor&' Nationalism is also important "or understandin! te past, so tat te

mista*es o" te past in a presentist #a&, peraps; #ill not (e repeated in te "uture' t tis point

in time, te Near ast loo*s muc li*e urope (e"ore te .irst +orld +ar' Peraps te stud& o"

nationalism #ill allo# te #orld communit& to a$oid a similarl& catastropic #ar'

1? I(id', 24'

14 Scmitt, ?12


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Paul Stein

2/2/16HIST 491C

In summar&, nationalism is *e& to understandin! te causes o" te .irst +orld +ar, as

#ell as te $ast maEorit& o" istor& trou!out te t#entiet centur&' Nationalism is important

and $alua(le not onl& (ecause o" te lessons it imparts a(out te past, (ut potentiall& a(out te

"uture as #ell' It is te most endurin! political pilosop& in istor& (ecause o" its (road

applica(ilit& and istorical importance' Tat is #& it must (e studied' Tat is #& it is

important'

Ai(lio!rap&

.iscer, .rit' Germanys Aims in the First World War' Ne#

nationalism value and importance

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