Nationalism

Nationalism, although divisive, was a powerful tool in bringing people together for a common cause.  This cause was of course focused around the creation of a nation, or a state that embodied a group of people’s ethnicity, history, and culture.  Common language was not a prerequisite for nation building, as could be seen in Italy where people spoke entirely different languages and lived near each other.  Class was not a prerequisite, for all classes had their share in nationalistic fervor, whether it meant through organic societal traits or a geo-political necessity.  Because certain aspects to populations were not required to create a nation, many diverse places became enchanted with the idea of creating a state.  But, there were two things that kept these places from ever reaching their goal.  The first was the oppression of hopeful states by larger already established states that had their hand in the spheres of many populations.  Poland, for example, was stuck, and had been stuck for a long time, under Russia’s influence.  Russia’s control meant that a huge army crushed nationalistic ideals whenever they arose.  The same occurrence could be seen in Northern Italy, where the Austria-Hungary Empire crushed the Italian army once the French stopped supporting Italy for fear of angering French Catholics through an attack on the pope.  The other reason why nationalism failed was the inherent problem in nationalism.  People began to break themselves down into smaller and more specific groups, which kept populations that might have had a chance at nationalism from ever truly coming together.  This could be seen with Slav’s, who, once decidedly put into a Slav category, divided into smaller and more specific Slavic cultures, which meant that each group got weaker.   Nationalism is a double edged sword, a destructive and constructive force.