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Differences between state and nation
Differences between state and nation
Differences between state and nation
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1. Introduction
“The years of slavery are past, The Belgian rejoices once more; Courage restores to him at last, the rights he held of yore, strong and firm his gasp will be; Keeping the ancient flag unfurled; to fling its message on the watchful world: For king, for right, for liberty.” (Belgian National Anthem, 1830). This was what the Belgian sang when they fought for their independence, the song arises some questions on the situation of Belgium before there was a Belgian state or a Belgian Nation.
This paper focuses on the nation and state building of Belgium between the Middle Ages and 1830, as Belgium did not exist at that time this paper examines the situation on the territories belonging to current Belgium. The process of nation-state building in Belgium is explained by defining the concepts of nation and state, then by analysing the system of powers in the Belgian territory and, finally by stating whether or not Belgium was a state or a nation during the analysed periods.
2. Key Concepts
2.1. State
Roberts definition of a modern state is based on certain characteristics, the ruler should be sovereign (supreme authority), have a defined territory, have a legitimate power and be efficient.
2.2. Nation
Gellner defines it as a large body of people united by common descent, history, culture, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory.
3. Nation and State Building of Belgium
3.1. Middle Ages
After Charlemagne's death, the Carolingian Empire was divided in three parts by the Treaty of Verdun in 834. This division weakened the Empire, many battles took place and it allowed the Viking's invasions from the north. It was around that time that the hereditary character of feudalism and the power of the fiefs, in...
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...anish did not manage to centralise their territories but the Austrian had a centralised government which claimed to be absolute. It was not until the French invasions that Belgium was united and was part of an absolute and centralised Republic. However, because of the balance of power, Belgium had to answer to the Dutch which were centralised and absolute but were not recognised by the Belgian because of the differences existing between the two Nations, this led to Belgium's independence.
Belgium became a nation around the start of the 19th Century because it was the first time that they struggled together to be free of people who did not have the same beliefs and history as them. They might not speak the same language, French and Flemish, but they had the feeling that they belonged together and as the Belgian motto says: l'Union fait la Force (Unity makes Strength).
...e clear that Richelieu was firmly on the side of the monarchy. This taints his advice to some degree: he does not take the complaints of the nobility into account and presents a decidedly one sided view of what makes a good king. This proves to be limiting; perhaps some of the unrest could have been avoided if reconciliation had been pursued instead of a power struggle. Richelieu’s Political Testament is an interesting case study in the political theory of the 17th century, and clearly served as a model for many kingships to come.
For instance, in 1481, the “Catholic Kings” were what Ferdinand and Isabella were known as. The kingdom of Castile and Aragon were ruled together, but not as countries. It was a union of crowns (Isaacs). “The two kingdoms maintained their separate l...
Expansion was a goal that all nations wanted to achieve. Prince Leopold, the heir of the Belgian Throne, in a conversation, explained that “since history teaches us that colonies are useful. let us strive to get on in our turn. to lead to progress in every sense.” Being a prince, Leopold must have had a pro imperialist point of view, because he wanted to keep Belgium strong and prosperous.
Between 1650 and 1713, the Dutch Republic faced many challenges to it's security, unity and prosperity. In these years, the Dutch Republic faced a decline in trade, increased debt, crushing military defeats and a skeptical, divided society, all of which threatened the vitality of the Republic.
Throughout the middle ages, many empires were working on expanding their territory, but it was not always a success unless they had the appropriate leadership to guide them in the right direction. The main empire that grew to extraordinary lengths is that of the Roman Empire. Through many conquests and battles and with an amicable government, it attained its fortune. However, on the other hand, there was another government that shared similarities with that of Rome; this was the empire of Charlemagne, otherwise known as the Carolingian Empire, but it failed to have a prosperous eternity.
At Charlemagne's death in 1814 only one of his three sons, Louis, was living. Louis's weak rule brought on the rise of civil wars and revolts. After his death his three quarreling sons split the empire between them by the Partition of Verdun in 1843.
As a political figure, King Leopold of Belgium had minimal power, yet he acknowledged the political and financial advantages of colonization, and acquired the Congo as a private colony whereas Britain snatched up colonies globally, including the “crown jewel” of all colonies, India. Belgium and Britain demonstrated a stark contradiction of two opposing methods of colonization. These two countries methods’ of domination ultimately decided the fates of each party, ...
France first became an independent nation during the French Revolution. This point in time was when the monarchy that had been around for thousands of years was demolished and was replaced by a Republic government. There were other moments of monarchy in the early history of French statehood, but they were brief. Some of these moments of monarchism include the reigns of Napoléon Bonaparte and King Louis-Philippe. When Napoléon fell at Waterloo, monarchism was reestablished by Louis-Philippe. At this point in time, they were still moving toward democratization, but they were no...
Within 1650 to 1713 the Dutch Republic underwent a formidable transformation, which changed its status as a major influence in Europe. The Dutch Republic was a political union of seven provinces that was not only an impressive banking and commercial capital, but the Dutch also had a great navy as well. Additionally, the center of flourishment in the Dutch Republic was Amsterdam, which was the foremost trading and banking center in all of Europe. The changing environment of the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries forced the Dutch Republic into a position of conflict and unbalance, which proved detrimental to their country as a whole. One of the first challenges to the Dutch Republic dealt with military and how countries, such as the English, wanted to snatch the Dutch’s profitable sea trade routes for themselves. As a result of military conflicts, the Dutch Republic’s economy decreased as a whole due to the fact that wars burdened the previously flourishing trade routes and wealthy cities. Another challenge to the Dutch Republic was unity and how Dutch cities began to doubt other provinces of loyalty to one another, which destroyed most efforts of unification for retaliation against the countries attacking the Dutch. Overall, the major decline of the Dutch Republic was a great example of when one part of a nation goes down, the rest of the nation followed suit.
Scott’s work in this essay focuses on the development of universal individual rights around the eighteenth and nineteenth century of French history. The individual was
While Leopold II, the King of Belgium, desperately wanted an overseas colony, The Belgian people did not share his enthusiasm; which created the feelings of neglect and apathy Belgium had towards Congo. The Congo Free State, established “in the margins of the Berlin Conference” in 1885, allowed Leopold to “gain international recognition of his possession” which he had begun to take control of since the 1870s. However, while Leopold was securing control of the Congo, the Belgian people were not interested in controlling colonies, as they believed that colonies “would merely soak up resources that would be better used for social purposes at home.” Thus, the Belgian people decided to solve the problem of having an unwanted colony by separating the Belgian government from...
Abbe Sieyes was born in 1748. He was a clergyman and a political writer who wrote a very clear message to educate citizens about their rights. He divided his work into three main questions. In his opinion, a nation is “A body of associates living under a common law and represented by the same legislature.” I agree with his definition because he supports the farmhands of the land in France. The third estate citizens who worked really hard to make everything from the other two estates available. They make the highest percentage of France's population (98%) even though they have no right to vote or power in the general estate. He also talked about “What has it been until now in the political order? Nothing." Lastly, “What does it want? Something."
In early modern europe, from the sixteenth to the early eighteenth century, a revolution in state building transformed what it meant to be a strong state. Modern states were moving away from the archaic feudal and isolationist traditions of warring nobles to more modern ideas of government, from the English Constitutional Monarchy to the Prussian Autocracy, governments and states attempted to and largely succeeded in placing more power in the government. Though still true of parliamentary systems, this was especially important in the development of absolutist traditions-- and how they played off their state's fledgling national identities. By examining two absolutist states, France and Russia, it is clear that the central theme of nation
In a period leading up to the eventual Independence from Belgium in 1960, several political parties were formed. The populous argued for independence from Belgium due to many decades of brutality and corruption under Belgian colonization. There were many protests and riots fighti...
Netherlands little quirks that make it special are of of the best parts about it. Netherlands history is an important part, because without it the Netherlands would not be what it is today. On January 3, 1648, the Netherlands was founded. The royal House of Orange was the main royal class in that time, and Prince Williams was the man