Nationalism In The 19th Century

Nationalism is about will, interests and identity. Since 1914, the number of nations quadrupled-- from 55 nations compared to 196 countries in 2015. A number of developments such as the end of the colonization process in Asia, Africa and the Caribbean after 1945 and the end of the cold war in Europe have paved way for the creation of nation states and nationalism grew against this backdrop. Nationalism is like patriotism. It is an ideological doctrine aimed at attaining and maintaining the identity, unity (through social cohesion) and autonomy (through national self-determination) of a "nation," or a peoples united under a "national" banner (Smith, 1991). This phenomenon encompasses social, psychological, political and cultural dimensions and provides a sense of identity.

When one thinks of modern day nationalism in the United States, July 4th celebration, singing of the national anthem at a ball game, or even the period after 9-11 when the nation came together to show support and unity are just some examples. Beyond this, there are social, economic and political implications of nationalism, such as elections,

Political unification, resentment toward the British colonial rule/policies, rise of new middle class, and rise of the new economic and social system have all laid the foundation for nationalism. In May 2014, Narendra Modi, a Hindu extremist leader came to power as Prime Minister of the largest democracy. While some achievements have been made, the Modi-BJP government (political wing of the RSS) seem less interested in cultural norms. The Hindu nationalism agenda is on the rise and the notion of India is for Hindus is strong within the RSS. Through intimidation, Muslims and Christians are reconverted to Hinduism. Such extreme groups can manipulate and exploit the sentiments and identities of