Nationalism Chapter 7 Class 11 Polity Notes

Last Updated : 15 Apr, 2024

People often think that a nation is made up of people who have similar backgrounds, languages, religions, or ethnicities. But there isn’t a single universal set of traits that all countries have in common. A nation is built up of its people; it is not made up of mountains, hills, land, infrastructure, natural resources, etc. It only exists when individuals feel a sense of unity.

It alludes to the shared identity and plans of a group of people who want to live free and independent political lives. They firmly believe that they are a single unit and that they must work as a cohesive team to advance their nation. We are united as a single entity by our shared history of freedom movement.

In the article, we shall discuss more on Nationalism!

Nationalism Chapter 7 Class 11 Polity Notes

Introducing Nationalism

Nationalism has become one of the most powerful political ideologies that has shaped history over the last 200 years or more.

People have been brought together and divided by it; it has sparked conflicts, resentment, and even wars. It has also assisted in releasing people from tyrannical authority. Nationalism has undergone numerous stages.
It resulted in the merger of several tiny kingdoms into larger nation-states in nineteenth-century Europe. This process of unification and consolidation resulted in the formation of the modern states of Germany and Italy.
Redrawing state borders is still an ongoing process, but nationalism also accompanied and played a role in the fall of major empires, including the British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese empires in Asia and Africa, as well as the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires in Europe in the early 20th century.
Nationalist conflicts that have the potential to split up current states are occurring in many regions of the world these days. These kinds of separatist movements have emerged among various groups, including the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, the Tamils in Sri Lanka, the Quebecois in Canada, and the Basques in northern Spain.

Nations and their Nationalism

A nation is a “imagined” group whose members’ shared ideas, goals, and beliefs bind it together. It is predicated on some presumptions that people have about the group that they identify with.

Similar Views

Firstly, beliefs form the foundation of a nation. Secondly, nations are not tangible entities like mountains, rivers, or buildings.

A nation exists when its people feel that they belong together. It refers to the collective identity and future vision of a group that desires to have an autonomous political existence.

History

• Secondly, individuals who identify as nationalists also embodie a feeling of ongoing historical identity.

• Indian nationalists claimed that India has a long and continuous history as a civilisation and that the country’s foundation is this continuity and unity of civilisation. They did this by citing India’s ancient civilisation, cultural heritage, and other accomplishments.

Territory

Thirdly, countries associate themselves with specific regions. People develop a feeling of collective identity through living together on a specific location for an extended length of time and sharing a common past.
Individuals who identify as nationalists refer to their homeland. They hold a particular meaning for the area they inhabited and the land they have lived on, and they identify it as their own. The Indian people identify with the subcontinent’s rivers, mountains, and geographical areas. However, the desire for a homeland has been a major source of strife throughout the world because multiple groups of people may claim the same region.

Shared Political Beliefs

Fourth, the thing that sets groups apart from states is their common future vision and desire for autonomous political life.
In a democracy, the most desirable foundation for a political community or nation-state is a shared commitment to a set of political beliefs and ideals. Members of the political community are obligated to fulfill certain duties within it.
When a people recognize and accept their responsibilities to one another, the nation is stronger.

Common Political Identity

Many people think that a common cultural identity—like speaking the same language or having the same ancestry—is what unites people as a nation. While sharing holidays, festivals, and symbols can strengthen bonds between people, they can also be dangerous to the ideals that democracy stands for.

• There are two explanations for this:

→ First, the world’s major religions are internally diverse. Every religion has various factions that have distinct interpretations of its texts and customs.

→ Two, the majority of cultures have a varied range of cultural backgrounds. For these reasons, it is preferable to think of the country in political rather than cultural terms: democracies must emphasize and demand loyalty to a set of values that may be enshrined in the national Constitution rather than adherence to a particular religion, race, or language. They have people of different religions and languages living together in the same territory.

National Self-Determination

Unlike other social groups, nations strive for self-governance and the ability to shape their own destiny. To put it another way, they want the freedom to make their own decisions.

• By claiming this, a country is requesting that the international community acknowledge and accept its position as a separate political entity or state.

• In certain instances, these demands for self-determination are connected to the purpose of creating a state where the group’s culture is safeguarded, if not given preference.

• Throughout Europe in the 1800s. The idea of “one culture, one state” started to gain traction.

• The Treaty of Versailles created a number of small, newly independent governments following World War I, but it was nearly impossible to meet all of the demands for self-determination voiced at the time.

• In addition, a large-scale population movement across state lines resulted from the redrawing of state borders to meet the demands of one culture, one state.

• It is true that most states contain multiple ethnic and cultural communities inside their borders.

• Due to their small size and status as a minority in the state, these towns frequently faced disadvantages. As a result, the issue of treating minorities as equal citizens persisted.

• National liberation movements in Asia and Africa have also affirmed the right to national self-determination in their struggles against colonial dominance.

• Ensuring the political independence and statehood of every cultural group—some of which claimed to be independent nations—proved to be nearly difficult. Population movement, border conflicts, and violence have thus persisted to be problems for numerous nations in the region.

• As a result, we have the ironic circumstance whereby nation-states that had fought for their own independence are now retaliating against minority who are claiming their right to national self-determination within their own borders.

• Today, nearly every state in the world struggles with how to handle movements for independence.

• A growing number of individuals are realizing that improving the democracy and equality of current states rather than founding new ones is the better course of action.

• This might be crucial for forging a solid and cohesive state as well as for addressing issues resulting from fresh claims for self-determination.

Nationalism and Pluralism

• Different nations have granted different types of group rights, such as constitutional protection for minority groups’ languages, customs, and religions, as well as for its members.

• In certain situations, the right to collective representation in legislative assemblies and other state institutions is also granted to recognized communities.

• It is necessary to acknowledge various groups as belonging to the national community.

• In the end, the right to independent statehood for nations was frequently interpreted to encompass the right to national self-determination.

• However, it would not only be impractical to provide separate statehood to every group that considers itself to be a unique nation or cultural group, but it would also most likely not be desirable.

• There are numerous battles going on right now to get group identities recognized, and many of them use• In a democracy, a citizen’s political identity ought to take into account all of their possible identities.

• Allowing nationalistic and bigoted forms of identity and nationalism to grow would be hazardous.

Merits & Demerits of Nationalism

Merits

Patriotic spirit is ingrained by nationalism. A guy is willing to give up all for the honor and security of his nation.
Nationalism serves as a uniting element. It fosters cultural and religious harmony.

Drawbacks

Global peace is threatened by nationalism. Wars frequently start because of nationalism. People who identify as members of a minority or from a different country often feel excluded, which fuels conflict and violence.
A nation that upholds nationalism’s ideals hates other nations because it believes its own is superior than all others. Hitler, for instance, believed that the Aryan race was superior to the Jewish race. and so, in an effort to eradicate the Jewish people, Hitler committed mass murders.

Tagore opposed nationalism as a concept

Rather than supporting nationalism, he supported internationalism.
He held that national boundaries or other divisions cannot separate humanity.
Everyone needs to be treated with equal rights and decency, regardless of whether they are Arabic, American, Indian, or both.

Impact of nationalism in India

Independance from Biritish Rule

The Indian nationalist movement, spearheaded by leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Subhas Chandra Bose, was instrumental in galvanizing the populace to advocate for independence from British colonial governance. Nationalists struggled for self-governance and eventually gained independence in 1947 through armed conflicts, civil disobedience movements, and nonviolent opposition.

Political Transformation

Due to the emergence of political parties and groups that reflected the aspirations of the Indian people, nationalism changed the political landscape of India. Founded in 1885, the Indian National Congress was a key player in the liberation movement and a well-known forum for nationalist leaders. Nationalist leaders who shaped the political course of the nation were Gandhi and Nehru, who occupied important posts in post-independence governments.

Social Reforms

The nationalist movement sought to remedy social injustices and inequality in addition to political independence. Social changes, such as the elimination of untouchability, women’s equality, and the advancement of underprivileged groups, were promoted by nationalist leaders. Their goal was to establish a society that was more equal and inclusive.

Cultural Revival

Indian nationalism also led to the revival of Indian identity, culture, and legacy. The encouragement of indigenous customs, languages, and artistic expression was promoted. A sense of pride in Indian culture was fostered by the nationalist movement’s promotion of Indian literature, music, dance, and handicrafts.

Constitutional Framework

India’s democratic and secular values were established by the nationalist struggle. The Indian Constitution, which established secularism, democratic values, and fundamental rights as the country’s guiding principles, was drafted with significant assistance from the Indian National Congress and other nationalist groups.

Global Impact

The nationalist movement in India struck a chord with other anti-colonial movements across the globe. It served as a catalyst for similar independence movements in other colonial countries, inspiring opposition to imperialism and igniting a worldwide movement of solidarity.

Economic growth

The nationalism movement promoted indigenous industry growth and economic self-sufficiency. Leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi encouraged Indians to buy locally produced goods and advocated the idea of Swadeshi, or self-reliance. Economic policies were developed following independence with the goal of reducing reliance on foreign powers and giving national development top priority.

Conclusion

Nationalism recognizes the nation as the primary unit of community and makes it the subject of the highest allegiance. National autonomy, national identity, and national unity are three more focused goals or objectives that can be derived from this core concern for the country and its prosperity.

While many events contributed to the rise of nationalism in India, the First World War, the Rowlatt Act, and the Jaliawala Bagh massacre were key players. Indians’ minds have been profoundly impacted by these significant incidents. They were inspired by these to fight British people with a strong sense of nationalism. The primary motivation for India’s war for independence was this sense of nationalism.

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