Nationalism (Political Ideas, Option B): the core ideas of nationalism (the nation, self-determination, national identity and patriotism), the main types (liberal, conservative, expansionist and anti-colonial nationalism), civic and ethnic conceptions of the nation, and the debate over nationalism's value.

What this dot point is asking

You need to explain the core ideas of nationalism (the nation, self-determination, national identity and patriotism), the main types (liberal, conservative, expansionist and anti-colonial), the civic and ethnic conceptions of the nation, and the debate over whether nationalism is a positive or negative force. The CCEA A2 2 Political Ideas option rewards a clear grasp of nationalism's varieties and a balanced evaluation of its effects.

The core ideas of nationalism

Its core ideas are:

• The nation. A community bound by shared culture, language, history, territory or descent, felt as a natural political community greater than the individual.
• Self-determination. Each nation has the right to govern itself, ideally in its own sovereign nation-state; this is nationalism's central political demand.
• National identity. A shared sense of belonging, culture and history that unites the nation.
• Patriotism. Loyalty and emotional attachment to one's nation, the psychological dimension of nationalism.

Civic and ethnic conceptions of the nation

This distinction is the key to evaluating nationalism: civic nationalism can unite diverse peoples around shared citizenship, while ethnic nationalism can divide and exclude.

The types of nationalism

Nationalism is not one doctrine but a family of types with sharply different characters:

• Liberal nationalism. Links the nation to self-determination, freedom and democracy; it is tolerant, civic and outward-looking, holding that all nations are equal and entitled to self-government (associated with Mazzini and Woodrow Wilson's self-determination).
• Conservative nationalism. Stresses tradition, patriotism, social cohesion and order, valuing the nation as a source of stability, identity and belonging, and often defensive of established institutions and wary of immigration.
• Expansionist nationalism. Aggressive, chauvinistic and militaristic, asserting national superiority and the right to dominate or conquer others, associated with imperialism and fascism; it is the most dangerous form.
• Anti-colonial nationalism. Seeks liberation from foreign or imperial rule and national independence, often fused with socialism in the developing world (for example movements against European empires).

The debate over nationalism's value

Nationalism is a double-edged force, and its value depends on its form:

• Positive. Liberal and anti-colonial nationalism promote self-determination, freedom from empire, democracy and a shared civic identity that can bind diverse peoples and legitimise the modern state.
• Negative. Expansionist and ethnic nationalism can produce aggression, war, xenophobia, racism and the persecution of minorities, as the history of fascism, imperialism and ethnic conflict shows.

The judgement turns on whether a given nationalism is civic, liberal and self-determining or ethnic, exclusive and expansionist.

Examples in context

A model A2 paragraph might read: "Nationalism resists a single verdict because it is not a single ideology but a family of types whose effects run from liberation to genocide. In its liberal and anti-colonial forms it has been a force for freedom: the principle of national self-determination underpinned the dismantling of empires and the spread of democratic self-government, and a civic nationalism that defines the nation by shared citizenship can unite ethnically diverse populations. In its expansionist and ethnic forms it has been catastrophic: the chauvinistic nationalism of fascism drove aggression and war, and ethnic nationalism, defining the nation by descent, has fuelled the exclusion and persecution of minorities. The judgement, therefore, is that nationalism is inherently double-edged, and that the decisive question is not whether a movement is nationalist but whether its conception of the nation is civic and self-determining or ethnic and expansionist." This uses the civic/ethnic distinction to reach a verdict.

Try this

Q1. What is the central political demand of nationalism? [2 marks]

• Cue. National self-determination, the right of each nation to govern itself, ideally in its own sovereign nation-state.

Q2. Explain the difference between civic and ethnic conceptions of the nation. [6 marks]

• Cue. A civic nation is a voluntary political community of all who share its citizenship and values regardless of ethnicity (inclusive); an ethnic nation is defined by common descent, ethnicity or culture (exclusive).

Q3. To what extent is nationalism a positive force? [24 marks]

• Cue. Weigh the liberating effects of liberal and anti-colonial nationalism against the aggression, xenophobia and persecution of expansionist and ethnic nationalism, using the civic/ethnic distinction. Reach a substantiated judgement.