Nationalism thinkers

Question 1

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Answer 1

Born in geneva
The leading member of the ‘philosophes’, a group of radical thinkers who were a major influence on the French Revolution and upon liberal thinking in general
Best known for ‘The Social Contract (1762)’
Different social contract to hobbes/locke

Question 2

Rousseau - nation

Answer 2

General will argued that governments should be based on the indivisible collective will of the ‘community’
This notion of community was based on the idea of a national community, a nation

Question 3

Rousseau - self determination

Answer 3

Argued that these communities had the right to govern themselves, so he was associated with the idea of national self determination

Question 4

Rousseau - government

Answer 4

were obliged to listen to the collective will of the people and ensure that it’s laws were applied universally and enforced the collective will of the people, not to direct it

Question 5

Rousseau - civic nationalism

Answer 5

argued that the state can only be legitimate when it’s based on the active participation of its citizens
The social contract was the basis of civic nationalism

Question 6

Johann Gottfried von Herder (1744-1803)

Answer 6

Associated primarily with culturalism
Rejected the rational beliefs of liberal forms of nationalism, focusing instead on nations as cultural, organic groups invested in their own unique spirit (volksgeist)
At the time, germany was many states, and the movement to unite them was influenced by him

Question 7

Herder - culturalism

Answer 7

suggested that every nation was different and that each had its own unique character and identity that it should pursue and enhance

Question 8

Herder - inclusive nationalism

Answer 8

relations between nations allowed an understanding of other nationalities, and encouraged people to understand what was distinctive about their own nation

Question 9

Herder - volksgeist

Answer 9

identified the people as the root of national culture and special nature that each nation should try to express
Argued that nation states are an expressive of cultural differences, not the creator of them

Question 10

Herder - patriotism

Answer 10

attached exceptional importance to the concept of nationality - ‘he that has lost his patriotic spirit has lost himself and the whole world’s about himself’

Question 11

Giuseppe Mazzini (1805-1872)

Answer 11

Combined philosophy with heroic political and military action in the pursuit of his ideals
Along with his close associate Giuseppe Garibaldi he became the face of italian nationalism and unification - liberating the separate italian states from foreign rule and fusing them into a free independent republic
Seen as a liberal nationalist, but this was only partly true

Question 12

Mazzini - nationhood

Answer 12

believed that humans could only express themselves via their nation
People had to unite as nations to enjoy their rights; thus human freedom rested first and foremost on the creation of one’s own state
The nation state was not merely a convenient form of government, but was a partnership of free and equal humans bound together in unity towards a single aim

Question 13

Mazzini - patriotism and action

Answer 13

the nationalist cause had to take precedence over all causes
Regarded patriotism as a duty, and love for the fatherland a divine mission
Rejected intellectualism and rationalism and created an idea known as ‘thought and action’ in which every thought must be followed by an action

Question 14

Mazzini - spirituality

Answer 14

motto was Dio e Popolo (god and people) and he believed that it was god who divided people
Even though some of his writings can sometimes be understood as speaking out against the catholic church, he remained deeply spiritual, distinguishing between religious sentiment and the catholic church

Question 15

Charles Maurras (1868-1952)

Answer 15

Was a key advocated of integral nationalism, a form of right wing nationalism that influenced the ideas of fascism (exclusive, racialism, nativism)

Question 16

Maurras - integral nationalism

Answer 16

Integral nationalist states were usually totalitarian, where the state dominates all aspects of society
Mussolini’s italy was the first example of such a society, japan in the 1940s

Question 17

Maurras - individualism

Answer 17

rejected individualism as it led to individuals thinking only of their best interests, rather than the nation and their place in it
He believed that the french revolution had contributed to this malaise

Question 18

Maurras - militarism

Answer 18

integral nationalism often results after a nation had achieved independence and established a state
Often, these countries have a strong military ethos, which became entrenched through the struggle for independence

Question 19

Marcus Garvey (1887-1940)

Answer 19

Was an early advocate of pan-africanism, founding the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) and well as pioneering black nationalism

Question 20

Garvey - black pride

Answer 20

encouraged african people around the world to be proud of their race and to see beauty in their own kind
Believed that african people around the world were one people and that they would never progress if they did not put aside their cultural/ethnic differences
Ultimate dream of united states of africa

Question 21

Garvey - Pan-africanism

Answer 21

wished to inspire a global mass-movement and economic empowerment focussing on africa, where he sought to end imperialist rule and create modern societies

Question 22

Garvey - economy

Answer 22

Argued that black people would be respected only when they were economically strong and proposed an independent black economy
Connected black communities on three continents with his newspaper Negro World and formed Black Star Line Shipping company to provide transport and to encourage trade among black businesses of africa and the americas