What is nationalism?

The great philosopher N. Berdyaev once expressed that nationalism should have been condemned by the Christian church as a heresy. Of course, this did not happen, but the contradictoriness of this social phenomenon still stirs the minds of many people: some believe that there is a future for nationalism, and only on this ideology can a normal society be formed, while others consider it not so relevant in the modern world, but Those precedents of nationalism that history remembers, it is better to forget, and not to return to them.

What is nationalism is known in general terms to everyone: it is such a political ideology, in which particular importance is given to the nation, observance of traditions, education of national identity. At first sight harmless and even highly moral values are proclaimed, however, it is important to pay attention to the fact that national minorities in the state are practically powerless in the state, and other nationalities in neighboring and remote states are considered secondary. Thus, nationalism is a very controversial social phenomenon that can take on even more radical forms and ultimately lead to a national tragedy: genocide and ethnic cleansing.

Today nationalism exists in some states, which does not give any of these countries a positive global "image": the Baltic countries, Ukraine and Russia are the closest examples where nationalism is partially manifested.

What is nationalism?

Let's list the characteristic features of this phenomenon, then compare it with patriotism and Nazism.

1. Nation. In this ideology there is such an understanding that all of humanity is divided naturally by self-sufficient groups - nations that have their own characteristics.
2. Also in this ideology, the emphasis is on the fact that the nation must participate in the political processes of the state.
3. Here the problems of the commonality of language and culture are most sharply manifested. Today we see this in Ukraine and Latvia, where the Russian-speaking population is in some way infringed by the inability to fully use the Russian language in all areas of life (for example, filling out documentation, defending dissertations, etc.). Nevertheless, in Ukraine at the present time the power structures are trying to solve this problem, which can not be said about the Republic of Latvia.
4. The nation here is perceived as the highest value.
5. Education, according to this ideology, should be available to all representatives of the nation.

Typology

To understand what nationalism is, consider its existing types:

1. Civil. Here attention is focused on the possibility of the representatives of the nation to participate in the formation of political decisions. The state in this case is the will of the nation.
2. Ethnic. Here, attention is paid to culture, language, religion, traditions and history as the unifying principles of all the representatives of the nation.
3. Extreme nationalism. This kind of nationalism is estimated in most countries negatively and belongs to the category of socially dangerous. For example, in Russia for inciting ethnic hatred, a criminal case is initiated and judged. Nazism and fascism are based on extreme nationalism.

What is the difference between nationalism and patriotism?

These are related concepts, so there are no strong differences between them. Patriotism is not so radical, but it is also based on the love of language, people, traditions. If nationalism is formed on the love of one's nation, then patriotism is characterized by a love for the country in which the patriot lives. At the same time, he recognizes the importance of all social strata, including other nationalities.

Nationalism and Nazism: two sides of the same coin

Nazism is based on nationalism or racism. A nation or race is declared the best in the world. Nazism was the official ideology of the Third Reich, where the Aryan race was extolled over all the others. He is an example of an unfortunate and perverted nationalism, whose emergence (of Nazism) is possible only in countries in crisis.

What is nationalism in the eyes of cosmopolitans?

Cosmopolitans do not welcome nationalism, because their views are completely opposite. Cosmopolitans believe that people should be concerned with universal human issues, and that the allocation of one nation among others is unacceptable. They believe that nationalism has chauvinistic potential and is therefore unsafe for society because of the risk of transforming into a radical form.