The term nation is derived from the Latin word ‘nation’ which
means birth or race. The dictionary meaning of nation is ‘the population
of a state originating from a common race’. In modern political
terminology, however, the word ‘nation’ has many more qualifications
than mere racial affinity. It is like a territorial of community with
historical and sociological bond, Internationalism as a concept, seeks to
reconcile national interests with the larger interests of other peoples.
According to Carleton, a nation is “any group of persons who speak
a common language, who cherish common historical tradition and who
constitute or think they constitute a distinct cultural society in which
among other factors, religion and politics may have played important
though not necessarily continuous roles”. Nationality is some what different from a nation. ‘Nation’ implies
political independence; while nationality’ is a non-political concept. A
nationality has no territorial limitations. It can exist different sovereign
cultural homogeneity. Nationality means a group of people who are
states or countries. It carries a feeling of psychological affinities and
emotionally and psychologically bound together by common historical ties.
Lord Bryce defines nationality as “a population held together by certain
ties, as for example, language and literature, ideas, customs, and tradition,
population similarly held together by like ties of their own, “The
in such a way as to feel in itself a coherent unity distinct from other
subjective sentiments and feelings which creates unity are common
between a nation and a nationality; however a nation has the
characteristics of political unity and sovereignty, which are not essential in
a nationality. A nationality may develop into a nation as and when it
acquires sovereignty in a given area. A nationality has an individuality of
its own and may demand the right of self-determination if it feels confident
of its strong national sentiments and carries a special spirit of oneness, or
common consciousness or unity founded on political, historical, racial,
religious, linguistic and other factors that go to make a state.
The term nationalism is different from both nation and nationality.
Nationalism is the spiritual force which holds a nation in a defined
territory together for the maintenance of its general and special rights
against arbitrary powers within the state and preservation of its
independence against aggression from outside. It implies spirit of unity or
common consciousness among the people which brings and holds them
together, and which makes them achieve common objectives or suffer and
even sacrifice their lives in the interests or security of the nation.
Nationalism further means a man’s spiritual attachment to one’s country.
People who carry the feelings of nationalism are deeply attached to their
nation in the same way as they may be attached to their religion. The
Country is frequently addressed and loved as `motherland’ or ‘fatherland’.
The factors which help the growth of nationalism may be common
geographical, historical, political, cultural, racial, religious, economic and
linguistic interest which need watching for development and which create,
promote and sustain national feelings. The most important factor of
national feeling is geographical unity. It is this unity which exhibits and
promotes the pride of possession of a common land, which may be
Worshipped as a motherland’ or ‘fatherland’. Without a sense of pride for a coveted homeland’ it becomes difficult to develop real national
feelings. Geographical unity arouses common interests in many walks of
life, economic, political, social, cultural and educational problems. The
problems open up new variegated understandings and cooperation among
the people. People who live together on a common land for a considerably
long period devise new ways of living, working and developing common
aims, ideas and aspirations.
One significant factor that generates, promotes, and vitalises
smoother national feeling is the common historical traditions of the people.
Such historical traditions are reared on memories of suffering endured,
and victories won in common, expressed in sang and legend, in the dear
names of great personalities that seem to embody in themselves the
character and ideals of the nation, in the names also of sacred places
wherein national memory is enshrined.
Nationalism has also common cultural traits signifying unity of ideas
and ideals. Unity of culture is based on common customs and traditions,
common manners and folklore and common tastes in art and literature.
The over all impact is one of a certain dominant view with its common
rights and responsibilities to usher in a better standard of life for the
fellow citizens.
Common race is also a unifying force. It binds the hearts of the
people owing to common ancestry. It helps greatly in promoting and
sustaining the national spirits. In modern states toleration’s of many
religions prevails as religious fanaticism very often negates the growth of
nationalism. Religious beliefs have become a personal affair in US
Britain, China and Russia, it hardly touches the national life of the people
In India, secularisation of nationality is letting people enjoy their
respective religious beliefs and practices without hindrance.
Common economic interest is the most patient factor contributing
the promotion of nationalism. The desire to raise the standard of living and
to make life comfortable, interesting and useful, enables the citizens
improving the economy of the country in all directions. Looking after h
without considerations of race, caste, creed or religion to help the state i
personal economic interests, each individual strives his best to increas
production in agriculture and industry and facilitate trade and commerc
Members of varying religious denominations work shoulder to shoulder fulfil their common economic interests. This greatly helps and binding the
Language also plays of vital role in binding people together and
creating consciousness among them as a nation. A common language
enables the people to project common ideals, sentiments and feelings, set
historical traditions so as to generate a common national psychology.
Nationalism is conceived as a positive feature because of the
following reasons:-
1.It fosters love for one’s own motherland or father land.
2.It removes the sense of selfishness, narrowness. The nation
thus makes progress in every direction.
3.It inspires deeds of heroins and sacrifice among the people for
the achievement of common ideals.
4.It fosters a healthy spirit of fellow felling among people and
tends to develop in them a strong desire to improve their own
lot and that of their brethren living in the country.
5.It helps preserve Unity amidst diversity by integrating diverse
elements into a common nation through process of
assimilation..
6.It enables the people to preserve a united front at the time of
need to defend national sovereignty.
There is also a negative side to nationalism. It becomes occasionally
visible with its ugly manifestations, when it takes the form of ‘aggressive
nationalism’. Aggressive nationalism is never healthy as it generates
intolerance and hatred for other nations.’ There is evidence in history to
show that it was the aggressive national spirit among the French and the
Germans which were responsible for frequent wars between the two
nations. Aggressive nationalism is always a threat to the welfare of other
nations.
We may sum up the concept of nationalism with Alfred De Grazia’s
observation. “Nationalism Combines love of country and suspiciousness of
the same strength. The first shared value is the love of familiar places, the
foreigners comes from the belief that foreigners do not share each value in
neighbourhood, the lands, the hands, the valleys and the mountains, all of
the surroundings that one laves because they have been part of oneself
from infancy.” In the process of harmonization and unification of various structural
components of the nation. Integration involves acceptance of certain values
by most sections of the population as common with different institutions
and agencies in the society and tend to preserve and promote.
The objective of integration is maintenance and active relationship
between these structural components. It not only keeps the nation going
but also imparts a meaning and purpose to the life of the individuals so
that they feel conscious of being a part of a comprehensible and
harmonious national existence. Family sanction, sex relation, care of the
children, protection and education and recreation of family members,
adherence to religious institutions, all help to develop a sense of
relationship with spiritual tones and devotion to national concepts.
Modern nations are open to different races, sects, tribes and beliefs.
They provide for secularisation of different groups and their ultimate
integration.
Integration is the consequence of differentiation and specialisation.
Modern states has unity in diversity.
Internationalism is the feeling that an individual carries of not only
being a citizen of his state but also that of the whole universe.
Internationalism is thus a concept which demands of the various nations of
the world to give up their conflicting and antagonistic separate nationalist
ambitions and designs, and so cooperate with one another in all fields of
activity, to thereby preserve peace in the world. Internationalism demands
that no nation in the world should be content with its own good but should
aim at a policy of live and help other to live’. It should be the policy of
every nation to co-ordinate its own good with that of others, our love
should not be restricted to the territorial borders of the state, of which we
are members, but should be so extended as to embrace the whole world.
There is nothing inconsistent loves his motherland or fatherland and
also loves the whole of mankind. In fact, the people of his own country
constitute only a part of mind kind, therefore, lave of one’s own nation
and its citizens strive for coming up to advancement in social and
economic fields at the same time, there is no reason to feel jealous c
other nations if they also progress in the same direction at the same or
better speed. Sound nationalism at the present stage of human development at
least, is in many ways a prelude to sound internationalism. A writer has
rightly put it, “Nationality is the necessary link between man and
humanity”.
Internationalism seeks to reconcile national interest with the larger
interests of other peoples. If nations carry a balanced outlook and a
healthy regard for the rights and interest of other peoples there would
grow fruitful international cooperation. Internationalism is the system of
thought designed to promote peaceful cooperation. Whatever promotes
intercourse between various people is a contribution to internationalism.
Intermittent wars occasionally shake the idea and often put the clock back.
The organization of fruitful international cooperation requires firstly
foundation of a common set of principles of harmonising and balancing of
diverse national interests. The feeling of international co-operation needs
to be translated into institutional framework like that of the United Nation.
It is only by working together that suspicion and distrust can be overcome
and an atmosphere of mutual understanding created.
Nationalism and internationalism used to be considered as
conflicting concepts in traditional politics but modern political scientists
regard them as mutually compatible and complementary concepts.