🌐 Chapter: Nationalism
❇️ Origin of the Term “Nation” (राष्ट्र शब्द की उत्पत्ति)
🔹 The English word “Nation” comes from the Latin words “Natio” (नस्ल/जन्म – birth or race) and “Natus” (पैदा हुआ – born).
🔹 In Hindi, Nation is translated as “राष्ट्र”.
❇️ What is Nationalism? (राष्ट्रवाद क्या है)
🔹 Nationalism often evokes ideas like national flag, patriotism, and sacrifice for the country.
🔹 Republic Day parades in Delhi are symbolic representations of Indian nationalism.
🔹 Over the past two centuries, nationalism emerged as a powerful political ideology shaping history, fighting oppression, and sometimes causing conflicts and wars.
🔹 Nationalism played a key role in the collapse of empires like the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires in Europe, and colonial powers in Asia & Africa.
🔹 It also facilitated the unification of smaller states into larger nation-states in 19th-century Europe.
❇️ Nation vs Nationalism (राष्ट्र और राष्ट्रवाद)
🔶 Nation (राष्ट्र):
- A nation is a community of members who may not personally know each other or share bloodlines but are united by common bonds, respect, and collective identity.
🔶 Nationalism (राष्ट्रवाद):
- Nationalism is the collective belief and loyalty of members, based on shared ideas, values, and visions for their nation.
❇️ Beliefs about a Nation (राष्ट्र के विषय में मान्यताएं)
- Shared Beliefs (साझे विश्वास):
- A nation exists when members feel connected and believe in unity.
- History (इतिहास):
- Individuals recognize themselves as part of a nation through shared history, stories, monuments, and records.
- Territory (भू–क्षेत्र):
- Living together in a shared space and collective memories of that land foster a sense of belonging.
- Shared Political Beliefs (सांझे राजनीतिक विश्वास):
- Agreement on values like secularism, democracy, and liberalism defines the nation’s political identity.
- Shared Cultural Identity (साझी सांस्कृतिक पहचान):
- Common language, traditions, and religion create cohesion. In democracies, loyalty to shared values is more important than ethnicity or religion.
❇️ Challenges to Nationalism (राष्ट्रवाद के मार्ग में कठिनाइयाँ)
- Communalism (सांप्रदायिकता)
- Casteism (जातिवाद)
- Regionalism (क्षेत्रवाद)
- Linguism (भाषावाद)
- Racism (नस्लवाद)
❇️ Limits of Nationalism (राष्ट्रवाद के दायरें / सीमाएं)
- Regionalism (क्षेत्रवाद)
- Moral decline (नैतिक मूल्यों का पतन)
- Religious diversity (धार्मिक विविधता)
- Economic inequality (आर्थिक विषमता)
- Linguistic differences (भाषायी विषमता)
🌐 National Self-Determination & Pluralism
❇️ National Self-Determination (राष्ट्रीय आत्मनिर्णय)
🔹 Definition: Social groups within a nation demand the right to govern themselves and decide their own future—this is the essence of national self-determination.
🔹 Nations, under this right, request the international community to recognize them as a distinct political entity or state.
🔹 19th Century Europe:
- The concept gained momentum, leading to the formation of new independent states after the Treaty of Versailles.
- This caused changes in state boundaries, mass displacement of populations, and communal conflicts.
🔹 Diversity in New States:
- Newly formed states often included multiple ethnicities and cultures, making it impossible to have only one homogeneous group.
🔹 Irony:
- Some nation-states that gained independence through struggles deny the right to self-determination to minority groups within their own territories.
❇️ Handling Self-Determination Movements (आंदोलनों से निपटना)
🔹 Solution:
- Not through creating new states, but by making existing states more democratic and egalitarian.
- Diverse cultural and ethnic groups should coexist as equal citizens and friends within one nation.
❇️ Nationalism & Pluralism (राष्ट्रवाद और बहुलवाद)
🔹 Rejecting “One Culture – One State”:
- Democratic countries now recognize and protect cultural minority identities.
- Example: The Indian Constitution provides broad safeguards for linguistic, religious, and cultural minorities.
🔹 Persistent Demands:
- Despite recognition and protection, some groups may still demand separate states.
- This creates a paradox: while the world talks about global unity, national aspirations continue to mobilize groups and communities.
🔹 Solution Approach:
- Governments should show tolerance and skill in managing diverse groups.
- At the same time, they must firmly handle intolerant, extremist groups to maintain harmony.
