NATIONALISM

1 mark

Define the term 'Glocal'.

Glocal is a combination of globalisation and localisation. In this

globalized world, one is required to think global (i.e., in the

interest of humanity) and act local (i.e., in accordance with ones

local conditions).

Define ethnic nationalism.

Ethnic nationalism refers to emergence of national consciousness

based on common ethnicity. Ethnic nations are defined by a shared

heritage that is common language, common faith and a common

ethnic ancestry.

What are the various elements of political identity in a

democratic nation?

The various elements of political identity in a democratic nation

are democracy, liberty and equality.

Which political party in India promotes cultural nationalism?

In India the party that promotes cultural nationalism or Hindutva

is BJP. According to the party, it is cultural nationalism that

constitutes the core of nationalism.

Who defined nation as an ‘imagined’ political community?

Benedict Anderson defined a nation as an ‘imagined’ political

community. According to him, nationalism is closely associated

with the growth of printed literature and its dissemination.

Who is the author of “Imagined Communities: Reflections on

the Origin and Spread of Nationalism”?

The book is written by Benedict Anderson in 1983. It is one of the

most well-known texts on nations and nationalism.

State two reasons for demands of separatism?

Two reasons for separatist demands are:

 Economic motivations: Seeking to end economic

exploitation by a powerful group.

 Preservation of threatened religious, language and cultural

traditions.

Name one separatist group from Pakistan.

The Baloch people have been seeking independence as a separate

state in Pakistan. The movement is led by the Balochistan

Liberation Army.

When was the right to self determination added to international

law?

In 1941, the Allies of World War II, signed the Atlantic Charter and

accepted the principle of self-determination, which was then

added to the framework of international law and diplomacy.

How are new states admitted to the UN?

States are admitted to the UN by the decision of the General

Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council. The

recognition of a new state depends on other states in the General

Assembly.

Is Kosovo a member of the United Nations?

No, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but has

not gained complete international recognition to become a UN

member.

Read the excerpt and answer the following questions.

“Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is

humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I

will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as

I live”.

Who gave the above quote?

The above quote is by Rabindranath Tagore. He was very critical

of the narrow expressions of nationalism that he found at work in

our struggle for national independence.

State two regions from India demanding separate statehood.

The two regions in India demanding separate statehood are

Telangana in Andhra Pradesh and Harit Pradesh in Western part

of Uttar Pradesh.

What is the main distinction between state and government?

Government is an essential element of the state. It is the

government through which the will of the State is enforced.

Who is the author of “Freedom from Fear”?

Aung San Suu Kyi is the author of '' Freedom from Fear ''.

What are the essential qualities of an ideal citizen?

An ideal citizen should –

 Know his rights and duties

 Be loyal to his country

 Be of high character.

Who is the author of 'Discovery of India’?

The 'Discovery of India’ is written by Pt. Jawaharlal Lal Nehru.

What is a nation?

A nation is a large group of people with strong bonds of identity -

an "imagined community," formed on the basis of a common

language, territory, economic life, and psychological make-up

manifested in a common culture.”

Mention the difference between groups and nations.

 Shared vision of the future and collective aspirations to have

an independent political existence distinguishes groups from

nations.

 A set of values and principles such as liberalism, secularism

and democracy are being shared by them.

 These ideals help them to come and live together.

 It represents their political identity as a nation.

Who was the source of inspiration for Aung San Suu Kyi?
Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts on non - violence have been a source

of inspiration for Aung San Suu Kyi.

Mention important contributions of Nationalism.

Nationalism liberates people from the oppressive rule.

Contributes to the drawing and redrawing of the boundaries of

states and empires.

When was the Treaty of Versailles’ signed?

Treaty of Versailles was signed in 1919.

What is the distinction between State and Nation?

State has four essential elements –

 Population

 Territory

 Government

 Sovereignty

Nation is an association organised through cultural and spiritual

feelings and is connected with the feeling of unity.

What are the various symbols of invented traditions that

contribute to national consciousness?

The National Flag, the National Anthem and the National Emblem

are the three symbols through which an independent country

proclaims its identity and sovereignty.

 2 marks

Which Indian Constitutional provision deals with demands of

autonomy?

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution allows different

tribes a complete autonomy of preserving their practices and

customary laws. It contains provisions for the administration of

tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and

Tripura. Jammu and Kashmir has also been provided with a

separate Constitution to meet the demand of autonomy.

State difference between autonomy and secession.

 Autonomy means a condition of being independent and

sovereign with respect to local and internal decision making.

Autonomy refers to self-government within the Union.

 Secession is derived from the word secede, which means to

pull away. In the political context, secession means to withdrawal

or break way from the national union.

What are the features of 'Rogue state'?

A rogue is one that is considered threatening to the world’s peace.

Such a state may be characterised by:

 Authoritarian regimes that restrict human rights.

 Sponsor terrorism.

 Seek or proliferate weapons of mass destruction.

Read the excerpt and answer the following questions.

“Though outwardly there was diversity and infinite variety

among the people, everywhere there was the tremendous

impress of oneness, which held all of us together ages past,

whatever political fate or misfortune had befallen us”.

Name the leader who gave the above quote.

The above quote is said by Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru.

What do you think are factors responsible for the feeling of

oneness?

The factors that contribute to the feeling of oneness are shared

beliefs, common history, territory and shared political ideals.

Define a 'Failed State'. Give two examples.

A failed state is defined by political commentators and analysts as

one that cannot fulfil its basic functions of security, development

and has no effective control over its territory and borders. Somalia

and Afghanistan are the two examples.

Where did the ideology of ethnic nationalism first developed?

The idea of ethnic nationalism was first developed by the German

Romantic movement in Prussia and Austria to oust the Napoleonic

armies. It was widely used as the model for nationalist movements

in Central and Eastern Europe.

Discuss Ernest Gellner’s views on nationalism.

According to Ernest Gellner, cultural homogenisation creates new

national consciousness. It is a new form of social organisation,

based on deeply internalised, education dependent high cultures.

The emergence of industrial societies creates cultural

homogenisation among the working population. He said,

“nationalism is derived from cultural necessities”.

Reorganising boundaries to form separate nation-states has

certain costs. Discuss.

Reorganisation of state boundaries to satisfy the demands of one

culture–one state, results in mass migration of population across

state boundaries. Millions of people as a consequence are

displaced from their homes and expelled from the land, which had

been their home for generations. Many others became victims of

communal violence. The problem of accommodating minorities as

equal citizens in the new state is the biggest challenge.

Why is the nation considered as an ‘imagined community’?

A nation is an imagined community because the nation will never

know their fellow members, yet in the minds of each lives the

image of their communion. The members of this community are

held together by collective beliefs, aspirations and imaginations,

but do not interact face to face. Nation is a mental image of their

affinity with common history, territory, political ideals.

After the World War I, Who revived the American commitment

to self-determination?

The former U. S. A. President, Woodrow Wilson revived the

American commitment to self-determination after the World War

I.

When was Austro- Hungarian Empire created?

In 1867, the union of Austria and Hungary created the Austro-

Hungarian Empire, which included people of different

nationalities.

Mention Aristotle's view on the role of the state.

Aristotle was of the opinion that state is an agency for providing

good life. Man is a social animal; the state performs certain

functions for the betterment of the life of its citizens, so state is an

important and essential institution in the life of individuals.

Mention one of the important consequences of the World-War II.

One of the important consequences of the World-War II was the

emergence of the developing countries. Afro- Asian nations, who

were under the colonial rule achieved independence. The

nationalist struggle was launched by these nations, which

ultimately led to their independence.

Who promoted the notion that will of the people is supreme?

Thomas Jefferson promoted the notion that will of the people is

supreme especially through authorship of the Declaration of

Independence, which inspired Europeans throughout 19th

century.

Name the states where separatist movements have occurred?

The separatist movements have developed among the Quebecois

in Canada, Basques in northern Spain, Kurds in Turkey and Tamils

in Sri Lanka.

Mention the threat faced by the nation states today.

 Nation-states are being confronted by nationalist demands

put forward by groups or regions for separate statehood.

 Today in many parts of the world nationalist struggles

threatens to divide the existing states.

Write a short note on “Beliefs”.

 Beliefs (faith) constitute a Nation.

 It is being referred as the collective identity (team) and vision

of a group which aspire to have an independent political existence.

What are the main elements of Nation?

The main elements of a ‘‘Nation’’ include:

 Shared belief

 Common religion and culture i.e. their traditions, festivals,

ceremonies, language, dress patterns, etc.

 History

 Common future aspirations

 Territory to which people are emotionally and spiritually

attached

 Shared political ideals

What all elements constitute a state?

Population, fixed territory, government and sovereignty are the

four elements that constitute a state.

Is there any common set of characteristics present in all the

nations?

Although a nation is described as a large group of people formed

on the basis of a common language, territory, economic life, but

there are no common set of characteristics present in all the

nations, e.g. Canada includes English and French speaking people.

A large number of languages are spoken in different regions by

different communities in India.

State the difference between ''Citizenship'', ''National'' and

''Nationality''.

One of the important features of ''Citizenship'' is that citizens have

the political rights, e.g. voting, contesting for elections etc. The

term ''National'' includes both citizens and non-citizens.

Nationality is not just related to the membership of a nation, but

the emotions and feelings attached to their territory and national

interests. They have respect for national anthem, songs, flag,

symbols etc.
 4 marks

Mention the basis of democracy, with special reference to the

limitations imposed on the nationalism.

Equality, pluralism, liberalism and secularism are the basis of

democracy. Democracy provides equality, justice and liberty to all

the sections of society. People are united on the basis of the

culture, history, language and religion.

The feeling of nationalism leads to patriotism, but extreme

patriotism is unhealthy for the growth of a society.

Limitations on nationalism are imposed by –

 Democracy

 Secularism

 Pluralism

 Internationalism

“Nations identify with a particular territory”. Comment

 Nations identify with a particular territory. It has a territorial

basis, an earthly home.

 People who are living together on a particular territory for a

long period have a sense of collective identity.

 Their homeland has a special significance for them.

 People characterize their homeland in different ways, e.g.,

the Jewish, though they live in every parts of the world, yet they

believe that Palestine was their homeland, ‘the Promised Land’.

 The Indian nation identifies itself with the rivers, mountains

and other physical features of the country.

What all provisions are laid down in the Indian Constitution for

the protection of rights of the minorities?

An attempt was being made by the framers of the Indian

Constitution to safeguard the rights of the minorities.

Subsequently, provisions were laid down in the Indian

Constitution. Article 25 of the constitution permits Sikhs

in India to wear turban and carry Kirpan. Article 26 provides the

freedom to establish religious institutions and manage religious

affairs. Article 29 and Article 30 provides for protection of

minorities by giving them the right to run educational institutions

for promotion of their culture.

State the factor which led to Indian National Movement.

Exploitation and unjust treatment of Indians during the British

Colonialism led to the Indian National Movement. The preachings

of social and religious reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy,

Dayanand Saraswati, Vivekanand, spread of education and impact

of British literature, further strengthened the Indian National

Movement.

What do you mean by Pluralism?

Pluralism refers to social groups of different cultures, religions and

languages living together, which survive and flourish within the

boundary of the nation. Thus pluralism stands for a diverse

society.

Write a note on the universal principle of nationalism.

 The general feature of universal principles of nationalism is

an assertion of the primacy of national identity over the claims of

class, religion or humanity in general.

 Nationalism turns devotion to the nation into principles or

programmes. It thus contains a different dimension from mere

patriotism

 It has been described as an ideologically empty bottle with

the label of strength and shape only.

 The nationalism of the Congress Party in India before

independence was able to incorporate such varied figures as

Jawaharlal Nehru, a moderniser and believer in rational planning,

Krishna Menon, a Marxist.

Ethnic nationalism leads to intra and inter-state conflicts.

Explain with an example.

Ethnic nationalism includes certain features of decent from

previous generations. Today ethnic nationalism is an important

factor contributing to most of intra and inter-state conflicts.

In India, its impact can be felt in the phenomenon of Muslim and

Hindu identity politics, which lead to the partition of the

subcontinent. It is still felt today in Muslim and Hindu

communalism and still is effective in many secessionist

movements in the country from Tamil Nadu and Punjab to

Kashmir and some of the “Seven Sister States” in the north-east.

It is desirable to imagine a nation in political rather than cultural

terms. Why?

Most societies are culturally diverse. They have people belonging

to different religions and languages living together in the same

territory. To impose a single religious or linguistic identity as a

condition of belonging to a particular state would necessarily

exclude some groups. It might restrict the religious liberty of the

excluded group or disadvantage those who do not speak the

national language. The ideal that we cherish most in democracy -

namely, equal treatment and liberty for all – would be severely

limited. Therefore, it is desirable to imagine a nation in political

rather than cultural terms.

Is nation building and state building the same thing? Explain

State building is the process of constructing a functioning state. A

functioning state must have a legitimate government (elected and

accepted by the people), specialised personnel, control over

consolidated territory, permanent institutions, a sound socio-

economic system. It is different from nation building in the sense

that nation building refers to a process of building a common

national identity. Nation building is an important part of the

process of state building and the two are mutually reinforcing.

Economic nationalism is widely seen as obsolete today. Why?

In this age of globalisation, the economic fate of one state is deeply

linked to the fate of the other states. The advent of MNC’s and

TNC’s (Trans national companies) which act globally, a rise in FDI

(Foreign Direct Investment) play an important role in the creation

of one global market. The closed national economy has given way

to a new national economy increasingly inter-dependent with

other state’s economies. Example is the recent recession, which not

only affected the US economy but dragged other European

economies too.
 6 marks

“Creation of new states is not the solution to demands for self-

determination”. Comment.

“Creation of new states is not the solution”. The question which is

often being raised is that how long the demands for the creation of

new states can be fulfilled by the states. States are finding it

difficult to deal with the movements for self-determination. People

have started realizing that the creation of new states is not the

solution, but need of an hour is to make the existing states more

democratic and equal. People with different ethnic and cultural

identities should be encouraged to live together. An attempt

should be made by the nation states to respect the rights and

cultural identity of minorities.

 To grant independent statehood to every group is

undesirable as it might lead to the formation of number of states

too small to be economically and politically viable and it will

multiply the problems of minorities

 The right has now been reinterpreted for granting certain

democratic rights for a nationality within a state.

What were the demands of the Basque Nationalist Movement?

The leaders of the Basque Nationalist Movement demanded for a

separate country.

 Basque is a hilly region in Spain.

 The Spanish government has recognized it as an

autonomous region within the Spanish federation.

 The leaders of the Basque Nationalist Movement demanded

for a separate country.

 They claimed that their culture and language were different

from the Spanish.

 The hilly region of Basque also makes it different from the

Spain.

 The Basques government has its own system of justice,

administration and finance.

 By the end of the nineteenth century, Spanish government’s

attempt to abolish the conventional political-administrative

arrangement led to the Basque Nationalist Movement.

When was demand for one culture and one state promoted?

The idea of one culture and one state was promoted after the

World War I.

 Claims to self-determination were made in the 19th century

in Europe.
 The treaty of Versailles established small newly independent

states.

 The treaty failed to satisfy the demand for self-

determination.

 The demand for one culture-one state led to the

reorganization of the state boundaries.

 As a result millions of people were removed from their

homes and expelled from their land which had been their home

for generations.

 People became the victims of the communal violence.

 Heavy price had to be paid by the humanity for the

reorganization of the boundaries of culturally distinct

communities to form separate nation-states.

 It was a difficult task to ensure that the newly created states

contained only one ethnic community.

Is it possible for the state to impose a religion in democracy?

Democracy works for the uplifment of ''all '' the people. So it is not

wise if it concentrate on the interests of one group only.

Democracies need to be loyal to a set of values that are mentioned

in the Constitution of the country rather than looking into a

particular religion, race or language.

 If a state wants to impose a particular religion and linguistic

identity as a condition to live in the state then it would exclude

other groups.

 In such a condition the principles of democracy i.e. equality

and liberty for all would be limited.

 Therefore it is better to form the nation in political rather

than cultural terms.

 Nations express their sense of collective identity through

different means like political ideals, common political identity.

 On the basis of shared political ideals democratic states

needs to forge this identity.

“Shared political vision is enough to bind individuals as a

nation”. Comment

 Shared political vision is not enough to bind individuals as a

nation.

 Shared cultural identity such as customs, social practices,

moral values, mode of relating oneself to others, rituals and

festivals play an important role.

 But it can also pose a threat to the values in a democracy.

 There are two reasons for the threat:

 Internally major religions of the world are diverse in

character.
 Number of different sects exists within the same religion and

each sect differ in their interpretation of the religious texts and

norms

 If we ignore these differences and accept a common religion,

we can create an authoritative and oppressive society.

 Along with diverse religions, diverse culture also prevails in

different societies of the world.

 Society comprises of people belonging to different religion

and speaking different languages.

 Irrespective of that they live together in the same territory.

In this age of globalisation, do you think nations have become

irrelevant?

 One of the recent debates in contemporary political analysis

is on the impact of globalisation on state sovereignty. An essential

link between globalisation and nation-state is the concept of

sovereignty. It is argued that globalisation results in an erosion of

state capacity. All over the world, the ‘welfare state’ is now giving

way to a minimalist state that performs certain core functions such

as the maintenance of law and order and security of citizens.

However, it withdraws from many of its welfare functions

directed at economic and social well-being. It is the market that

has become the prime determinant of economic and social

priorities.

 At the same time, globalisation does not always reduce state

capacity. The primacy continues to be an unchallenged basis of

political community. The old jealousies and rivalries between

countries have not ceased to matter in world politics. The state

continues to discharge its essential functions and consciously

withdraws from certain domains.

 In some respects, state capacity has received a boost as a

consequence of globalisation, with enhanced technologies

available at the disposal of the state to collect information about its

citizens and check crime and terrorist activities. Thus, states

became more powerful as they were earlier an outcome of the new

technology.