Question

“We have seen that nationalism can unite people as well as divide them, liberate them as well generate bitterness and conflict”. Illustrate your answer with examples.

Answer 1

• Nationalism unites people into a bond on the basis of the same territory, shared beliefs, common history, shared political ideals, common political identity, and aspirations.

• The idea of nationalism can liberate people from the bond of various smaller groups to a wider and common group of nations where they share common interests and goals.

• It can also divide the people as every lingual or cultural group could demand a separate nation-state.

• It can generate bitterness and conflict as demands for a separate nation-state by smaller groups often leads to conflict. Such situations are at the root of many ongoing conflicts in the world.