Nationalism often begins harmlessly. A song. A flag. A map on a school wall. It speaks of unity, heritage, and pride. However, behind this comforting mask lies a force that has shattered civilizations. Nationalism does not stop at belonging. Instead, it sharpens identity into exclusion. Myths spread. Hatred intensifies. In many cases, violence follows. Once released, nationalism spreads into every corner of thought, culture, and power. Therefore, this article explores its rise, its reach, and the devastation it leaves behind.
The rise of nationalism – an invention of modernity
For centuries, people did not think in national terms. Rather, they identified with villages, dialects, religions, or rulers. Loyalty formed around regions—not abstract nations. For example, “Germany” or “France” as modern entities simply did not exist. People lived as Bavarians, Bretons, or Moravians—not as unified peoples.
Then modernity intervened. As printing presses expanded and literacy grew, shared languages crossed long distances. Moreover, remote towns connected by railroads began to imagine themselves as part of one people. Meanwhile, postal systems accelerated communication. Central governments, needing cohesion, turned to education, statistics, and propaganda. Consequently, schools, newspapers, and censuses helped fabricate a shared identity.
This transformation did not occur naturally. Instead, political elites engineered it deliberately. They used it to control territory, gather taxes, draft soldiers, and erase regional diversity. Bureaucracy, infrastructure, and fear—not tradition—produced national identity.
What holds nations together – myths, rituals, and useful lies
To build a nation, rulers need a story. However, facts rarely suffice. Therefore, they rely on symbols, fictions, and rituals. Every nation claims it is ancient, chosen, and unique. Yet these stories often collapse under scrutiny. They do not need to be true—only to feel true.
Thus, statues of long-dead heroes rise in public squares. National holidays commemorate inflated victories. Foreign words vanish from dictionaries. They rewrote history book. Theey enfore a single, simplified culture. Meanwhile, a curated memory becomes sacred.
More importantly, nationalism thrives on what it deletes. Mixed towns, bilingual families, and peaceful cohabitation all vanish from memory. Fluid identities are ignored. In their place, purity becomes the goal. Origin myths emerge. Fake continuity replaces complexity.
Therefore, national identity does not survive—it is built. It is not remembered—it is assembled.
Global examples – where nationalism led to horror
No ideology has shed more blood in the name of unity than nationalism. From continent to continent, the results repeat. Wherever it grows unchecked, it leads to war, division, and genocide.
Take Germany. During the 19th century, nationalism accompanied unification. At first, it focused on culture. Later, it fused with racial theory. When Hitler took power, nationalism evolved into biological exclusion. They labeled Jews, Roma, Slavs, communists, homosexuals, and the disabled as threats. Then came extermination. Six million Jews died. Five million others perished. They wiped out eleven million people. Just because one nation sought racial purity.
Consider Rwanda. Belgian colonists had imposed artificial labels—Hutu and Tutsi. These divisions hardened over decades. In 1994, nationalist hysteria erupted. State radio compared Tutsis to insects. They distributed machetes. They butchered 800 000 in just 100 days. Neighbors turned on neighbors. Families dissolved overnight.
Yugoslavia
In Yugoslavia, a multiethnic federation survived for decades. However, after communism collapsed, nationalist leaders emerged. Serbs, Croats, and Bosniaks claimed to protect their own. In reality, they sparked civil war. In Srebrenica, more than 8,000 Muslim men and boys were murdered. Ethnic cleansing became strategy. Rape was weaponized. Entire towns were destroyed.
India offers another case. Hindu nationalists portray Muslims as invaders. Consequently, laws discriminate. Moreover, mobs attack with impunity. Sacred sites become battlegrounds. In Pakistan, nationalism was embedded in the country’s birth. Partition followed. Fifteen million people fled across borders. They killed nearly two million. Corpses filled trains. Entire villages disappeared.
Israel–Palestine
The Israel–Palestine conflict reflects the same logic. Zionism created a homeland. However, Palestinians were displaced. In turn, Palestinian nationalism arose. Today, bombs fall. Schools collapse. Children grow up traumatized. Peace remains impossible—because both sides remain trapped in nationalist ideologies.
Myanmar followed the same script. Buddhist nationalism targeted the Rohingya. Villages were razed. Women were assaulted. Over one million fled. Military leaders claimed national defense. In truth, it was ethnic cleansing.
Even China uses nationalism as a cold tool. Han identity is promoted. Uyghurs are detained. Tibetan culture is erased. Mosques fall. Cameras multiply. Identity is flattened. Obedience is demanded.
In the United States, nationalism takes a subtler form. “America First” led to refugee bans, child detention, and border walls. Hate crimes soared. International partnerships collapsed. Patriotism became exclusion in disguise.
Russia, too, weaponized nationalism. Historical narratives were rewritten. Ukraine was invaded. Cities bombed. Civilians buried. Once again, nationalism produced rubble and ruins.
Regardless of country, culture, or creed, the result stays the same. Nationalist songs end in silence. National flags cover mass graves.
The Czech case – fiction, falsification, and forced forgetting
Czech nationalism grew from anxiety. In the 19th century, Czech elites feared cultural extinction under the Habsburg Empire. Yet fear alone could not inspire unity. A glorious past was needed.
Therefore, they invented one.
The “Rukopis Královédvorský” appeared—falsely attributed to the Middle Ages. Though fake, it was taught in schools. Its purpose was clear: inspire Czech pride.
However, real history clashed with this narrative. Many Bohemian towns were German-speaking. In 1600, Jičín was nearly half German. Other towns were fully bilingual. Some German speakers even identified as Czech by geography.
This complexity was inconvenient. Therefore, it was erased. Street names changed. Language laws shifted. Czech school associations multiplied. German schools lost funding. Small institutions were either closed or Czechified. Public life became Czech by default.
Thus, a multiethnic past was simplified. In its place, a rigid myth grew. Memory was not preserved—it was reconstructed.
How far can it go – from textbooks to extermination
Nationalism always escalates. It begins with flattery. Then comes simplification. Later, it creates division—“us” versus “them.” History gets rewritten. Loyalty becomes law. Cultural purges follow. Eventually, physical purges arrive.
Once victimhood becomes sacred, anything becomes permissible. Deportation sounds like defense. Genocide becomes necessity. Hatred gains moral weight.
Unchecked, nationalism cannot stand still. It must keep moving, it must purify. It must chase a golden age that never existed.
Nationalism must be eradicated – not softened
Many argue for moderate nationalism—patriotic, inclusive, safe. Yet this idea is fiction.
Nationalism always divides. It rewards obedience, it breeds suspicion. It fosters resentment. Moreover, it conceals tyranny inside tradition.
Nations do not need nationalism. Switzerland thrives with four official languages. Belgium continues despite internal conflict. Canada flourishes with layered identity. None of these nations rely on nationalist ideology. They depend on pluralism.
In contrast, nationalism weakens the working class. It empowers extremists. And it distorts school curricula. It authorizes violence. It blinds people to economic and environmental crises.
Today, nationalism delays climate action. It prevents rescue missions. It undermines scientific collaboration. And increases military spending. It cannot be rebranded. It must be dismantled.
Beyond the nation – toward something better
Human identity does not require purity. It can be shared, layered, and flexible.
We can embrace culture without conquest; we can teach history without lies. And we can preserve language without fear. We can defend rights without borders.
The future demands humility. It needs honesty. It calls for unity. Nationalism opposes all three.
We are not tribal fossils, we are not chosen nations. We are one species, one planet, one shared fate.
Nationalism makes us kill for stories.
Reality begs us to stop.
The nation was never real.
But the graves it filled are.
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