Die Geschichte des Nationalismus in Europa
The History of Nationalism in Europe

Author(s): Eugen Lemberg
Subject(s): Political history, Modern Age, Nationalism Studies
Published by: CEEOL Digital Reproductions / Collections
Keywords: Universalism; Hussitism; Johann Gottfried Herder; Nation-State; Imperialism;
Summary/Abstract: The author traces nationalism back to one of the fundamental forces of the human spirit: the need for self-aggrandizement and self-justification through belonging to a beloved and respected community—to a cause, that is, greater than the self. Nationalism thus takes its place alongside other forces dedicated to different forms of communal order: Western Christendom, the Roman Empire, and more recent ideological groupings. He views the era of nationalism as spanning the period from the Renaissance to the present day—a time when national communities, as the objects of this devotion, moved so prominently to the fore that they became the primary principle by which humanity within our cultural sphere was organized. He seeks, for the first time, to gain a unified understanding of the inner history and widely varied manifestations of this nationalism, sketching them out in broad, vivid strokes. He contrasts two fundamentally different processes: the formation of the nation starting from the state, and the awakening of peoples based on linguistic and cultural realities. He distinguishes "integral" nationalism from the Romantic variety. The present day reveals not only the zenith of nationalism but also its crisis, as the world’s shift toward structures encompassing larger geographic areas erodes its foundations. What remains for the coming era? What are the implications for the political education of the youth of these nations? The outlines of preliminary answers to these questions emerge from this comprehensive overview of the interconnections involved.

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