Nationalism it is an ideology that emerged in the 19th century when nation-states were affirmed in Europe.
The term is used to describe the feeling and attitude that members of a nation have when forming national identity.
Nationalism arises after Napoleon conquered much of Europe. Against the resistance to the French general, there is the idea of strengthening the characteristics of each country in order to differentiate itself from the invader.
State and Nation
Before we understand what nationalism is, it is necessary to define the concepts of State and Nation:
- Nation it is an ethnic, cultural or linguistic community of individuals who are united by a common tradition.
- state it is an administrative entity that will guard the territory. Within a state, different nations can coexist.
To better understand: States are nations in every sense, but there are nations that are not sovereign states.
An example that facilitates understanding: Brazilian indigenous nations maintain their culture, language and ethnic differences, but they have neither the authority nor the sovereignty necessary to define matters. external. This role belongs to the Brazilian State, which is sovereign.
Another example we could cite are the Kurds that they are a people dispersed among countries like Iraq, Syria and Turkey that do not have a state.
Meaning
Thus, nationalism has two main conceptions: ideology and political action.
In the first, nationalism corresponds to national identity, defined in terms of common origin, cultural ties, language and ethnicity. This point also considers the formation of a nation as an independent state or inserted within another state.
Nationalism as a political action, on the other hand, includes issues such as self-determination, involving sovereignty over internal and international affairs.
Nationalism will be fundamental as an ideology for the German Unification and the Italian unification. Both territories were made up of small states independent of each other, but united by the same past.
This was the main theme of the Romanticism that extolled the national roots of each country.
Brazilian nationalism
Brazilian nationalism was used by governments, intellectuals and artists to justify certain political attitudes.
In this way, we have the Republic that builds the idea of a "modern country" against the backward monarchy in order to justify the republican coup.
later in the new state (1937-1945), nationalism will be used to build state-owned companies such as Petrobras and Companhia Siderúrgica Nacional.
Finally, we can mention the nationalism promoted by the military dictatorship (1964-1985) that had an authoritarian stamp summarized in slogans such as "Brazil love it or leave it".
Patriotism
Patriotism is the love of an individual and identification with one's homeland combined with concern for the well-being of one's fellow countrymen.
It is related to an individual's need to belong to a group, to relate to the past, to the social, political and cultural conditions of a nation.
Nationalism is different from patriotism, even though some authors use the terms synonymously, which is not correct.
Among the scholars who differentiate the terms is Lord Acton (1834-1909) who defined nationality as the connection of the individual with race and patriotism as an awareness of moral duties towards the community politics.
Likewise, patriotism is distinguished from nationalism because it does not contain militaristic elements.
Uphanism
Pride is also called exaggerated or exaggerated nationalism. Self-righteousness tends to exaggerate the qualities of one's homeland, often without grounds for doing so.
The word comes from the Spanish language where it means to boast, to be proud of your land or your group.
Likewise, pride can be aggressive in considering that only your homeland is worthy and deserving of prosperity and peace.
In Brazil, the concept of pride appeared in the publication "Because I'm proud of my country", by Count Afonso Celso, from 1900.
Another author who worked with this concept was Lima Barreto, in his work "Sad End of Polycarp Lent".
THE first Brazilian modernist generation he also used pride as inspiration for his works, seeking to think about Brazil as it entered the industrial age.
Curiosity
A phrase attributed to the French general Charles De Gaulle sums up the difference between nationalism and patriotism well:
Patriotism is when love for your own people comes first. Nationalism is when hatred for other peoples comes first.
