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The Rise of Nationalism: A Shift in Identity

Emily Grise

HIS 1020-01

Dr. Daniel Schafer

December 7, 2023
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Throughout history, groups of people have found their identity in a variety of evolving

ways. This began when people formed small groups such as clans and families. As common

ideas and ways of communication developed, identities were formed through shared religions,

languages, and ethnic groups. These forms of identification were the main grounds for groups to

stick together. Then, came the rise of nationalism. This, along with the military revolution,

shaped an identity that succeeded the previous ones. Now, people find identity in these smaller

groups, but also in a larger, more imagined national identity. They now not only belonged to the

groups of which they shared blood or a belief but now also belonged to the nation of which they

live under.

Nationalism can be defined as a set of ideas, beliefs, and attitudes that exalt a nation.

Now, people originally thought of nations as relatively small groups of people with a shared part

of their lives. These include families, villages, languages, religions, and ethnicities. Ernest

Renan’s What is a Nation? suggests that nationalism was not truly found here, but rather was a

concept that was created only when common ideas, beliefs, and/or attitudes began to connect

people.1 These were present in two ways, ethnic and civic nationalism. This emergence of

nationalism does not take away from these identity groups already present but adds a new layer.

Switzerland is a nation that also has three languages, two religions, and three or four races. 2

These identity groups all exist within the larger national identity that is present in this country.

The South Asian countries had multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religious

societies, but found a national identity in something larger. These identities existed within the

1
Upreti, B. C. “NATIONALISM IN SOUTH ASIA : TRENDS AND INTERPRETATIONS.” The
Indian Journal of Political Science 67, no. 3 (2006): 535–44. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856240.
2
Renan, What is a Nation?
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larger national identity.3 Renan also says that a nation is grounded in both the past and the

present. The past serves as a reminder for the efforts, sacrifices, and devotions that built up the

nation, while the present holds the desire to live together and preserve the memories of the

nation’s past.4 Nationalism in South Asia is one example of a group developing a national

identity through a past event. People bonded over the struggle to become free from colonial

powers, creating a sense of unity.5

Before nationalism, identity was found in smaller groups. These included clans, regions,

religious denominations, languages, and ethnic groups. The feudal system shaped societies in a

large way. This was a system built upon relationships between different hierarchical positions.

The lower the position, the more they depended upon those who were higher up. This created a

lack of freedom for those dependent. Adam Smith’s On Baubles and Demise of Feudalism

describes this well. “[The great proprietor] is at all times, therefore, surrounded with a multitude

of retainers and dependents, who, having no equivalent to give in return for their maintenance,

but being fed entirely by his bounty, must obey him, for the same reason that soldiers must obey

the prince who pays them.”6 The feudal system also leaked its way into the military. People, in

the same way they had to bey those they depended upon, had to obey the military by serving

when their time came. The military in this pre-modern society was not one of a military full of

people who signed up to serve, but rather, one where every eligible member of society was
3
Renan, Ernest. What is a Nation? 1896. In World Together Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader, edited
by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W. Norton, 2019.
4
Smith, Adam. On Baubles and the Demise of Feudalism, 1776. In World Together Worlds Apart:
A Companion Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W. Norton, 2019.
5
Renan, What is a Nation?
6
SAMBANIS, NICHOLAS, STERGIOS SKAPERDAS, and WILLIAM C. WOHLFORTH. “Nation-
Building through War.” The American Political Science Review 109, no. 2 (2015): 279–96.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/43654306.
 4

expected to do so. When the military needed more members, they called on people to fulfill their

duties for the community. Identity was extracted from who one worked under in serfdom or who

they depended upon/ provided for. With the rise of nationalism, however, this shifted to a larger

identity, that had no bearing on a class hierarchy.

The rise of nationalism was made possible by a variety of revolutions. These include

printing, urbanization, railroads, public education, war and national military service, and

expression through rituals and symbols. The military revolution was a primary factor in this. A

national identity was developed through the rallying behind a nation’s military in times of war.

Militaries became more organized through logistical developments and weapon improvements.

The use of more advanced weaponry as a result of the military revolution was not necessarily

accepted everywhere. In Turkish Letters, a collection of notebook entries by a Flemish nobleman

and servant of the Habsburg dynasty, guns are pushed on the military troops to potentially

improve their success in war. However, because the guns recently broke and they rarely had the

knowledge for fixing them, they eventually reverted back to bow and arrow use.7 The troops'

abilities with bows and arrows also outweighed the power guns were associated with. These

were weapons they grew up using, a skill passed down through families. It was something others

identified them with. This is one example of how the way in which militaries were organized and

fought became connected to creating a national identity. This new framework for identity shaped

life for the people of this time.

Standing armies emerged with the rise of nationalism. Rather than people being called

into the armies with little to no training, these were salaried groups that were trained to be strong
7
Ghiselin de Busbecq, Ogier. Turkish Letters, 1589. In World Together Worlds Apart: A Companion
Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W. Norton, 2019.
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soldiers. They often made use of the new weapons, though some, like the Turks, continued use of

the weapons that they were skilled in. Nations begin to feel a desire to spread their nation. Not

always pushed by the need to spread a pre-modern identity such as religion or language, but

rather pushing their national identity on those they conquer. People now not only care about their

personal ongoings, but correlate their success, power, and status of the nation of which they

belong to.8 They feel the desire for the nation they are part of to continue to grow and prosper

because, in their eyes, this is the same as them growing and prospering as an individual identity.

Now, not only do those with state power feel encouraged to grow their state, but now the entire

nation experiences this drive. Not only are they able to conquer places easier with military

innovations, but they are now able to reach further thanks to the growth in sea travel. These

military innovations brought about as a result of the military revolution enable the growing

efforts of nations to spread their national identity.

The rise of nationalism brought a new layer of identity. From small groups of shared

beliefs to larger groups that share nothing but an idea of a shared community. This nationalism

along with the military revolution increased the desire and ability to spread one’s national

identity. This began the widespread push and pull of the spreading of nations.

8
Renan, What is a Nation?
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Bibliography

Ghiselin de Busbecq, Ogier. Turkish Letters, 1589. In World Together Worlds Apart: A

Companion Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W.

Norton, 2019.

Renan, Ernest. What is a Nation? 1896. In World Together Worlds Apart: A Companion

Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W. Norton,

2019.

SAMBANIS, NICHOLAS, STERGIOS SKAPERDAS, and WILLIAM C.

WOHLFORTH. “Nation-Building through War.” The American Political

Science Review 109, no. 2 (2015): 279–96. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43654306.

Smith, Adam. On Baubles and the Demise of Feudalism, 1776. In World Together

Worlds Apart: A Companion Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford

Rosenberg, W. W. Norton, 2019.

Toshiaki, Honda. A Secret Plan of Government, 1798. In World Together Worlds Apart:

A Companion Reader, edited by Elizabeth Pollard and Clifford Rosenberg, W. W.

Norton, 2019.

Upreti, B. C. “NATIONALISM IN SOUTH ASIA : TRENDS AND

INTERPRETATIONS.” The Indian Journal of Political Science 67, no. 3 (2006):

535–44. http://www.jstor.org/stable/41856240.