Nationalism, as used in modern discussions or nation's histories, is
made up of political or social philosophy in which the welfare of the
nation-state as an entity is considered paramount. Nationalism is a
collective state of mind or group consciousness in which people believe
their primary duty and loyalty is to the nation-state. Often a highly
nationalistic society will go so far as to assume a level of national
superiority, as in Nazi Germany, and the peoples glorify various national
virtues. Although nationalism as a measured phenomenon, it is a
comparatively recent understanding of peoples groups. The first extreme
example of the same was probably born with the French Revolution. But
despite the short duration of sociologist and historian's understanding of
nationalism, it has been extremely important throughout time in forming the
bonds that hold nations together. Today, scholars understand that it
operates alongside the legal structure and provides supplemental support to
the formal institutions of society in providing much of the cohesiveness
and order necessary for the existence of the modern nation-state.
The issue of nationalism is important to understand when considering
the history of a particular people, and in the reporting of the history of
peoples. Nationalism, as an undercurrent which affects the desired and
beliefs of a nation, is a force which cannot always be quantified when it
comes to describing the motivations behind individual group's actions.
When discussing a nation' history, two models have been suggested.
The classical historiographical model emphasizes writing history based on
what the reporter had actually seen, touched, or researched. Unfortunately
using this model tends to produce an understanding limited to the
experiences to the reported, and not necessarily a balanced historical
overview. The classical model concerns itself w...