Nationalism is...

Nationalism is the effort to bond people in a nation with pride. This bond usually tends to be created with commonness among the people in a nation. For example, if people share a common history, ethnicity, or religion, they are likely to see firsthand the unity of their country. This leads to people being proud of their country because they see the special bond that their country has. About two weeks ago, we talked about the relationship between imperialism and nationalism. Through our game of RISK, we discovered the difficulty in being both imperialistic and nationalistic. There are of course benefits to being both imperialistic and nationalistic. However, nationalism is a force for positive change, more so than imperialism.

True nationalism is when the entire country is united and everyone lives for the same cause. Part of this has to do with everyone trying to accomplish the same goal from a government aspect. In the Ottoman empire and China, there was no true nationalism. Instead, there were many groups of people trying to create nationalism. This only destructs the country because there and up being groups that work against each other and set each other back. This is in fact what happened in China and the Ottoman empires. Japan on the other hand is a perfect example of a nation in which all members were working towards a common goal. Japan had the most success because of their nationalistic dominance. Because of nationalism, Japan surpassed many countries economically, growing faster than any other nation at the time.

Nationalism and Me

Based on our studies so far, Nationalism is the sense of pride of the people who are part of a "nation" based on that nation's power, wealth, and culture. A nation can be interpreted is multiple ways. The United States, China, and Japan are considered as nations. The Kurds believe they are their own nation, and so does the Raider Nation, as we are not only in the bay area but also spread from sea to shining sea. The common theme in all of what we have studied is that at some point the people of the respective country, believed that they were better than everyone else. In Japan, clearly they thought they were the best through how they portrayed other nations, especially America, which is ironic because during the Meiji reform in Japan, they clearly got a lot of ideas from other countries including America. The American trader was shown as barbaric, dirty, and uncultured. During the time of imperialism, the British people had a sense of pride because their empire was larger than anyone else. So did the French people and Dutch people, as those nations were also very wealthy. Under Zheng He, before the China collapsed as a world power by being addicted to opium, they were very prideful of how powerful they were. They believed all the European powers were inferior to them, in almost a cocky way, only to have the British manipulate their addiction to opium. In fact, you could say they were too nationalistic. They, just like most nations have a big sense of pride of their power, and cultures of their nation.

Nationalism was the key to restoring many countries, but the Ottoman Empire is an example of a failed case. During the glory days of the Ottoman Empires, it encompassed a variety of cultures, mainly Muslims, but as the empire shrunk, the population was becoming more secular. They had nationalism but the government wanted to find a national identity of their own, but were not able to do so because they wanted to maintain their Islamic values. This clash of views between the government and the people, this lack of a common view of nationalism, contributed greatly to the fall of the empire.

Wait, What is Nationalism?

Nationalism. noun. A conscious effort to unite in hope of positive change, boosting pride for and benefiting the people involved.

The main three requirements for nationalism are as follows:

• A common "background". The people have to have had a common element or event in their past that relates them together.
• A Common goal. The people uniting together must have the same goal in mind. They all have to want to fight for the same thing.
• A sense of unity. The people need to feel as if they are a group. They need to think together, as a whole.

Nationalism is forceful and powerful, yet fragile and dangerous at the same time. A group of nationalistic people are like a heard of cows. People tell them where to go and what to do, and they go and do it. They stick together, as a team, and back up the others in their group.

Nationalism

Nationalism is the conscious effort of a population to unify in hope for positive change and a sense of widespread pride. The enablers for nationalism include a common background and common goals among the people involved. In order to achieve nationalism, the people must share the same reason to unite and must also share the same ambitions so they can create a system that is better for all. Nationalism (when achieved) is helpful to the people it unites. However, it does not necessarily help surrounding nations. The revolution in Haiti represents the principles explained above. The Haitian people became nationalistic because they had the same background (slavery), the same goals (to create an independent nation), and created a nation for themselves that abolished what they sought to destroy (slavery). This instance of nationalism helped Haiti dramatically, but it also obviously hurt France. This circumstance shows that the effects of nationalism resonate differently with different countries.

Nationalism is that can be an unstoppable force, but it is also extremely dangerous when mislead. Nazi Germany became intensely united before the world wars, strengthening Germany's economy, military, and sense of national pride (a successful example of nationalism). On the contrary, the people involved in the French Revolution became temporarily united towards a valid cause, but soon deteriorated into chaotic violence when mislead by a corrupt leader. Clearly, nationalism is as strong as it is fragile.

The Ottoman Empire: Change/Time

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ottoman Empire OE) established itself as the most powerful Islamic empire in the world, perhaps one of the most powerful empires throughout the globe. Although it allowed opportunities for diversity, it stuck to Islamic customs and traditions and implemented them into government structure, Ottoman culture, and society overall. These Islamic inputs included jizya (tax on non-muslims)  and caliphs (religious provincial rulers).

However, as we have read and observed, the OE's reputation, government, and overall culture had drastically altered by the 19th and 20th centuries. As European nations (mainly England, Russia, and France) spread their influence across the globe, the OE soon became exposed to "western" styles of life. This exposure inevitably affected the OE, evidently. Ottoman government soon took the shape of that of British structure, centralizing government power yet distributing representation to several bureaus. Western clothing soon became known throughout the OE. Schools became increasingly secular. Most importantly, women gained access to equal rights, which clearly opposed the traditional values of Islam. These numerous modifications in Ottoman culture changed the OE's identity: what is the OE exactly? Through abolishing many of its Islamic methodologies, it destructed its own reputation as a strong Islamic nation. The OE also belonged to three continents, a geographic circumstance that made national unity almost impossible. European influence led to internal exposure within the OE. As citizens became more secular-thinking, new ideas and cultures perhaps developed within the OE, creating no sense of nationalism for the OE as a whole. This theory may explain why the OE no longer exists: numerous cases of internal nationalism essentially split the OE apart into separate states. 

Ottomans!

In the earlier part of the Ottoman Empire, which we studied last semester, the Ottomans had strict policies that essentially kept the Muslims in control and strongly encouraged assimilation of foreigners into their culture. However, the alter Ottoman Empire was the opposite, with a short time that was an exception. The early Ottoman Empire taxed non-Muslims, and took their children for the janissaries. The control the Ottomans had on trade also allowed them to heavily tax any foreign traders, to their great advantage. The advancement of technology weakened them, allowing the Europeans access to trading ports all over the world, and from that the Ottoman policies declined. A number of unfair treaties were made, such as abolishing tax on foreign traders and not requiring to follow Ottoman law. This allowed traders to move more freely, and would have brought outside cultures in, rather than keeping them out. The Young Turks and Young Ottomans, while from different times, were essentially in favor of the same thing: Westernization. The Young Ottomans pushed for a constitution, and got one, if only for a short time. When Abd al-Hamid II proclaimed himself caliph, he attempted to re-establish the Ottoman EMpire as a religious nation. He attempted to recreate the difference between Muslim and non-Muslim citizens, but some of the population had already taken a liking to Western culture, so there was backlash from the Young Turks, who rose to power and secularized everything. Had the Europeans never been able to get their culture into the Ottoman Empire through trade, which happened becaus of unequal technology, I doubt power would have changed hands in the way it did.

Ottoman Empire in the 16th Century vs. 19th Century

In order to keep up with the modernization and nationalism of the rest of the world, the Ottoman Empire attempted to do the same but in a futile effort. As European countries invaded and took over territories that were part of the ottoman empire, like Egypt. As their land area shrunk, so did their power, and therefore their trading also declined. So, the Ottomans needed to improve themselves within. The Ottomans tried to create a national identity for themselves but were not able to because of the vast majority of cultures in the empire, and an increase of non Muslims. The government wanted a more Muslim identity but that clashed with the views of the people. This is what caused the finished the decline of the once great Ottoman Empire, the loss of power through conquest, and opposing viewpoints between the people and the government. Before, the Ottoman Empire was a Muslim nation that was tolerant of other religions, and the people were predominantly Muslim. The government wanted to maintain their Islamic values, but the people were a lot more secular and less willing to adapt to Islamic culture. The Ottoman empire encompassed numerous cultures, but while other countries were finding their cultural identity, the Ottoman empire could not do so because they didn't have one. This shows more about how empires do not succeed in the 20th century because of the wave of nationalism going around the world. If everyone else had not been so caught up in nationalism, then the Ottoman Empire along with other empires like the British empire, still might be powerful today.