I believe that Edwin L. Godwin is foreshadowing in his essay, “The Eclipse of Liberalism,” of the many of conflicts that will occur in the first half of the twentieth century when he warns about the danger of nationalism once liberalism fades away. Godwin originally wrote the essay in 1900. Within the essay, he argues that liberalism rose as a consequence of the corruption and abuse suffered under monarchies. Towards the end, Godwin mentions how nationalism is now dominating over liberalism, and he expresses his fears of this “old foe under a new name.” Godwin discusses how under nationalism, people who criticize the foreign policy of their country are unpatriotic. This becomes a problem during the first half of the twentieth century, when the United States had a great, unique sense of nationalism that sped the process in which the United States would become involved in Europe’s wars and affairs in general. Furthermore, I believe that this foreshadowing by Godwin is still applicable today; there is a very heated debate that exists today over whether or not the US should be involved in the Middle East and foreign policy in general. Godwin not only focused on the negative effects of nationalism within a nation, but also on how nationalism affected international relationships, where
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Godwin is foreshadowing in his essay, “The Eclipse of Liberalism,” of the many of conflicts that will occur in the first half of the twentieth century when he warns about the danger of nationalism once liberalism fades away. Godwin sheds light on the fact that nationalism can greatly affect a country’s foreign policy, something that became very noticeable of the United States during the twentieth century and continues to be noticeable in politics today. Godwin also highlights the fact that nationalism can make nations very competitive and aggressive towards one another, which coincidentally became one of the main reasons that World War I and also World War II
Godwin is foreshadowing in his essay, “The Eclipse of Liberalism,” of the many of conflicts that will occur in the first half of the twentieth century when he warns about the danger of nationalism once liberalism fades away. Godwin sheds light on the fact that nationalism can greatly affect a country’s foreign policy, something that became very noticeable of the United States during the twentieth century and continues to be noticeable in politics today. Godwin also highlights the fact that nationalism can make nations very competitive and aggressive towards one another, which coincidentally became one of the main reasons that World War I and also World War II