Position Paper Nationalism
The source states that nationalistic ideals can very easily cause harm to the citizens of a nation and to control what they think and do. This clearly suggests that it opposes nationalism; for example, the source condemns nationalism by saying that it is to blame for most of the genocides that have occurred in the twentieth century, leading me to believe that it is indicating that any feeling of pride toward one’s own country can, given time, become devastating. This patriotic emotion, according to the source, has the full potential inflate and to become an ultranationalistic feeling strong enough to spark conflict with other nations. In addition, the source mentions that flags are “bits of colored cloth that governments …show more content…
I agree that we should embrace the ideological perspectives underlined in the source; nationalism is a destructive concept used by the government in order to alter citizens’ standpoints, sparks conflicts between nations which makes loyalty and devotion to the military a priority, and has been the main cause of most of the mass killings in the last century,
The first reason I agree with the source is that nationalism is used by the government of a nation to control what the people of that nation believe, and to alter their thoughts and opinions on certain subjects. For example, during Adolf Hitler’s rule of Germany, he withheld certain information in order to improve his own image in the eyes of the German people. He wished to manipulate the nation into believing that they were the superior race and that they had the right to eradicate any lower than themselves in order to build themselves back up after World War I. Hitler used powerful public address systems and careful staging in order to gain support for his …show more content…
Nationalism will often cause an imbalance of power and pride between different nations, and to stabilize their feelings of patriotism countries will dispute and clash with others. For example, directly before World War II, Japanese ultranationalists were working to rid their nation of democracy and to make it a one-party state which would be ruled by the military. Military leaders brought back traditional warrior values; such as obedience to the emperor and loyalty to the state, and a cult was formed around Hirohito, the emperor. Military allegiance and the willingness to heed every order were traits which were revered by the Japanese ultranationalists. The armed forces of Japan were the ones who decided on the country’s national interests and made most of the decisions which led Japan into the second world war. Similarly, to Hitler, the Nazis’ devotion and total inclination to follow his ultranationalistic ideals was of the upmost importance to him.
The source states that nationalistic ideals can very easily cause harm to the citizens of a nation and to control what they think and do. This clearly suggests that it opposes nationalism; for example, the source condemns nationalism by saying that it is to blame for most of the genocides that have occurred in the twentieth century, leading me to believe that it is indicating that any feeling of pride toward one’s own country can, given time, become devastating. This patriotic emotion, according to the source, has the full potential inflate and to become an ultranationalistic feeling strong enough to spark conflict with other nations. In addition, the source mentions that flags are “bits of colored cloth that governments …show more content…
I agree that we should embrace the ideological perspectives underlined in the source; nationalism is a destructive concept used by the government in order to alter citizens’ standpoints, sparks conflicts between nations which makes loyalty and devotion to the military a priority, and has been the main cause of most of the mass killings in the last century,
The first reason I agree with the source is that nationalism is used by the government of a nation to control what the people of that nation believe, and to alter their thoughts and opinions on certain subjects. For example, during Adolf Hitler’s rule of Germany, he withheld certain information in order to improve his own image in the eyes of the German people. He wished to manipulate the nation into believing that they were the superior race and that they had the right to eradicate any lower than themselves in order to build themselves back up after World War I. Hitler used powerful public address systems and careful staging in order to gain support for his …show more content…
Nationalism will often cause an imbalance of power and pride between different nations, and to stabilize their feelings of patriotism countries will dispute and clash with others. For example, directly before World War II, Japanese ultranationalists were working to rid their nation of democracy and to make it a one-party state which would be ruled by the military. Military leaders brought back traditional warrior values; such as obedience to the emperor and loyalty to the state, and a cult was formed around Hirohito, the emperor. Military allegiance and the willingness to heed every order were traits which were revered by the Japanese ultranationalists. The armed forces of Japan were the ones who decided on the country’s national interests and made most of the decisions which led Japan into the second world war. Similarly, to Hitler, the Nazis’ devotion and total inclination to follow his ultranationalistic ideals was of the upmost importance to him.