4 ms·
> Nationalism, by the way, was pretty new back then. It was also way less negative then it modern nationalism is today. That's what I'm saying. Bismark was (th
by pasabagi 5y ago
> Nationalism, by the way, was pretty new back then. It was also way less negative then it modern nationalism is today.
That's what I'm saying. Bismark was (the? a? the most successful?) creator of modern-day nationalism. He proved that you could use nationalism to enhance state power, by transforming it from a movement of oppressed peoples for self-determination, to an homogenizing ideology.
- hef19898 5y agoSame word, different meaning. nationalism back then meant that people started to build a common understand of nation states, as opposed to kingdoms and the like before. In Germany that meant the first step in a long journey to actual democracy. Back then France and Great Britain were unified nations already, Germany wasn't. I'd say back then nationalism was an actually good thing, it also provided the theoretical basis, e.g., for the creation of independent Poland after WW1 among other things. That almost 40 years after Bismarck died dick heads like the Nazis and other reactionists turned that concept into something really dangerous can hardly be blamed on Bismarck.