Nationalism

             Joseph-Ernest Renan, in his essay: "What is a Nation?" in 1882, explained that nationalism requires fundamental shared elements in the lives of the citizen, but also a vision of the future. Nationalism is defined as: "loyalty and devotion to a nation by a group of unified people; especially, a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups. " This is the standard formula that many countries followed as they developed in the 19th century. France and the United States of America embraced the writings of leaders who espoused this fundamental doctrine. The citizens of both countries practiced nationalism in similar forms, but were not identical.
             In 1789, the French National Assembly declared in its "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen," that "the source of all sovereignty is located essentially in the nation ". What they proclaimed was the basic principal of Democracy, which is the system of government still practiced in France today. Thus, the members of the 1789 National Assembly declared their future plans of democracy for France, which was their vision. They were already unified by a common language, culture, government, geography, and history. Through their proclamation, they declared loyalty to each other-a common, unified group, rather than to a king or religion, which is the most basic tenant of a Democracy. This is, as well, the most important element in our [American] government today, no king-a leader elected by the citizens.
             Like the French, the founding fathers of the United States (US) issued a Constitution to which its citizens are obliged to obey. They declared in our constitution:
             We, the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provi...

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Nationalism. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:48, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/19187.html