Nationalism is the main cause of World War One. How and why did it originate?
In this talk to his Beijing high school students, Jiang Xueqin explains that nationalism was a response to religious, economic, and cultural challenges in Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Protestant Reformation produced a crisis of faith in people, and many made the nation-state into their new religion.
The Industrial Revolution made the bourgeoisie the new dominant elite, and they demanded property rights that only the nation-state could guarantee.
Rapid industrialization and urbanization caused alienation and disorientation, which led people to embrace the nation-state for community and direction.
References:
1. Seeing Like a State by James Scott
2. Imagined Communities by Benedict Anderson
3. The Social Contract by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
4. The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
5. The Open Society by Karl Popper
