Nationalism Notes | Class 11 Political Science
This chapter introduces the idea of nationalism and the effects it has had on the world. It examines national self-determination and common political identity, weighs the merits and demerits of nationalism, and explains the difference between a nation and a state. Use these notes alongside the rest of your Class 11 Political Science notes.
What is Nationalism?
It is widely assumed that a nation is made up of people who share certain characteristics such as ancestry, language, religion, or ethnicity. However, there is no universal set of characteristics shared by all nations.
A nation is best understood as an imagined community, held together by the common beliefs, aspirations, and imagination of its members. It is based on a set of shared assumptions that people make about who they are. These assumptions usually include:
- Shared beliefs
- History
- Territory
- Shared political ideals
- Common political identity
Shared Beliefs
A nation is not its mountains, hills, territory, infrastructure or natural resources. A nation is made by its people. It exists only when people believe that they belong together.
Shared belief refers to the collective identity and vision for the future of a group that aspires to have an independent political existence. The people believe that they are one entity and that, working together as one, they must strive for the progress of their country.
History
A nation also embodies a sense of continuing historical identity. Nations see themselves as stretching back into the past as well as reaching into the future.
India shares the history of its ancient and long civilisation, along with its legends, historical memories, and historical records. This civilisational continuity and unity is the basis of the Indian nation. We also share our freedom movement, and this sense of history binds us together as one entity. Jawaharlal Nehru captured this shared past in his book The Discovery of India.
Territory
Sharing a common past and living together on a particular territory over a long period of time gives people a sense of collective identity. It helps them to imagine themselves as one community.
People who see themselves as a nation often speak of a homeland, fatherland, or holy land. For example, Jewish people regard Palestine as their homeland.
The aspiration for a homeland has been a major cause of conflict in the world.
Shared Political Ideals
A shared vision of the future and a collective aspiration to have an independent political existence is what distinguishes a mere group of people from a nation.
India shares political ideals such as democracy, liberty, secularism, socialism, and equality. These ideals keep Indians united. People have accepted them as benefitting every section of the community and are willing to live together. We are also bound by obligations, and these duties towards our country have kept us united.
A nation is strengthened when its people acknowledge and accept their obligations to their fellow members. We might even say that recognition of this framework of obligations is the strongest test of loyalty to the nation.
Common Political Identity
Why Political Identity?
Sharing the same festivals, holidays, and symbols can bring people together, but it can also threaten the democratic values we hold dear. This is because all of the world's major religions are internally diverse, and most societies are culturally diverse.
For these reasons, when we imagine the nation, it is better to think of it in terms of politics rather than culture. Imposing a single religious or linguistic identity as a condition of belonging would inevitably exclude some groups. It could restrict the religious liberty of the excluded group and disadvantage those who do not speak the country's dominant language.
India as a whole does not have a single religious or linguistic identity. It is home to many different religions, and within each of those religions there are various sects. India has never adopted a state religion, out of a desire to respect all faiths, and is therefore a secular country.
We are recognised as a single political entity because we uphold the values enshrined in our Constitution. We have accepted secularism, freedom, and rights, among other things, as core values.
What Are the Effects of Nationalism?
Nationalism has become one of the most compelling political ideas in history, and it has had a significant impact on events. It has stirred both strong feelings of loyalty and strong feelings of hatred. It has brought people together and also divided them, helping to liberate people from oppressive rule while also acting as a trigger for conflict, bitterness, and even war.
Throughout history, nationalist struggles have influenced the drawing and redrawing of borders between states and empires. This process of redrawing borders is still going on today, and it continues to shape the global order in regions such as the Middle East and Europe.
Nationalism Helped in Unification as well as in the Splitting of Empires
In nineteenth-century Europe, nationalism led to the unification of a number of small kingdoms into larger nation-states. The modern German and Italian states were formed through this process of unification and consolidation. A large number of new states were also established in Latin America. The people of these new states developed a new political identity based on their nation-state membership.
At the same time, nationalism contributed to the break-up of large empires, such as the Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires in early twentieth-century Europe, as well as the break-up of the British, French, Dutch, and Portuguese empires in Asia and Africa.
Redrawing of State Boundaries: Separatism
The process of redrawing state boundaries continues to take place. Since 1960, even apparently stable nation-states have faced nationalist demands put forward by particular groups or regions, and these sometimes include demands for separate statehood.
National Self-Determination
Nations, unlike other social groups, want to be able to govern themselves and control their own destiny. In other words, they want the right to self-determination.
The right to self-government is central to the idea of self-determination. Every nation wishes to govern itself because it is recognised and accepted as a single nation around the world. To protect its traditions and beliefs, and the people it represents, a nation claims sovereign rule.
For a long time, the people of India fought for their right to self-determination. Self-governance provides dignity and the assurance that a people are not being ruled by any external power.
Even today, separatist movements demanding self-determination and a separate state exist in many parts of the world. However, both the expansion of nation-states and the creation of new countries can increase violence, mass migration, and rioting. People who are not members of the dominant cultural group in a new state are frequently discriminated against and marginalised. As a result, they may relocate to areas where they believe their rights will be respected and they will be safe, and cycles of retaliation can follow.
Global citizenship can help to resolve this paradox of national self-determination. Greater global democracy and inclusion is one possible solution. We must accept that the world is a global village, with people moving for a variety of reasons. Constitutions should protect minority groups, and people should have the right to have someone speak for them in law-making bodies.
Merits and Demerits of Nationalism
Merits
- Nationalism inculcates a patriotic spirit. A person becomes prepared to make sacrifices for the glory and safety of their country.
- Nationalism can be a unifying factor, creating a sense of unity across religious and cultural lines.
Demerits
- Nationalism can become a threat to world peace, and it has often been a cause of war. People belonging to a minority or another nation may feel marginalised, which can become a cause of conflict and violence.
- A nation that pushes nationalism too far may regard itself as superior to others and create hatred for other nations. For example, Hitler regarded the Jewish people as inferior to the so-called Aryan race, and carried out the mass murder of Jews in an attempt to exterminate them.
Difference Between State and Nation
- A state has four essential elements, but the elements of a nation are not fixed.
- The elements of a nation may change over time, but the elements of a state are permanent and remain the same.
- The idea of oneness is essential for a nation but not for a state.
- A definite territory is essential for a state but not for a nation.
- Sovereignty is essential for a state but not for a nation.
Tagore on Nationalism
Rabindranath Tagore was critical of the concept of nationalism:
- He believed in internationalism rather than nationalism.
- He believed that humanity cannot be divided on the basis of nations or borders.
- He argued that equal rights and dignity should be given to everyone, whether they are Indian, American, or Arab.
Why it still matters
The ideas in this chapter are not just history. The question of self-determination, whether a group of people should be able to govern itself, is being decided in the real world right now.
Take New Caledonia, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean that France has governed for more than 150 years. Its indigenous people, the Kanak, have long wanted independence. Under an agreement called the Noumea Accord, New Caledonia held three referendums on whether to become a separate country, in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Each time voters chose to stay with France. In the 2018 vote, 56.7 per cent said no to independence. The 2021 vote rejected independence by an even larger margin, but pro-independence groups had boycotted it after a severe Covid outbreak hit their community, so they refused to accept the result.
In July 2025, France and New Caledonian leaders signed a fresh accord to create a "State of New Caledonia" that would have its own nationality but remain part of France. It deliberately stops short of full independence, and the plan is meant to be put to New Caledonians in another referendum in 2026.
Notice how neatly this real story maps onto your notes: a people claiming the right to self-determination, an argument over redrawing state boundaries, and the tension between staying united and splitting apart. It shows why nationalism is still one of the most powerful forces shaping the map of the world. You can follow live world affairs like this, and connect them to what you study, on the Learnacy Hub, and find more study notes across subjects.