Nationalism is an amorphous ideology, more of an addition to an existing system of beliefs than something that can stand on its own. It can take the form of anything from the hopeful and forward-thinking of liberal, or civic, nationalism or the hateful and bigoted form of ethnic nationalism. Nationalism, at its worst, commandeers history and culture to justify individuality as subservient to the goals of the nation. Nationalism once brought us down a road that killed approximately 77 million people. Nationalism has ripped nations apart, leaving disjointed nationalities at each other’s throats. Nationalism is yet again on the rise throughout the world, the United States included. Unchecked, it poses a threat to our system of nations, of beliefs and of living.
The rise of nationalism, especially in America, seems to be backlash against the globalist policies that became increasingly common in the post-world war era world. While these policies are responsible for the growth of the national and world economy, they decimated the working class. America and Europe now exist in the post-industrial world, manufacturing on a large scale is never coming back. As a result, the working class has lost its place in the developed world and now embraces the nostalgia of a different time, a time rife with all of the negative aspects of ethnic nationalism.
We are witnessing seeds of nationalism sprouting throughout the world. Victor Orban led nationalists into power in Hungary. United Kingdom Independence Party helped facilitate the leave vote of the Brexit referendum. Marine Le Pen has led the Front National to its biggest election success in recent years. The nationalistic Law and Justice party has ascended to power in Poland. A reawakened Russia under Putin seems intent on bringing back the glory of the czars at the risk of a new cold war. At home, we have the success of a nationalist in the Republican Party primaries and competitiveness in the general election.
The rise of nationalism is particularly concerning in America. Donald Trump is certainly a nationalist, especially if we look at him from the ideological sense of the word. He has espoused a policy of “America First” that brings back memories of the “America First” group of the 1940s, an “isolationist, defeatist, anti-Semitic national organization that urged the United States to appease Adolf Hitler.” He has turned bigotry, appeasement to Russia, hints of anti-Semitism and anti-globalization into a successful campaign. This is not to say that Trump is Hitler, or even a fascist. Rather, Trump plays into ethnic nationalistic tendencies obviously present within American society. A better descriptor would be “Mussolini Lite.”
Nationalism poses an existential threat to the current state of affairs. The developed world has become so entranced by globalism that there is no going back now. Our societies, our way of life and even our nations are cemented into the ideas of globalization. Nationalism would only add chaos to the system, ripping it up by its roots to reform it in its image of hate. There is no future in nationalism, only the collapse of the developed world into fragments of its previous glory.