Post War Nationalism

Nationalism was a crucial factor in the buildup of both the World Wars. After World War II, it continued to be a powerful force in Europe and worldwide, shaping events in the second half of the 20th Century. Learn about some fundamental dynamics of postwar nationalism in Europe here.

Postwar Nationalism Definition

Before considering a postwar nationalism definition, let's consider the general meaning of nationalism.

To do that, we need to define the nation. One of the most widely accepted definitions of a nation is from scholar Benedict Anderson, who called it an imagined political community.

Usually, the people of a country are linked by shared language, culture, history, ethnicity, and/or geography, but not always. The essential factor is that the people of a nation look towards a shared future.

Nationalism can take forms as simple as rooting for the national sports teams or celebrating traditional foods. However, it can also be a force that drives conflict with other nations.

For example, nationalism played a role in the causes of both World Wars, and the devastation of these wars led to challenges in defining postwar nationalism. It's difficult to make one single postwar nationalism definition, since postwar nationalism took different forms.

Rather than try to make a postwar nationalism definition, let's look at some of the more important examples of postwar nationalism.

Nationalism After WW2

In some cases, nationalism after WW2 led to independence movements, while in others, it led to internal division.

German Nationalism After WW2

Germany was divided into West and East Germany after WW2. A key element of German nationalism after WW2 was a desire for reunification.

Confronting the violent German nationalism that had led to Nazi expansionism and the Holocaust, and determining how best to celebrate German identity and take pride in it while repudiating this violence, was another challenge for German nationalism.

The Nazi party and symbols are illegal in Germany, and German nationalism today promotes ideas of cooperation with the rest of the world and celebrating German culture in a non-militaristic fashion.

Fig. 1 - East and West Berliners rallied at the Brandenburg Gate in 1989.

Anti-German Nationalism in Eastern Europe

One lesser-known dynamic of postwar nationalism was anti-German nationalism in countries the Nazis had occupied. Germans were expelled from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, the Netherlands, Romania, and other countries.

Independence Movements

During the 20th Century, a wave of decolonization occurred. While most closely associated with Africa and Asia, postwar nationalism also contributed to European independence movements.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, a period of violence known as the Troubles began in 1969 between nationalist forces that wanted union with Ireland and forces that wanted continued membership in the United Kingdom.

The 1998 Good Friday Agreement ended the fighting. It established that Northern Ireland would remain part of the UK unless more than half the population voted for union with Ireland, while also establishing protections and power-sharing for Catholics and Protestants.

Fig 2 - A British bomb disposal unit on the streets of Northern Ireland in 1972.

Spain

Postwar nationalism also led to violence in the Basque area of northern Spain.

Separatist group ETA carried out a campaign of violence beginning in 1968. Groups receiving secret government support fought carried out revenge attacks.

In 2011, ETA announced a ceasefire, and it formally dissolved itself in 2018. However, many in Catalonia favor independence and voted for it in a 2017 referendum declared illegal by the Spanish government.

Chechnya

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, separatists in Chechnya declared an independent republic. Russia invaded in 1994 to reestablish control. A ceasefire was signed in 1996, but renewed fighting, complicated by the rise of extremist Islamist groups, led to reoccupation by Russia in 1999 and an insurgency.

Fig. 3 - A Chechen fighter overlooks the bombed-out plaza in front of the Government Palace during the 1995 war.

End of Communist Rule in Eastern Europe

Although the communist bloc countries were technically independent, they were dominated by the Soviet Union. Postwar nationalism was a critical driver of the failed Hungarian Revolution and Prague Spring.

While the fall of communism involved numerous factors, nationalists desires to assert control over their destiny was undoubtedly a part.

Balkan Nationalism after WW2

The Balkans are an area of Southwest Europe where several ethnic groups live. Among these are Serbs, Croats, Slovenes, and Bosniaks. They were united into the multinational state of Yugoslavia.

Fig 4 - A map showing the different national groups in the former Yugoslavia, made by the CIA in 1992.

In the 1980s, after the death of former leader Marshall Tito and the onset of economic problems, cracks in the union of Yugoslavia began to form. The smaller national groups like Croats and Slovenes protested what they saw as Serb dominance, while Serb nationalists resented these groups' assertion of independence.

Conflict broke out in 1990, leading to the breakup of Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia became the following independent states:

• Serbia
• Montenegro
• Croatia
• Slovenia
• North Macedonia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina

Fighting during the breakup led to genocide in Bosnia and continued conflict for years. In 2008, the region of Kosovo, which was part of Serbia and where ethnic Albanians and Serbs fought, declared independence.

Fig. 5 - Refugees are fleeing the war in Bosnia in 1993.

Towards a Cooperative Nationalism?

Despite the violent separatist movements discussed above, historically speaking, the second half of the twentieth Century was relatively peaceful in Europe. There were also efforts towards cooperation, like the European Union.

The European Union

The European Union arose out of the end of WW2 as an antidote to possible aggressive postwar nationalism.

The Council of Europe, founded in 1949, the European Economic Community in 1957, and the 1985 Schengen Agreement allowing open borders, were early forerunners of what became the European Union, formally founded in 1993.

The underlying idea of these steps toward an integrated Europe is that countries cooperating and trading are less likely to go to war. The European Union currently has 27 member states.

Fig 6 - Map showing the member states of the EU with the UK highlighted for its recent withdrawal.

European Nationalism in the 21st Century

The first decades of the 21st Century have revealed that nationalism will continue to present challenges for Europe. Among some of the current issues related to nationalism in Europe are:

• Brexit, the status of Northern Ireland, and the future of the EU
• National identity and the entry of migrants and refugees
• Catalonian Independence in Spain
• Russian expansion based on nationalist claims to Crimea and parts of Ukraine
• Germany's growing economic power and possible remilitarization