1. NEW What is a nation? In my opinion, a nation is a group of people belonging to all different races and religions, but still living together in peace under one democratic title, “nation. ” Many great writers of the nineteenth and early twentieth century hold vast ideas about nation, because of the circumstances they faced. While, my definition of nation is based on the democratic life I have spent, Abbe EmmanuelJoseph Sieyes, a middle-class clergy, defined it by observing the estate system of his time.
Writers such as Joseph Mazzini, Karl Marx, Rupert Brooke, Benito Mussolini, and Adolf Hitler modified Sieyes’ definition according to their thoughts in order to bring peace. Few came up with a different idea which was applicable in their life experience, rest had similar concept. At the end, everybody wanted peace and equality for every individual, which is still not found in many nations throughout. NEW France’s population was divided into three estate categories till late eighteenth century.
In May of 1789, all of the estate generals were invited at Versailles to figure out France’s future. The third estate, which was the majority, raised their demands and took revolution in very radical way. Sieyes wrote a pamphlet stating that the nation’s future should not be determined by the first and second estate, but the third estate; because, they were the ones who did the labor and kept the nation working. He said that the third estate is everything, nothing in the political order, and it wants to become something.
He also said that the nation needs private employment in four classes: country side working families, laborers who worked with raw materials to make finished goods, merchants and wholesale traders, and the people who just used those goods and services to the fullest; differentiating from the liberal professionals down to the least esteemed domestic servants. He ranked public offices in four categories: the Sword, the Robe, the Church, and the Administration.
Coming from a middle-class clergy background, he thought that the best places, which should be rewarded to the ones who deserve it, were taken by upper two estates. He said, “If we remove the privileged order, the nation will not be something less but something more. “(Lualdi; 114) He stated that the third estate contained everything that a nation needed, and nobody outside of the third estate can claim to be the part of the nation. He wished for neutralization, where there would be a reestablishment of the whole system to create equality and peace in France.
NEW In 1844, Joseph Mazzini’s wrote an essay reflecting the duties of workingmen and duties of people towards their country. He said that the doctrines of Revolution taught that the men were born for happiness and they had right to over through any barrier to obtain that deserving happiness, but still the condition did not improve and as the population increased, progression got more slower. He also said that having an education did not even help, because workingmen do not get equal opportunities.
According to Mazzini, the only way to prevent all this was that the upper classes would reduc te work hours and increase wages; and give credits to workingmen with positive intentions because, war starts whenever workingmen and upper class individuals’ rights are clashing. He argued that the workingmen were asked to make sacrifices for their country, but how can they sacrifice anything for their country, if they themselves were making so many sacrifices to achieve the end goal of happiness. In his definition of nation, he asked for unity to make everyone’s living better in a hope that one day everyone’s single efforts will benefit humanity.
He said, “Before men can associate with the nations of which Humanity is composed, they must have a national existence. There is no true association except among equals” (Mazzini; 7) He advised to say We, instead of land unite every class to make it a country of all and for all. NEW In the route of diminishing class divisions, in 1847 Karl Marx also wrote Manifesto of the Communist party. According to Marx, communism was already present in Europe; it just needed the believers to be obvious, because the modern bourgeoisies were splitting up into two categories: bourgeoisie proletariat.
The discovery of Americas opened many doors of development for bourgeoisies; which involved lots of labor from lower classes, slaves, or proletariat. As production kept increasing, demand of it also started increasing. He believed that bourgeoisies are responsible for the most revolution, because they converted many professions into paid wage laborers. The consequence of this revolution was political centralization; Bourgeoisies being on top controlling every social class under them; and then every individual workman collided with bourgeoisies, which took up a collision between two classes.
Working class ended up making unions to keep their wages high and to offend bourgeoisies constantly; and the end result turned out to be, “The exploitation of one part of society by the other. ” (Manifesto of the Communist Party; 17) In order to get out of this, Marx thought that it is necessary for a nation to get out of capitalism first, then get into socialism, and finally achieve communism. NEW Rupert Brooke, famous pre-World War I poet, wanted a nation where every young man would go to war to fight for his country happily.
Soldier on the field should find peace, because they are serving for their country. Every man who got a chance to go to the war should thank God, because the worst will only be death. Even if the soldier dies, the place where he will be buried will be a piece of foreign field which will be forever known as England. Dead body’s dust will be very rich because it was shaped and bore by England. England’s sights, dreams, laughter, friends, gentleness, and peace of hearts will be remembered on a foreign land. NEW In 1920’s and 1930’s, the idea of Fascism or dictatorship arose fueling World War II.
Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler were the leaders of this thought and this style of government. Mussolini, a socialist and a prime minister of Rome, defined Fascism as a practice, thought, unity of individuals by making individual sacrifices, religious beliefs, historical conception by having cultural customs, opposition of liberalism by having fascist conception for the State, having, “liberty of the State and of the individual within the State,” (Mussolini; 2) opposition of socialism, opposition of syndicalism, opposition of democracy, and nation being created by the state.
His definition of peaceful nation was found in having a fascist state. He said, “The Fascist State, the highest and most powerful form of personality, is a force, but a spiritual force, which takes over all the forms of the moral and intellectual life of man. ” (Mussolini; 3) He believed that Fascism needed men who would participate with all their potential. He also believed that Fascism was born in the need of action, it is considered as a development of humanity by not suppressing them, but multiplying, and the Fascist state will not have theology, but ethics.
NEW According to Hitler’s definition of nation, he argued that, “Aryan” race has a duty of dominating the planet and Jews are responsible for world’s worst problems. He wrote that all the worldly advances are the product of the Aryan; and Aryan’s counterpart are the Jews, but Jews have not made any progress since they arrived in Germany. They revolutionized in twofold sense: economic and political. Economic in the sense, that using the state till it becomes unprofitable; political in the sense, that dragging every great thing, such as leadership and self-preservation, in the gutter.
He also argued that the National Socialist Movement must work hard to remove disproportion between the populations, because these people are the highest guardians of the humanity on the earth. Since Jews were not present in Germany from the time Aryan has been present, Hitler thought that the nation should be dictated under his rule. NEW Definition of nation kept changing as new ideas immerged of having peace in the nation. Many artists showed their expressions, through their work, of their reasons of wanting the nation in certain way. Their ideas were greatly impacted with their history and the situations they were in.
Sieyes wanted equality between three estates; Mazzini wanted upper class men to unite with working class men, and say We instead of I; Marx wanted to make communism obvious in order to get to socialism; Brooke wanted a nation of young soldiers fighting for their country; Mussolini wanted Fascism; and Hitler wanted “Aryan” race to be superior and dictate every other race inferior to them. Works of these artists affected a lot in order to bring changes in government systems, but peace and equality are still not to be found in many nations; though World War II brought lots of nations at some point of tranquility.