Nationalism Module
    Lesson 1 - How are symbols used to represent a nation?

    Lesson 2 - What are the differences between ethnic groups, nations, and states?

    Lesson 3 - How does nationalism bind people together?

    Lesson 4 - Where has nationalism contributed to political change?
Nationalism banner


Lesson 4 - Page 1 - Where has nationalism contributed to political change?

Objectives: In this lesson, your team will:

  1. Explain how nationalism develops in different places.
  2. Apply your understanding of nationalism to interpret examples of political change.

General Tips: Here are a few suggestions that can help your team complete this lesson together:

  • Click the icon to open a new window with instructions for completing the lesson's collaborative learning activities (listed as Step 1, Step 2, and so forth).
  • Your team should use the Group Discussion Board (located in the Communication area) to discuss questions that appear in blue boxes.
  • Important vocabulary terms are defined in the Glossary (located in the Documents area).
  • Complete this lesson according to the schedule provided by your instructor. Doing so will ensure that your team learns together.
  • Elect leaders for each local group who can help coordinate the efforts of the entire team.

How does nationalism help to explain the emergence of new states?

In previous lessons, your team learned about the differences between nations, ethnic groups, and states, and that not all nations are successful in creating nation-states. Indeed, many nations such as the Palestinians, Kurds, and Basques are currently engaged in political movements to win sovereignty over a cultural homeland.

Your team also learned that nationalism provides individuals with a sense of belonging to a group; it promotes group identity and group loyalty, often through the use of symbols. Nationalism tends to focus on local cultural histories and is strongly linked to the language, ethnicity, and religion of a particular place. Because nations are bound by a desire to have sovereign control over a homeland, nationalism sometimes results in the emergence of new states on the world map.

In this lesson, your team will study examples of how nationalism led to the creation of new states and political territories in Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America.