Modern nation-state and transnational entities - Essay Example

Download file to see previous pages... The emergence of the modern nation state dates back to the 1700s. Before the emergence of nation-states, monarch systems were the governing tools, but later sovereignty came to change people’s way of life. Sovereignty recognized people as citizens with a role to play in government rather than subjects. The issue of nationalism is also viewed by many as a political ideology. The French revolution played a significant role in the emergence of modern nationalism (Züfle, 2011).
Nationalism has many positive attributes in any nation-state. One of the attributes is that nationalism promotes democracy. This occurs because nationalism advocates for popular sovereignty and supports the idea that political power is legitimately held by people. People use the political power to put others in power to work as their agents. Nationalism also promotes economic growth within a country. Therefore, nationalism offers the opportunity to build a colonial power, to use resources to improve people’s life as well as economic infrastructure. The other impact of nationalism is that it promotes diversity and experimentation. This is evident in democratic nations through the way people from different walks of life maintain their own culture and values (Godfrey, 2004).
Characteristics of modern nation-state In order to understand the concept of modern nation-state, it is necessary to define a nation, state and country. This is because the four terms apply to refer to political, economic, social and cultural contributors in the international system. Modern nation-state refers to single or multiple nationalities that come together to form a political union. The nation-state is responsible for identifying official languages, laws, currency system, and ordering elements of society through bureaucracy. A nation-state is only recognized when a nation of people forms its own country or state. Japan qualifies to be a nation-state (Chernilo, 2007). A nation state is highly politically oriented. Nation states refer to the political units comprised of national groups. A nation state also shows a highly centralized public administration. Traditionally, a nation state exists to ensure that there is a self- governing territory within a nation in an aim to attain any power. For example, in Japan, the population is of Koreans and Chinese blood, but there is a recognized language and culture. This fact makes a nation-state more powerful and organized than a nation. A nation-state provides a political personification as well as wider scope of power. In a nutshell, a nation-state is a hybrid of a nation and a state (Teichova, 2003). On the other hand, a nation refers to a group of people who share similar demography and culture similar to those of a community, and are able to make independent political decisions. People within a nation just believe of its existence making it intangible. A nation has members who have a common identity that make them different from others. In some situations, the term nation is exclusively used to refer to ethnic grouping. Unlike a nation-state, a nation is a socio-cultural entity comprised of people sharing a common language and culture. An example of a nation is the Basque, which forms part of northern Spain and southern ...Download file to see next pagesRead More