Todays Isms - Research Paper Example

Today’s Isms In the cause of history, people have experienced an attachment to their traditions and authorities. This attachment has led to people having a strong affiliation to their nations. Nationalism has in this respect led to the unification of people much as it has led other people to move further apart from their contemporaries. Apart from nationalism, imperialism, colonialism, and neo-colonialism have characterized the modern world. This paper will briefly discuss the isms’ of today in light of the history of the modern world. Nationalism Historians define nationalism as the creed, belief, or political ideology associated with an individual becoming attached to or strongly being affiliated to their nation. As a political ideology, the premise of nationalism is that an individual’s devotion and loyalty to the nation-state goes far beyond their loyalty and devotion to other personal or group interests. In other words, nationalism has a lot to do with national identity. Human history has been characterized by the tendency of people to be attached to their parents’ traditions, native place of origin, and to territorial authorities that exist. While this trend has not changed much, the end of the 18th century saw a new trend emerge - one that effectively marked the beginning of modern history (regentsprep, 2014). At this time, people began to recognize nationalism and its effects in regard to the molding of private and public life. People began to experience the pull toward nationalistic feeling. Historians are quick to cite the French and American revolutions as some of the events that have exemplified the manifestation of nationalism in modern history. In Europe, the decline of feudalism marked the beginning of nationalism. In England, for example, Queen Elizabeth I consolidated power that was previously decentralized to form a strong, stable nation-state (regentsprep, 2014). Before the emergence of nationalism in England, the church was known to be the one factor that unified the people. As the power of the church declined during the Renaissance period, the people of England got awake to the fact that they were similar and had more or less the same interests beyond religion. Nationalism has been a key factor in the history of many nation-states including Germany and Russia and has been a driving force in the emergence of revolutions, ethnic tensions, and wars much as it has contributed to the unification of people (regentsprep, 2014). Imperialism During the 19th century, nationalism was rife in many European nations. Nationalism unified many people and divided others based on ethnic lines (regentsprep, 2014). Many of the countries that were unified by nationalism found themselves in a period of imperialism. Imperialism saw stronger nations take over weaker ones in different parts of the world. The 20th century, however, saw many of the countries that had been imperialized rise against European imperial influencers in a bid to see the establishment of their own fee and independent states. Imperialism is characterized by the practice of dominance and the feeling of superiority of one territory or people over others (regentsprep1, 2014). It is also characterized by the extension of command and authority of one people or state over another. Beginning the 1700s, many nations that were more developed that their contemporaries took over and colonized weaker states as a means toward extending their own power. Several European countries, for example, scrambled for Africa in an act of imperialism. Many of the imperial nations benefited from their colonies as they exploited their resources and gained political control of them (regentsprep1, 2014). Many countries that practiced imperialism over their contemporaries often were industrialized and therefore sought cheap raw materials and new markets for their products. This was, for example, the case with Japan and many European nations during the1800s. The move toward imperialism was also propelled by nationalism given that many citizens approved of and took pride in the accomplishments of their nations. At a time when European countries were in competition with one another, imperialism emerged as a good solution to the great desire to maintain power balance in Europe (regentsprep1, 2014). Colonialism Colonialism may be simply defined as the practice of domination in which one person, nation, or territory is subjugated to another (plato.stanford.edu, 2012). Colonialism has a lot to do with the establishment, acquisition exploitation, and expansion of colonies by people from a different territory. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, many European powers including Britain, France, Portugal, and Italy established colonies in Africa, Asia, North America and South America. The colonies in this respect were controlled by their colonizers both economically and politically. Much like it happened with imperial control, colonizers were driven to colonize other nations as they sought to find cheap raw materials for their industries and new markets for their products. In other cases, colonies were established out of exploration activities to find new lands such as was the case with Spain. As was in the case of imperialism, nationalism was a driving force toward colonialism as citizens took pride in their nations for expanding and taking control of other territories in a show of superiority. Colonialism was greatly associated with the abuse of natural rights much as it has been associated with the broad appreciation of natural law. Established in many parts of the world for centuries, colonialism effectively met its death in the 1960s with the rise of national liberation movements (plato.stanford.edu, 2012). These movements used different means to pressurize colonial governments to withdraw their control over the colonies. In Kenya for example, the Mau Mau rebellion together with diplomatic interventions such as in the case of the Lancaster Congress eventually saw the British government yield to the demand for the country’s independence. Neo-imperialism/ Neo-colonialism Neo-colonialism as practiced today is considered by many a historian to be the final and, perhaps, the most dangerous stage of colonialism. Neocolonialism is the situation that comes into being when an imperial power exerts control over its an independent state through international institutions, business globalization, and cultural imperialism, as opposed to military or indirect political control (marxists.org, 2014). In other words, while the nation that is subject to neo-colonialism is independent and sovereign by international standards, its political policies and economic system is subject to the control of another country or territory. Modern day neo-colonists often control their subjects through monetary and economic means. For example, the neo-colonial state may be obliged to take products produced by the imperial state and reject those from other nations. Similarly, the neo-colonial state may have its policies dictated by an imperial state in exchange for payments toward running the state, foreign aid, and by the imposition of a banking system that is biased toward the imperial nation (marxists.org, 2014). As an example, neocolonialism is practiced toward Congo and many other African countries by different countries through international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Neo colonialism may be practiced by former colonial powers or by powers that in reality did not colonize a country such as is the case of the United States’ control of South Vietnam which was colonized by France. Essentially, when an imperial power invests in a country that is subject its neo-colonial control, the investment is not directed to the development of the less developed country but rather serves to exploit it(marxists.org, 2014). Neo colonialism has been blamed for the widening economic gap between poor and rich nations. Many countries have taken arms against neocolonialism by adopting non-alignment policies. Ghana, for example, cooperates with all countries irrespective of their economic systems as a way of avoiding the control of its political and economic systems by imperial powers. Conclusion Through nationalism, people have been united and revolutions have seen the light of day. Nationalism has been a key factor in the drive to colonize or imperialize other nations. This has been the case since it has been one factor that have propelled nations to seek resources and markets beyond what their nations or territories offer. It has also been the motivation and fuel behind the competition that many nations have struggled so much to overcome. On the other hand, it has led to revolutions as nations that have seen subject to colonialism or imperialism have risen to claim their independence in the spirit of nationalism. Worth noting is that colonialism and imperialism are closely related and there exists a thin line between the two given that both involve the control of nations/territories by stronger or more powerful ones. The end of colonialism and imperialism in the 1960s ushered in a new period that has been characterized by neocolonialism. Considered to be the last and worst stage of imperialism or colonialism, neo-colonialism is characterized by the control of political and economic policies of less developed nations by more developed ones. It is blamed for the high levels of poverty in many third world countries most of which are in Africa. More particularly it is blamed for the widening gap between poor and rich nations as it often is associated with the exploitation of poor nations by their former colonizers or richer nations. References regentsprep (2014). Nationalism and the Nation State. Retrieved February 3, 2014 from http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/nationalism/index.cfm marxists.org (2014). Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of imperialism Kwame Nkrumah 1965. Retrieved February 3, 2014 from https://www.marxists.org/subject/africa/nkrumah/neo-colonialism/introduction.htm plato.stanford.edu (2012). Colonialism. Retrieved February 3, 2014 from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/colonialism/ regentsprep1 (2014). Imperialism. Retrieved February 3, 2014 from http://regentsprep.org/Regents/global/themes/imperialism/index.cfm Read More