Joyce Jeffries - Whats Nationalism?

Published in 2020 by

KidHaven Publishing, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing, LLC

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Copyright 2020 KidHaven Publishing, an Imprint of Greenhaven Publishing, LLC.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer.

Designer: Deanna Paternostro

Editor: Katie Kawa

Photo credits: Cover (top) Tom DeCicco/.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Jeffries, Joyce.

Title: Whats nationalism? / Joyce Jeffries.

Description: New York: KidHaven Publishing, 2020. | Series: Whats the issue? | Includes glossary and index.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781534532342 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781534532205 (library bound) | ISBN 9781534532403 (6 pack) | ISBN 9781534532274 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Nationalism--Juvenile literature. | Nationalism--United States--Juvenile literature.

Classification: LCC JC311.J44 2020 | DDC 320.54--dc23

Printed in the United States of America

Some of the images in this book illustrate individuals who are models. The depictions do not imply actual situations or events.

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CONTENTS

America First

On October 22, 2018, President Donald Trump said, You know what I am? Im a nationalist, okay? Im a nationalist. In his eyes, its good to be a nationalist because it means he believes the United States is the best country and he wants it to succeed. Many Americansand people from other countries believe nationalism is important. They think its good to put the needs of their country and its citizens first.

Other people, however, disagree. They think nationalism can be harmful. Keep reading to learn more about what nationalism is and why people have such strong feelings about it.

Facing the Facts

After Trump called himself a nationalist on October 22, 2018, searches for the meaning of the words nationalism and nationalist went up by 8,000 percent!

In his inaugural addresshis first speech after becoming presidentDonald Trump said, From this day forward, its going to be only America first. Many people saw that as an example of nationalism. Those words made some people happy, but they made others angry or afraid.

Nationalism or Patriotism?

To understand why people have such strong feelings for and against nationalism, its important to first understand what it means to be a nationalist. Some people believe nationalism is the same as patriotism, which is love for ones country. However, most official definitions of nationalism state that its both a love for ones country and a loyalty to it above all other countries.

In other words, nationalism goes beyond loving your country to include the belief that your country is better and more important than any other country or group. Nationalists believe their countrys interests should always come first.

Facing the Facts

People didnt start using the word nationalism until the late 1700s. Patriotism existed long before that.

Nationalism means different things to different people. However, most nationalists believe in supporting one national identitya way of seeing ones country thats founded on shared values, language, and other common ground.

The Beginning of American Nationalism

Nationalism isnt always good or always bad. It depends on how people act on their nationalist feelings and how they define their national identity. For example, nationalism helped the United States become its own country.

The people who lived in the 13 British colonies in whats now the United States had formed their own identity separate from Great Britain. They saw themselves as their own nation and wanted do what was right for their nation. That meant breaking away and forming their own independent country, which they did through the American Revolution.

Facing the Facts

The French Revolution, which began in 1789, is often seen as another early nationalist movement.

The American Revolution lasted from 1775 to 1783. A deep sense of nationalism led to this war, and those feelings have played a part in American actions at home and around the world for hundreds of years.

the French Revolution

World Wars

Nationalist movements continued around the world after the American and French Revolutions. Strong feelings of nationalism played a part in the outbreak of World War I in 1914, and when the war ended in 1918, many new nations were created. Nationalism kept growing in Europe after that.

In Germany, which was on the losing side of World War I, a leader named Adolf Hitler used nationalism to gain power, start taking over other countries, and make Germans believe certain groups of people, especially Jewish people, were bad for their country. This led to World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945.

Facing the Facts

Hitler was the leader of the Nazi Party, and the Nazis became known for their extreme nationalism, which led to the deaths of many people. Today, Nazi symbols are still sometimes used by people who support harmful kinds of nationalism. However, most people believe those symbolsand the beliefs they stand forare wrong.

Nationalism has been the cause of many wars throughout history. Memorials for these wars remind many of the dangers of extreme nationalism and of the need for countries to help each other to keep events such as World War II from happening again.

Helping Other Countries

After World War II, many countries began to join together in groups with the goal of helping each other and protecting each other. One of these groups is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which was formed in 1949. Another is the European Union (EU), which began in 1957 as the European Economic Community.