Definition of a nation. Nations of the world. The people and the nation

A nation is a cultural, political, historically conditioned community of people. The definition of the nation is rather blurry, so there are clarifying, corrective formulations. They are necessary to be able to use this concept in popular scientific literature and not depend on the context.

How to understand the term "nation"

So, the approach of constructivism asserts that the concept of "nation" is entirely artificial. Intellectual and cultural elite creates an ideology, which is followed by other people. For this they do not need to shout political slogans or make manifestos. It is enough to direct people in the necessary direction by their creativity. After all, the most solid is thought, which penetrates into the head gradually, without direct pressure.

The boundaries of the influence of national culture remain quite tangible political and geographical cordons. The theorist of constructivism Benedict Anderson gives such a definition of a nation: an imaginary political community that is sovereign in its nature and is limited from the rest of the world. Adherents of this kind of thinking deny participation in the formation of the nation's experience and culture of previous generations. They are confident that after the period of industrialization a new society has emerged.

Ethnonation

Primordialists understand the concept of "nation" as a kind of evolution of the ethnos to a new level and its transformation into a nation. It is also a kind of nationalism, but it is connected with the concept of the spirit of the people and emphasizes its connection with "roots".

Adherents of this theory believe that the nation makes a single ephemeral spirit, which is invisibly present for every citizen. And the common language and culture helps to unite people. On the basis of the doctrine of language families, it is possible to draw conclusions about which peoples have an affinity among themselves and which do not. But apart from this, not only the cultural, but also the biological origin of peoples is tied to the named theory.

Nationality

The people and the nation are not identical concepts, as well as nationality and nation. Everything depends on the point of view and cultural ideology. In the countries of the post-Soviet space this word expresses an ethnic community, but it does not cover all who fall under the definition of a nation. In Europe, nationality is belonging to the nation by the right of citizenship, birth, education in a closed environment.

At one time there was an opinion that the nations of the world are formed by genetic trait, but in practice one can find such combinations as the Russian German, the Ukrainian Pole and many others. In this case, heredity does not play a role in the self-identification of a person as a citizen of the country, then something stronger prevails than the instincts inherent in every cell of the body.

Kinds of Nations

Conventionally, the nations of the world can be divided into two types:

1. Polyethnic.
2. Monoethnic.

And the latter can be found only in those parts of the world where it is difficult to reach: high in the mountains, in remote islands, in a harsh climate. Most of the nations on the planet are polyethnic. This can be logically deduced if one knows the world's history. During the time of the existence of mankind, empires were born and died, which contained all the world known at that time. Escaping from natural disasters and war, the peoples migrated from one end of the continent to another, in addition, there are many other examples.

Language

The definition of a nation is not related to the language as such. There is no direct relationship between the medium of communication and the ethnicity of the people. At the moment there are common languages:

• English;
• French;
• German;
• Chinese;
• Arabic, etc.

They are accepted as state in more than one country. There are also examples where most of the nation's representatives do not speak a language that should reflect their ethnicity.

A record-holder can be considered a country that simultaneously uses four languages - this is Switzerland. There it is customary to speak German, French, Italian and Romansh.

Psychology of the Nation

According to economic theory, a person is born, lives and dies, without leaving habitual habitats. But with the arrival of industrialization, this pastoral picture gives a crack. Nations of people mix, penetrate each other and bring their cultural assets.

Since family and neighborhood ties are easily destroyed, the nation creates a more global community for people, without hampering them in their movements. In this case, the community is not formed due to personal involvement, blood relationship or acquaintance, but because of the strength of the mass culture that shapes the image of unity in the imagination.

Formation

In order to form a nation, it is necessary to combine economic, political and ethnic characteristics in place and time. The process of the formation of the nation and the conditions of its existence evolve simultaneously, so the formation goes harmoniously. Sometimes, in order for the formation of a nation to happen, it is necessary to make a push from outside. For example, the war for independence or against occupation by the enemy is very close to people. They fight for one idea, without regretting their own lives. This is a strong incentive to unite.

Erasing national differences

It is interesting that the nation's health begins with the head and ends with it. In order for representatives of the people or state to realize themselves as a nation, it is necessary to give people common interests, aspirations, a way of life and language. But in order to level these features with respect to other peoples, more than cultural propaganda is needed. The health of a nation is manifested in its homogeneous thinking. All its representatives are ready to defend their ideals, they do not doubt the correctness of the decisions made and feel themselves to be a single organism consisting of a large number of cells. Such a phenomenon could be observed in the Soviet Union, when the ideological component so strongly influenced the self-identification of a person, that from childhood he felt himself to be a citizen of a huge country in which everyone thinks synchronously.

A nation is a broad concept that allows you to delineate your boundaries. At the moment neither ethnicity, nor political boundaries or military threat can influence its formation. This concept, by the way, appeared in the era of the French Revolution as an opposition to the power of the king. After all, it was believed that he was God's anointed and all his orders are considered a supreme good, and not a political whim. The new and modern times have made their own adjustments to the definition of the nation, but the emergence of a unified way of governing the state, the export and import market, the spread of education even in third world countries, has raised the cultural level of the population and, as a result, self-identification. Consequently, it became more difficult to influence the formation of the cultural and political community.

Under the influence of wars and revolutions, all the great nations of Europe and colonial countries, Asia, and Africa were formed. They remain polyethnic, but in order to feel belonging to any nation, one does not need to have the same nationality. After all, it is, rather, a state of mind and soul, and not a physical stay. Much depends on the culture and education of a single person, on his desire to become part of the whole, and not be separated from him by moral principles and philosophical ideas.