Nationalism is defined in Merriam-Webster Dictionary, as “loyalty and devotion to a nation.” (Webster’s Dictionary) Nationalism is putting your nation before anything else in your life, no matter what. While this definition doesn’t have a negative or positive connotation, from history, this word isn’t looked at in a positive light. Many often think of the Nazis and the Holocaust when thinking of nationalism because Hitler always claimed to do everything in the name of his country and so did the people who chose to follow him. Historically, nationalism has been used to explain radical politics and militaristic movements. I personally feel that many get nationalism and patriotism confused. We can be patriotic and love our country but not at the price of good morality and not above everything else because that’s when selfishness comes into play.
In chapter 2 of The Rise of the West, Zakaria talks about how as globalization increases so does nationalism. He gives the example of when he was talking to a young Chinese executive and he seemed to master and exhibit the perfect example of someone who has mastered globalization in the way he talked and dressed (Zakaria 34-35) but then they started to talk about other countries and he started to put China above them all and finding fault in all others but China. Zakaria states that as economic fortunes rise, so does nationalism. It makes sense too because as one gets wealthier, it tends to want to be the best but the problem with this is that in wanting to become the best, people and a whole nation will justify any means to get there. Zakaria goes on to say that it seems inevitable that everyone from their own country will feel a sense of pride and want their country to excel and that it’s paradoxical that globalization and economic modernization will cause political nationalism but that it can be up to us whether we decide to view nationalism as a backward ideology. (Zakaria 35) The biggest problem I gathered from Zakaria’s view is that as nation-states are becoming less willing to come together to solve common problems and as their confidence grows as well as their power, the prospects for agreement and common action decrease. It’s important to stop the forces of global growth from turning into global disorder and disintegration. (Zakaria 34)
Since Turkey became independent, it slowly but surely started showing signs of nationalism. From the start of its independence, Turkey identified itself with the history and culture of the Western world, breaking with its Islamic past. This regime started to transform social and political life in Turkey in a significant way such as getting rid of the Caliphate, which is a state ruled by an Islamic leader. The first Prime Minister of Turkey, Ismet Inonu had said the following in 1925: “Nationalism is our only factor of cohesion….In the face of a Turkish majority other elements have no kind of influence. We must Turkify the inhabitants of our land at any rice and we will annihilate those who oppose the Turks.”(Gokay & Aybak 108)
According to Hurriyet Daily News, Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, had the highest income inequality in 2017. (Hurryiet Daily News) The GINI coefficient, which varies between 0, which reflects complete equality and 1, which indicates complete inequality, for Istanbul was 0.443 in 2017. The GINI coefficient for Turkey as a whole in 2017 was 0.405. I do think inequality played a big part in Turkey. When it was reforming after its independence, they limited the Kurds by limiting the Kurdish language and made it hard for them to preserve their cultural identity by making Turkish the official language. The first president of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal and his people’s ideology very much included nationalism. They wanted to make an ethnically homogenous Turkey and the slightest indication of dissent was suppressed violently. For them, the homogenous Turkish identity included white Western superiority. (Gokay & Aybak 109)
Globalization 3510W 