Large scale nationalistic values arose in 19th century Europe. This was a time when the majority of the political systems favored liberalism, a belief that there should be a free market economy and also people were rewarded because of their talent not there inherited privilege. Nationalism can be defined in many ways. The simplest is that people devote themselves to the interests and culture of their particular nation. Nationalistic thought also includes the idea that nations will benefit from acting independently rather then collectively.
This view creates immense tension because international goals are neglected. The world wars occurred during the height of nationalism. Many people say that nationalism played important roles leading into and also during both wars. Nationalistic values were one major cause of both world wars.
The first war was started while many European countries were scrambling for colonies in Africa and many other places. This caused the countries to conflict often. The second world war saw many causes, particularly the Treaty of Versailles and the rise of Adolf Hitler. After these wars certain generations were affected by them in profound ways.
After each war many of the diaries and memoirs of the survivors were published for the whole world to read. All Quiet on the Western Front and Elie Weisels Night, both serve as reminders of the horrible tragedy of war. These novels can be viewed as critiques of nationalism because the main characters in them provide a deep insight into the true European life and culture and they also offer many alternatives to the idea of nationalism when trying to identify themselves. Both novels showed the ugly side of nationalism. Bibliography:
