Nationalism implies the exclusive right of the people of a country to lead an independent and separate political life. It is instinctive.
It is rooted in man’s gregariousness and his tribal instinct. It is psychological expression of kinship. The people who feel that they have their common peculiar social heritage, their art and literature, often develop the feeling of nationalism.
‘Man may change their politics, their wives, their religion, their philosophies but they cannot change their forefathers’ . Hence nationalism is a spiritual and psychological feeling of unity having its roots in the common past.
As Professor Zimmer put it, “nationalism is a sentiment to share the glories of the past to have done great deeds together, to have a common will in the present and a desire to do more in the future”.
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The concept of nationalism was not known in the feudal system of middle ages. The state was regarded in the feudal society as a personal property and concern of monarchs, in which private individuals had little or no part.
In the 17th century, commercial industrialism, as a new politico-economic system, began to grow in the womb of feudalism. It wanted unified markets inside the country but feudal barriers stood in the way of its growth and progress. This newly emerging class of industrialists came forward with slogans of one state and one nation.
A strong centralized government was established first of all in England under the Tudor Kings as a result of these forces. The French Revolution destroyed feudal barriers in France and paved the way for the establishment of a strong national government.
A similar wave spread all over the European countries and nation states were formed. Besides this motive power, several other factors helped in the development of nation-states in various Parts of the world. These factors include geographical unity, common history, common culture, common economic interests and unity of race, language and religions, which have been discussed previously.