Nation-state

Topic: Nationalism and National Self-determination · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 6 "Citizenship"; Class 11, Ch 7 "Nationalism"

Meaning

A nation-state is a state that claims its borders mark more than a piece of land. It says those borders also hold one people with a unique culture and a shared history. The idea grew out of the French Revolution (1789). Today most of the UN's 193 members call themselves nation-states. Yet many of them are really multinational (they hold more than one national group). This gap between the claim and the facts is a common topic in UPSC questions on nationalism, sovereignty and how a country handles its diversity.

Explanation

How the idea works

• It joins two different things.
• A nation is a people who feel they belong together. The feeling rests on shared history, culture, language or hopes for the future, though none of these is strictly required.
• A state is a legal and political body with four elements: population, territory, government and sovereignty (final, supreme power).

• A nation-state claims that these two match: one people living inside one set of borders.

• Where the power comes from.

• The French Revolution (1789) brought in national sovereignty. This means final power belongs to the nation (the people), not to a king.
• Under this idea, the state is legitimate (rightful) because it speaks for the nation.

Its two foundations: Westphalia and 1789

• Westphalian sovereignty (1648) supplied the "state" part.
• The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended the Thirty Years' War. It was signed at Münster and Osnabrück [4].
• It recognised the independence of the Netherlands from Spain and of Switzerland from the Empire [4].
• Scholars treat it as the start of the modern state system and of territorial sovereignty [4].

• It has three principles:

  • Exclusive authority over the state's own land and internal matters.
  • Legal equality of states: big and small states are equal in law.
  • Non-interference: no outside power should meddle in a state's internal affairs.

• The French Revolution (1789) supplied the "nation" part.

• It added national (popular) sovereignty on top of state sovereignty.
• So Westphalia gave the state, and 1789 gave the nation-state.

How nation-states were made and unmade

Phase	What happened	Effect on nation-states
19th century, unification	Italy (1861; Rome added 1870) and Germany (1871) formed from small kingdoms. New states formed in Latin America.	Small units joined into bigger states
Early 20th century, break-up	The Austro-Hungarian and Russian empires broke up	Empires split into smaller states
Decolonisation (mainly after 1945)	The British, French, Dutch and Portuguese colonial empires ended	Colonies became new sovereign states
From 1960, separatism	Quebecois (Canada), Basques (Spain), Kurds (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria), Sri Lankan Tamils	Existing states came under pressure to split

• To build one "national" identity, states merged local dialects into national languages.

Limits of the model

• Nation and state rarely match exactly.
• One nation can live across many states. The Kurds are an example.

• One state can hold many nations: India, the UK, Spain and Canada.

• Nationalism pushes both ways.

• Pan-Arab nationalism tries to unite several Arab states into one community.

• Basque and Kurdish movements try to divide existing states.

• Sovereignty is weakened from above.

• In the EU, members share pooled sovereignty: they hand some powers, such as trade and a common currency, to a shared body.
• Under R2P (Responsibility to Protect), 2005, each state must protect its people from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity (para 138) [5].

• If a state is "manifestly failing" to protect its people, the Security Council may act under Chapter VII, deciding case by case (para 139) [5].

• Sovereignty is also reasserted.

• Brexit: the UK voted to leave the EU in a 2016 referendum and left on 31 January 2020.
• Economic nationalism such as "America First" and tariff nationalism (using import taxes to protect home industry).

In the Constitution and practice

• International law: UN Charter, Article 2. This article puts the nation-state's sovereignty into treaty law.
• Art. 2(1): the UN rests on the sovereign equality of all its members [2][3].
• Art. 2(4): members must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state [2][3].

• Art. 2(7): the UN may not step into matters essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of a state (matters that belong to the state alone). The exception is enforcement measures under Chapter VII [2][3].

• India: a multinational state with a civic national identity.

• Article 1 says "India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States". The country is defined by its territory and its Constitution, not by one language or religion.
• The Preamble begins "We, the people of India". This is popular sovereignty, the 1789 idea that final power lies with the people.
• The Preamble also promises fraternity (a sense of brotherhood) that assures "the unity and integrity of the Nation". The aim is unity that makes room for diversity, not sameness.

• The Republic Day parade in Delhi puts the nation's power, strength and diversity on show.

• India and economic nationalism: Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-Reliant India).

• The PM announced it on 12 May 2020 with a ₹20 lakh crore package, about 10% of GDP, to fight the COVID-19 crisis [6].
• Its five pillars are Economy, Infrastructure, System, Vibrant Demography and Demand [6].
• The Finance Minister gave the details at press conferences from 13 to 17 May 2020 [7].

• Its aims were to compete in global supply chains, support MSMEs (small businesses), attract FDI and strengthen Make in India [7].

• Globalisation has not ended national feeling (NCERT's cartoon).

• Indians still cheer the national cricket team.
• Indians abroad (the diaspora) still watch Bollywood films.
• This is diaspora nationalism: emigrants keep their national identity.

Don't confuse with

• Nation: a nation is a feeling of belonging and a shared identity. A nation-state is a legal and political body that claims that one nation lives inside its borders.
• Westphalian sovereignty (1648): Westphalia gave state sovereignty, the rule that each state has exclusive control over its own land. The nation-state came with the French Revolution (1789) and national sovereignty. Exams often mix up the two dates.
• Multinational state: a multinational state openly holds several national groups, as India, the UK, Spain and Canada do. A pure nation-state claims to hold one, so many states that call themselves nation-states are in fact multinational.
• Pooled sovereignty (EU): here member states choose to share some powers with a common body. A classic nation-state keeps full and exclusive authority for itself.

Prelims Hooks

• The nation-state idea rose with the French Revolution (1789), not with the Peace of Westphalia (1648). Westphalia gave state sovereignty, while 1789 gave national (popular) sovereignty.
• Peace of Westphalia (1648): it ended the Thirty Years' War, was signed at Münster and Osnabrück, and recognised Dutch independence from Spain and Swiss independence from the Empire [4].
• UN Charter Article 2: 2(1) covers sovereign equality, 2(4) bans the threat or use of force, and 2(7) bars interference in domestic jurisdiction, except for Chapter VII enforcement [2][3].
• Italy unified in 1861 (Rome was added in 1870). Germany unified in 1871.
• R2P was adopted at the 2005 World Summit (paras 138–139). It covers four crimes only: genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity [5].
• "Which of these movements seeks to unite states?" The answer is Pan-Arab nationalism. The Basque and Kurdish movements seek to divide states.

Mains Points

• "One nation, one state" does not fit reality.
• Most of the UN's 193 members are multinational, such as India, the UK, Spain and Canada.
• Separatist movements (Quebecois, Basques, Kurds, Sri Lankan Tamils) show what happens when a state forces sameness on its people.

• India's model is a Union of States, "We, the people" and fraternity for unity and integrity. It shows that a country stays stable by making room for diversity, not by demanding uniformity.

• Sovereignty is being adapted, not replaced.

• From above, EU pooled sovereignty and R2P (2005) dilute it. R2P makes sovereignty a responsibility as well as a right [5].
• From within, Brexit (2016/2020), "America First" tariffs and Atmanirbhar Bharat (2020) reassert it [6].

• The Westphalian base (1648; UN Charter Art. 2) still holds [2][4].

• Nationalism is double-edged (GS-I/GS-II).

• It built states (Italy, Germany), broke up empires (Austro-Hungarian, Russian) and freed colonies.
• It also drives separatism and wars.
• Crises such as COVID-19 often make national feeling stronger, which shows that globalisation has not made the nation-state irrelevant.

Related concepts

• Nationalism
• Westphalian sovereignty

Read more

• Nationalism and the nation-state