Where does our nationalism comes from
Posted by morgoths_servant@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 27 comments
All countries have their fair share of nationalistic groups. I 'd like to argue though that Balkan/Mediterranean nationalism is different and perhaps in even greater amounts compared to "the west". Do you think this could be a result of our turbulent past? Political propaganda? Western influence? People who struggle with their national (and personal) identity?
Aristo95@reddit
Nationalism was prevalent all over Europe from late 18th/early 19th century until recently.
Nationalism in the Balkans isn't special or more radical type of nationalism than the one that existed in the West. It's just that the West swaped nationalism with another "ism" - individualism, mostly due to American influence.
Unac00@reddit
I think it’s a bit more complicated than just “the West swapped nationalism for individualism because of America.” Western individualism actually goes way back. It stems from the Reformation and Protestant ideas that emphasized individual faith, moral responsibility, and direct accountability to god rather than institutional control
Later on, and especially after WWII, a lot of Western countries deliberately moved away from nationalism because of how destructive it had been, leaning more toward liberal individualism and cooperation instead.
Aristo95@reddit
You are right, I oversimplified it a bit.
BarNext625@reddit
when you have nothing going on in your life, you‘ll have at least your nationalistic behaviour keeping you busy😂😂
Personal_Physics_525@reddit
Modern Serbian nationalism comes from the piece of shit, war-profiteering Nikola Pasic, who's inky tenrils can be seen in the current government. So many assasinations happened during that period... that he wasn't one of them is a dissapointment.
alpidzonka@reddit
What? You think his predecessors weren't nationalistic? Like Jovan Ristić or Ilija Garašanin? You can make the case that this authoritarian-populist-nationalist hybrid starts with Pašić, though I'd probably disagree on that point as well, but starting Serbian nationalism? Weak case, not really true.
Personal_Physics_525@reddit
The tkme period was full of nationalism. The nationalism was not so much the problem as Pasic being a war profiteering dipshit who literally wrote the book on how Serbian dictators have behaved since then. The fact that the people have been sheep is another thing entirely.
I also said Modern Serbian Nationalism.
Your answer is like saying, "well Europe generally had anti-semitic leaders, so let's not look into that Adolf guy too much".
alpidzonka@reddit
No, it's not. It would be if the previous several generations of German leaders were identical to Hitler in terms of antisemitism.
branimir2208@reddit
And how you got to that conclusion?
morgoths_servant@reddit (OP)
Could Russia be behind this influence?
Personal_Physics_525@reddit
No. It's a Serbian problem. Exacerbated by external forces, sure... but at the heart of it is a pandering to grandiose nationalistic ideals that have no place in modern society.
Luciferaeon@reddit
Pretty sure it was my country that started it with a fun group called the CIA
morgoths_servant@reddit (OP)
CIA the secret ingredient to any war
Anto11x@reddit
Probably bc we're the best at everything always 🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🇬🇷🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅🇬🇷🦅🦅🇬🇷🦅🦅🦅
FunKooky4689@reddit
1) The eagle is Albanian everybody knows this 2) Our country is completely incompetent and corrupt
Anto11x@reddit
*We're the best at corruption
FunKooky4689@reddit
morgoths_servant@reddit (OP)
I get the second statement but the first? LOL tell me ONE nation that hasn't used the eagle to symbolize something. Austria, Serbia, The Roman empire, the Eastern Roman empire, Persia the list only goes on
redikan@reddit
It’s a joke
morgoths_servant@reddit (OP)
Welp...
FunKooky4689@reddit
Honest_Hair2856@reddit
Well growing up in the 90s all I could hear in my home , outside , tv , news papers. Was how fucking awesome Greece is , how we are the best at everything, that everything in the world is Greek , they were finding like a 4th gen Greek from the USA professor and make him appear in the news like he found the Atlantis. Oh and let’s not forget any one else was an ape when we were building the Parthenon. Then we grow up and learned the truth hahahah
Dear-Potential-3477@reddit
It comes from poverty, As soon as the Celtic tiger happened in Ireland the troubles in the north stopped. People don't care about nationalism when their pockets are full.
redittor270@reddit
Because many Balkan countries haven’t faced their violent past, and nationalism has replaced honesty and accountability, more so than any where else in Europe. Instead of admitting what went wrong and trying to heal, people often hold on to pride and old grudges. In some places, literal convicted war criminals are still seen as heroes here which is sad and pathetic. It’s a backwards way of thinking. Oh, and unlike Germany, which faced its past and learned from it, a lot of people in this region still avoid that hard truth and that keeps old anger and distrust alive. It’s a never ending cycle.
Ok_Stretch_405@reddit
French revolution through broken phone, if you remember the game we played as kids.
Melodic-Diamond3926@reddit
Nationalism exists to cement power of the elites. Their political power derives from mastery of the culture and language as much as it grows out of the barrel of a gun. Mastery of the culture and language allows them to define themselves as the last true serb or whatever ready to bring about the golden age, whatever their immediate goals or strategy be, they reinterpret history as it being consistent with the inevitable path of the history of the nation. If you are Christian serb then you specialize in that culture, if you are Bosnian Muslim then you specialize in that culture, lacking power in the other spheres of influence.
Belgraviana@reddit
The Balkan states all had their national awakenings during the early period of romantic nationalism in Europe with a strong anti imperialist bent. This and the very homogenous nature of the region, which was seen as a significant hurdle towards state and nation building is a significant part in the severity of nationalism in the region.