How Countries Were INVENTED
Tom Nicholasγ»22 minutes read
The English Channel separates the United Kingdom from France, highlighting the human construct of borders and nations. The emergence of nation-states, influenced by events like revolutions, print-capitalism, and state education, remains a central aspect of global governance despite debates about its future.
Insights
- Nations and states are distinct entities, with nations representing imagined communities based on kinship and culture, while states are political bodies with the monopoly of legitimate violence.
- The emergence of the nation-state concept was influenced by historical events like the American and French revolutions, shifting sovereignty from monarchs to the people and leading to the alignment of states with national identities, a phenomenon that continues to shape global governance and political discourse.
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Recent questions
What is the English Channel?
A body of water separating the UK and France.
What is a nation-state?
A political entity comprising a nation and state.
What is the Peace of Westphalia?
A treaty establishing sovereign states in 1648.
What is nationalism?
A powerful force in independence movements.
What is the future of nation-states?
Debated amid globalization and multinational corporations.
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Summary
00:00
"Origins of Nations and States"
- The English Channel separates the United Kingdom from international waters and France.
- Countries and borders are not natural phenomena but human constructs.
- Human beings have lived in the area for 40-45 thousand years, long before the concept of countries.
- A nation-state is composed of two separate phenomena: the nation and the state.
- A nation is an imagined community of kinship, shared history, and culture.
- The state is the political apparatus with the monopoly of legitimate physical violence.
- Nations and states do not always align, leading to movements for change.
- States often use the sense of national identity to rally support for actions like war.
- The emergence of states was not always beneficial, founded on coercion and exploitation.
- The Peace of Westphalia in 1648 established the sovereign state as the legitimate political unit.
14:27
Evolution of Nation-States: Past and Future
- Monarchies and empires were the predominant forms of government, with identities centered around the King, Queen, Emperor, or Empress.
- Religious communities were the primary mode of communal identity, transcending national borders.
- The concept of the nation emerged with the decline of monarchical and religious identities, influenced by events like the American and French revolutions.
- The sovereignty and legitimacy of the state shifted from monarchs to the people or the nation.
- Print-capitalism and state education played crucial roles in fostering a shared national culture and linguistic standardization.
- The idea of the nation-state gained momentum during the 18th and 19th centuries, with the state deriving legitimacy from the nation.
- Nationalism became a powerful force in anti-colonial movements, shaping the independence struggles of many countries.
- The belief in nations and their alignment with states is deeply ingrained, though some scholars question this assumption.
- The future of nation-states is debated, with some suggesting their waning influence in the face of multinational corporations.
- Despite predictions of its demise, the nation-state remains a central aspect of global governance, with ongoing debates about its legitimacy and future.
28:33
Understanding Discourse: Share, Support, and Engage
- The video discusses the phenomena of discourse and how they are utilized, thanking viewers for their time and encouraging them to share the content with others. It also acknowledges and thanks specific individuals who support the creator on Patreon, inviting others to join for early access to videos and scripts at patreon.com/tomnicholas.
