Who We Are, A History of Popular Nationalism by Robert H. Wiebe (review)

674 Рецензии/Reviews fell along with other great movements , democracy and socialism. A history of nationalism does not make sense without them...” (p. xv). Thus wherever he discusses nationalism , it is usually in the company of these two other elements. He discusses all three simultaneously in the larger context of the growth of state power. It is this last entity that has so frequently co-opted the benign and admirable element of popular nationalism and perverted it for its own ends. In Wiebe’s view, it is the state that is the real villain. In his preface, Wiebe states that he wants us to see nationalism as something that is “so thoroughly human that no simple judgment does it justice” (xvii). In other words, nationalism is so complex that, by itself, it cannot be blamed for the ills of the past century. He spends a great deal of effort in presenting evidence attesting to its variability and complexity while attempting to show that other elements are to blame. Chapter 1, “Thinking About Nationalism ”, opens with the question Wiebe uses as the background to his discussion: “How did educatedWesterners come to make enemies of an inspiration that has changed the lives of billions?” (p.1). He also gives his own optimistic and benign definition of nationalism: “Nationalism is the desire among people who believe they share a common ancestry and a common destiny to live under their people is told as the one of an ancient civilization that survived many troubles yet was almost destroyed during the Holocaust. What happened after the horrific events of the Holocaust are, therefore, shown as a happy ending. This catalogue, however , addresses present concerns by raising the specter of anti-Semitism in Lithuania with the great truth and accuracy. Robert STACY Robert H. Wiebe, Who We Are, A History of Popular Nationalism (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2002). 268 pp. Bibliography, Index. ISBN: 0-691-09023-8. Who We Are is the late Robert Wiebe’s history and assessment of popular nationalism, its development , and influence in the 19th and 20th centuries. Wiebe’s book is very general in its coverage and highly selective in the elements chosen to present this story.The author’s stated purpose is to trace “nationalism’s rise and decline as a popular movement , first in Europe, then elsewhere in the world. Nationalism rose and 675 Ab Imperio, 4/2003 just as well include the strength and elasticity of family-kin relations or the perceived meaning of the homeland among the people in the group. In discussing migration’s importance and effects, he tells how some groups emigrated toAmerica and formed enclaves . Some had relatively weak ties back to their homeland (for example, the Germans); others formed groups that substantially sustained the nationalist movements in their point of origin (for example, the Irish). Chapter 3, “Changing Contexts,” explains how nationalism developed and evolved within two major contexts, particularly during the 40 years preceding the First World War. The first context, already mentioned, was the combination of democracy and socialism and their uneasy relationship with state control. The second context was nationalism developing in company and competition with the increasing awareness and importance of language, race, and religion. Again, he illustrates his broad narrative with specific examples . He concludes with the observation that by 1914 nationalism had been largely co-opted by the states. This appropriation of popular movements was accomplished by several means. Foremost among these were anti-populist trends, success in eliminating socialism and democracy, increased state-sponsored militarism, and the selective inclusion of linguistic , racial, and religious movements. own government on land sacred to their history” (p. 5). Wiebe sees nationalism as a 19th century solution to the problem of identity that emerged when previously existing institutions that had provided identity began to collapse. He makes an important distinction in stating that he is talking about an idea of national identity based on broad popular appeal (thus, Popular Nationalism). Wiebe warns us to not assume that popular nationalism is necessarily spontaneous or democratic. He also, for the first of many times, cautions us not to mistake state patriotism for a genuinely popular nationalism. Chapter 2, “European Origins”, is a...