A New Role for Nationalism

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 weakened France in many respects, one of which helped to redefine the nation's political atmosphere. The installment of the Third Republic in 1875 represented a desired democratic pathway following the Second Empire, but the transfer from an authoritative government to a democratic one was not smooth and allowed for the advancement of radical right-wing politics. The new conservatism responded negatively to the new system of government, labeling itself as anti-parliamentary and against the protection of individual liberties. While it could be said that right-wing politics in the past have had the same values, late 19th century conservatism relied on one principle it had not associated itself with before: nationalism. When it was formally related to liberalist values, nationalism stood as a celebration of the nation and a union of the people of that nation. The liberalist nationalism provided reason for representation for the common man in society. However, this new conservative nationalism interpreted the celebration of a nation and its principles in a different manner. Conservatives used nationalism to promote the supremacy of their nation and culture over others. Nationalism provided reason to distrust and reject foreigners as well as prove to be an essential component for the promotion of anti-Semitism. Nationalism provided a basis for racism and injustice and a moral reason for imperialism, in which the stronger nation would help "civilize" the weaker and savage nation.  The idea of nationalism is a flexible one; one that can be molded to fit into a certain ideology. The way nationalism had been used in the 19th century, amongst revolutionaries and governments, liberals and conservatives, acknowledges nationalism's morphology.