Nationalism fundamentally is a system created by people who believe that their nation is superior to all others. Most often, this sense of superiority has its roots in a shared ethnicity ,shared language, religion, culture, or a set of social values.
Most people use the words Patriotism and Nationalism inter-changeably. This is incorrect since there is a world of difference between the two concepts, in spite of a few shared ideals. While patriotism fundamentally means fondness for one's country and willingness to defend it, nationalism is the uttermost, unforgiving form of allegiance to one's country. As opposed to patriotism, which revolves around social conditioning and personal opinion, nationalism involves national identity and the belief that one's nation and or its government is supreme. People need to understand the difference between being a patriot and being a nationalist. As George Orwell in his famous essay named Notes on Nationalism said," While nationalism can unite people it must be noted that it unites people against other people."
In India, during the freedom struggle, leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose used nationalism as a key to unite our subcontinent's diverse population against the British rule. However, while nationalism can unite people it must be realised that it unites people against other people. We must not forget that it was nationalism driven by religious identity and political qualm which caused the Partition of India in 1947. It was also the same nationalism which was central to Hitler's philosophy of believing that the Aryans were a superior race. His philosophy eventually caused the holocaust death toll of at least 11 million people . Nationalism also led the Japanese to invade China in 1937 and precipitate the Second World War. We need to understand that Nationalism focuses on the State while Patriotism focuses on the citizens.
It is important to love our country but we should also keep in mind that the democratic ideals are the most important. The main outcome of nationalism lies in the fact that it can blind people. Love for one's country is imperative and necessary, but if this love becomes more important than Constitutional values or democratic ideals, it is misplaced.
As said by Charles de Gaulle that patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first. In the end it is up to you to choose to be a patriot or a nationalist.
