The definition of Nationalism in Britannica is a modern movement (1). Nationalism is just like a family, it is held together by a sense of kinship. The original use of the term nationalism refers to elite groups, but in modern usage it refers usually to a very large group, sometimes as large as an empire. To get a more of a clear picture, the concept of a family and an empire can be used to compare and contrast what nationalism really is.
A family is different from a country's nationalism because a country is much more diverse. Unlike a family, a country relies on all members to do their part in making the country a better place to live in. The nation is unlike an empire, which is held together by military force, by police, sometimes by religion as with a god-king. The empire's relationship of power between the members of an empire is an unbalanced relationship between the ruler and the subject whereas in a nation the balance of power is equal between citizens.
Since all the citizens are equal to each other, which means that they can relate to each other better and come together.
There are many different types of nationalism that occurred in Europe. Nationalism may be individualistic and civic, or collectivistic and ethnic. Individualistic nationalism is liberal, and collectivistic nationalism is more authoritarian. Civic nationalism is individualistic and ethnic nationalism is collectivistic because, like its name, it pertains to ethnicity. An example of a country in Europe that had individualistic, civic nationalism is England. Examples of collectivistic nationalism are France, Germany, and Russia.
It was not until the later half of the 19th century that nationalism started to make its presence felt, right after the Revolution of 1848. Nationalism was becoming the primary concern as...