Why Nationalism Works in the United States

Max Bean
Max Bean
Jan 4, 2019 · 2 min read

Nationalism. It is a word shrouded in controversy within our current political climate. Depending on who you may ask, some see Nationalism as an ideological stepping stone to Nazism, like the events of the 20th century. For others, it is embraced as a matter of great pride in your country. However, Nationalism itself is a broad term and could be used under many different pretenses. It is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “loyalty and devotion to a nation” or “a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or super national groups.” Under these definitions there is no wonder why the term is continually interchanged. Historically, places such as Germany and Russia both used Nationalism as a rallying cry which proved to be harmful and provided the ability for absolute power to be in effect.

The reason American Nationalism works so well in the United States today is because we have a cushion to prevent ourselves from falling into tyranny. That cushion is also known as our United States Constitution. The Constitution outlines how the American government is lawfully intended to function, as well as laying out the basic powers and rights given to the citizens of the nation. This document also provides a check-and-balance system that splits the power of government between the three branches, the legislative, judicial and executive, so that no one branch will gain authority over the others. This is important to bring up, as the 1930’s Weimar Republic (The name for Germany’s Government at the time) had a three-pronged system similar to ours. The difference was that their checks-and-balances system was overruled by the Enabling Act of 1933. This gave near-unlimited power to the High Chancellor, and after the German President at the time Paul von Hindenburg died, Hitler took over his position. With the Nazi party in tow he shifted the nation into a dictatorship. Hitler managed to consolidate his power because the federal government passed a law that overruled the country’s base charter and dramatically increased one branch’s political ability over the others.

Nationalism in the United States will not end in disaster because the U.S. Constitution remains and will remain a huge function of both our government and our citizens. American Nationalism is based off of the pride in America and her founding document. Without the Constitution’s framework keeping the government in check, America could have turned into a very different place. This is why I stand behind President Trump’s declaration of being a proud Nationalist. For more information on Nationalism, check out this PragerU video on the subject.

Sources:

  1. https://www.forbes.com/sites/edfuller/2016/04/15/nationalism-back-again-like-a-bad-dream/#6b8bf57b4636
  2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism
  3. https://intheconstitution.org/checks-and-balances-in-the-constitution/
  4. http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/Enabling_Act_of_1933
  5. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/23736407.pdf?refreqid=excelsior%3A27526e9b8236a1e7117959b9039e1630
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfJ25LXtLTg&feature=youtu.be
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