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ARVN

ARVN

The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) was a military component of the armed forces of the Republic of Vietnam (commonly known as South Vietnam). At the end of the Vietnam War, after the fall of Saigon, it was dissolved, and hundreds of thousands of its members was sent to reeducation camps by the communist government.

National Army of Vietnam

On March 8, 1949, after the signing of the Elysee accord Vietnam was recognized as a independent country and its Army was built to fight side by side with the Armed Forces of France against the communist and nationalist Viet Minh forces lead by Ho Chi Minh. This force was named the "National Army of Vietnam" and was officered by French trained personnel or French army veterans such as the army's chief of staff, General Nguyen Van Hinh. The French referred to the formation of this organization as the "yellowing" of the French army in Indochina. In 1952, Vietnamese forces were made up of sixty battalions however they never played a significant role in the French war against the Viet Minh. The French used them mostly to garrison sectors they considered unimportant, to free up French forces for significant operations. They were, for example, used in such a way to man the "DeLattre Line" while French troops made attacks in North Vietnam. A small number fought at the battle of Dien Bien Phu where they famously went into action singing the French national anthem. Generally, there was not much incentive for public support of this French controlled army. Desertions were high and their equipment was often sub-standard, with all of the best material going to the French units. According to the Geneva Accord was signed on July 20, 1954 the army was disbanded and only a militia allowed to remain.

ARVN

On October 26, 1956, the military was reorganized by the administration of President Ngo Dinh Diem who then established the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Early on, the focus of the army was the guerrilla fighters of the Vietnam National Liberation Front (NLF), a shadow government formed to oppose the Diem administration. The United States, under President John F. Kennedy sent advisors and a great deal of financial support to aid ARVN in combating the Nationalist insurgents. A major campaign, developed by Ngo Dinh Nhu and later resurrected under another name was the "Strategic Hamlet Program" which was unsuccessful. ARVN and President Diem began to be criticized by the foreign press when the troops were used to crush anti-government religious groups like the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao as well as to raid Buddhist temples, which Diem claimed were harboring Communist guerrillas. In 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem was killed in a coup d'etat organized by the CIA and carried out by ARVN officers. In the confusion that followed, General Duong Van Minh took control, but was only the first in a succession of ARVN generals to assume the presidency of South Vietnam. During these years, the United States began taking full control of the war against the communist NLF and the role of the ARVN became less and less significant. They were also plagued by continuing problems of severe corruption among the officer corps. Although the U.S. was highly critical of them, the ARVN continued to be entirely U.S. armed and funded.

Final Campaigns

Starting in 1969 President Richard M. Nixon started the process of "Vietnamization" pulling out American forces and rendering the ARVN capable of fighting an effective war against the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) of the North and the allied National Liberation Front. Slowly, ARVN began to expand from its counter-insurgency role to become the primary ground defense against the NLF and PAVN. From 1969-1971 there were about 22,000 ARVN combat deaths per year. Starting in 1968, South Vietnam began calling up every available man for service in the ARVN, reaching a strength of a million soldiers by 1972. In 1970 they performed well in Cambodia and were executing three times as many operations as they had during the American war period. However, the officer corps was still the biggest problem. Leaders were often poorly trained, inept and the equipment continued to be sub-standard as the U.S. tried to upgrade ARVN technology. Relations with the public also remained poor as their only counter to NLF organizing was to resurrect the "Strategic Hamlet" program, which the peasants resented. Disapproving Americans called this "barbed wire diplomacy". However, forced to carry the burden left by the Americans, the South Vietnamese army actually started to perform rather well and in 1970 was clearly winning the war against the Communists, though with continued American air support. The exhaustion of the North was becoming evident and the Paris talks gave some hope of a negotiated peace if not a victory. The most crucial moment of truth for the ARVN came with General Vo Nguyen Giap's 1972 "Easter Offensive", the first all out invasion of South Vietnam by the Communist North. The assault combined infantry wave assaults, artillery and the first massive use of tanks by the North Vietnamese. The ARVN took heavy losses, but to the surprise of many, managed to hold on and stand their ground. The Communists took Quang Tri province and areas along the Lao and Khmer borders. President Richard Nixon dispatched more bombers to provide air support for the ARVN when it seemed that South Vietnam was about to be overrun. In desperation, President Nguyen Van Thieu fired the incompetent General Lam and replaced him with the ARVN's best commander, General Ngo Quang Truong. He gave the order that all deserters would be executed and pulled enough forces together so that the North Vietnamese army failed to take Hue. Finally, with considerable U.S. air and naval support, as well as some surprising determination by the ARVN soldiers, the Easter Offensive was halted. ARVN forces counter-attacked and ultimately succeeded in driving the PAVN out of South Vietnam, though they did retain control of northern Quang Tri province near the DMZ. By 1973 and 1974 the United States had almost completely retreated from Vietnam and the ARVN was left to fight alone, though with massive technological support, having roughly 4x as many heavy weapons as their enemies. This was deceptive, however, as U.S. aid was continuously cut while the North Vietnamese were able to expand their forces and logistics with Soviet and Chinese support. In 1975, after the end of American involvement, the PAVN again invaded the south. This time, the ARVN collapsed in a total panic. Thieu had ordered a withdrawal from Northern areas which caused massive panic and few of the forces there survived. City after city fell to the Communists with ARVN soldiers joining the civilians trying to flee south. The North called this the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign". All resistance crumbled. General Cao Van Vien, ARVN chief of staff, ordered his men to fight to the death, then quickly fled the country. The ARVN tried to defend Xuan Loc, their last chance before Saigon. Even according to the Communists, these men fought very well, but it was not enough. Xuan Loc was taken and on April 30, 1975, initiated the Fall of Saigon the Communists captured the city, placing the NLF flag over the Independence Palace. General Duong Van Minh, recently appointed president by Tran Van Huong, surrendered the city and government bringing the Republic of Vietnam and also the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to a final end.

Notable ARVN generals


- Nguyen Cao Ky
- Duong Van Minh
- Tran Van Minh
- Nguyen Khanh
- Nguyen Van Thieu
- Ngo Quang Truong
- Nguyen Van Hieu
- Nguyen Ngoc Loan
- Nguyen Viet Thanh
- Nguyen Khoa Nam

External links


- [http://www.vnaf.net VNAF The South Vietnamese Air Force - Không Quân Việt Nam Cộng Hòa]
- [http://community.webshots.com/album/92765972MdbewI Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces Reunion 2003]
- [http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~eemoise/arvn.html Vietnam War Bibliography: The ARVN and the RVN]
- [http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/arvn/arvn.html History of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam]
- [http://ngothelinh.web1000.com/Hue.html Hue Massacre Tet Offensive Photos]
- [http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/Block/chp5_Block%20by%20Block.pdf The Battle for Hue, 1968] by James H. Willbanks
- [http://www.geocities.com/thetropics/bay/1337/myself.html An account of the Vietnam War in a ARVN's soldiers own words]
- [http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/arvn/ints.html ARVN Interviews]
- [http://mcel.pacificu.edu/as/students/arvn/interview.html Interview with ARVN, Ban Van Nguyen] Category:Armies Category:Military of Vietnam

South Vietnam

South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), Việt Nam Cộng Hòa from 1955, was a country that existed from 1954 to 1975 in the territory of Vietnam that lay south of the Demilitarized Zone while North Vietnam was situated to the north of the DMZ. The partition was made during the Geneva Conference (1954), after the Viet Minh fought successfully to end almost 100 years of French colonialism. After the country was divided, many North Vietnamese, mainly Vietnamese Roman Catholics, fled by U.S propaganda of 'communist persecution' in the north, and came to the south, many of them was taken by the U.S. Navy. The Republic of South Vietnam was proclaimed in Saigon by Ngo Dinh Diem on October 22, 1955, after the Emperor Bao Dai was deposed. The founding of South Vietnam was based on the support of the United States, and the history of the relationship is controversial. Despite its popular reputation for supporting democracy and elections, the U.S. and the Diem government agreed that elections mandated by the Geneva Conference (1954) should never be occur, as Ho Chi Minh was highly popular and any other Vietnamese figure of the time would likely have lost. The dominant political rationale for supporting the South was claimed at the time to have been based in its extreme anti-communist ideology, and a desire to limit the expansion of the North government, which had allied itself with the communist Soviet Union. Under circumstances that remain controversial to this day, conflict steadily escalated to become the Vietnam War. Following American troop withdrawal from the war in 1973, the South Vietnam government continued fighting the Vietnam National Liberation Front (NLF) and North Vietnam, until, overwhelmed by the opposition, it finally surrendered on April 30, 1975, the day of the Fall of Saigon. The NLF took power and established the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam until the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam was inaugurated on July 2, 1976. __TOC__

Historical debate

There is debate about how closely the South Vietnamese government was linked to the United States — many historians allege the South government to have been nothing more than an American-backed 'puppet government'. But some others claim that it was a genuine democracy or, at the least, a legitimate patriotic movement, born from genuine concern for the Vietnamese people. Any point of view on the matter generally corresponds closely to one's personal views on the Vietnam War in general — supporters of US involvement often believe that South Vietnam was 'worth defending to preclude Communist expansion' and for humanitarian reasons and to 'support freedom and democracy', and thus worthy of defence, while opponents often believe that the South Vietnamese government was not worth defending, based on its alleged corruption or because of the prohibitively high expense of Vietnamese and American lives, and against the presumed 'inevitable' communist victory.

Paris Peace Accords and subsequent U.S. military withdrawal from Vietnam

All of U.S. military forces withdrew from South Vietnam in 1973, in accordance with the Paris Peace Accords signed with North Vietnam in 1973. However, following major victories by the NLF 'Viet Cong' guerrillas in the South, and taking advantage of the Southern government's lack of popular support and subsequent lack of American military aid, North Vietnam broke the treaty in 1973-75 and attacked and invaded South Vietnam, quickly capturing the cities of Hue, Da Nang and Da Lat in central Vietnam in an all-out military offensive supplied from the North and initially made against the central highland city of Ban Me Thuot in March of 1975, and after the subsequent rout of the northern provinces of South Vietnam, advancing southwards very fast. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) did mount a significant defense and even a counterattack, but they kept losing ground. South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu requested aid from U.S. President Gerald Ford, but the U.S. Senate would not ratify another involvement in Vietnam, and passed laws to tie the American president's hands against it. Nguyen Van Thieu resigned on April 21, 1975, and fled to Taiwan. He nominated his Vice President Tran Van Huong as his successor. In one week, Tran Van Huong handed over the presidency to General Duong Van Minh, a North Vietnamese 'sympathizer'. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam was unable to sustain the defense of South Vietnam and quickly collapsed, due to limited supplies of everything from food, ammunition and gasoline and due also to poor leadership. Acting President Duong Van Minh unconditionally surrendered the capital city of Saigon and the rest of South Vietnam to North Vietnam on April 30, 1975, the Fall of Saigon.

Politics

South Vietnam went through many political changes during its short life. Initially, the nation was a constitutional monarchy, with Emperor Bao Dai as Head of State. The Vietnamese monarchy was unpopular however, largely because monarchical leaders were considered collaborators during French rule. In 1955 a republican referendum, which was alleged to be rigged due to the active presence of pro-republican military forces at voting booths and the 98% vote in favour of the movement, abolished the monarchy and made Prime Minister Ngo Đinh Diem the country's first president. Despite successes in politics, economics, and social change in the first 5 years, Diem quickly became a dictatorial leader. The South Vietnamese military staged a coup and killed him in 1963. The military held a brief interim government until a civilian administration was installed in 1964. In 1965 the feuding civilian government voluntarily resigned and handed power back to the nation's military, in the hope this would bring stability and unity to the nation. A joint assembly with represenatives of all the branches of the military decided to switch the nation's system of government to a parliamentary system with a strong Prime Minister and a figurehead President. There was a bicameral National Assembly consisting of a Senate and a House of Representatives. Military rule initially failed to provide much stability however, as internal conflicts and political inexperience caused various factions of the army to launch coups and counter-coups against one another, making leadership very tumultuous. The situation stabilized when the reformist Nguyen Cao Ky became Prime Minister and helped fight corruption and political division through often heavy-handed means. In 1967 the nation held its first elections. Following the elections the nation switched back to a presidential system. The military nominated Nguyen Van Thieu as their candidate, and he was elected with a plurality of the popular vote. Thieu quickly consolidated power much to the dismay of those who hoped for an era of more political openess. His 1971 re-election was boycotted by most opposition parties and widely regarded as corrupt, although he received an increase in popular support. Thieu ruled until the final days of the war, resigning in 1975. Duong Van Minh was the nation's last president and surrendered to the Communist forces a few days after assuming office. South Vietnam was a member of the ACCT, Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank (IBRD), International Development Association (IDA), International Finance Corporation (IFC), IMF, International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat), Interpol, IOC, ITU, League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (LORCS), UNESCO and Universal Postal Union (UPU).

Army

Main article: Army of the Republic of Vietnam Total Armed Forces were over 1,000,000 in 1971, and U.S. Forces were 525,000 in 1968.

ARVN

On October 26, 1956, the military was reorganized by the administration of President Ngo Dinh Diem who then established the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). Early on, the focus of the army was the guerrilla fighters of the Vietnam National Liberation Front (NLF), a shadow government formed to oppose the Diem administration. The United States, under President John F. Kennedy sent advisors and a great deal of financial support to aid ARVN (pronounced "arvin") in combating the Nationalist insurgents. A major campaign, developed by Ngo Dinh Nhu and later resurrected under another name was the "Strategic Hamlet Program" which was unsuccessful. ARVN and President Diem began to be criticized by the foreign press when the troops were used to crush southern religious groups like the Cao Dai and Hoa Hao as well as to raid Buddhist temples, which Diem claimed were harboring Communist guerrillas. In 1963 Ngo Dinh Diem was killed in a coup d'etat organized by the CIA and carried out by ARVN officers. In the confusion that followed Duong Van Minh took control, but was only the first in a succession of ARVN generals to assume the presidency of South Vietnam. During these years, the United States began taking full control of the war against the NLF and the role of the ARVN became less and less significant. They were also plagued by continuing problems of severe corruption among the officer corps. Although the U.S. was highly critical of them, the ARVN continued to be entirely U.S. armed and funded. The value of the ARVN was highly questionable in this period. In 1963 at the Battle of Ap Bac some 1,400 ARVN troops were defeated by only 350 NLF guerrillas. The battle of Dong Xoai in 1965 was another humiliating ARVN defeat. Although they always outnumbered their nationalist enemies, most were inexperienced, poorly trained and not motivated to fight hard for the generals and politicians behind them. Generals tended to be political appointees and corruption was rampant. Their relations with the civilian population was never good and relations with the U.S. military were often very cold. Starting in 1969 President Richard M. Nixon started the process of "Vietnamization", pulling out American forces and leaving the ARVN to fight the war against the North Vietnamese People's Army (PAVN). Slowly, ARVN began to expand from its counter-insurgency role to become the primary ground defense against the NLF and North Vietnamese. From 1969-1971 there were about 22,000 ARVN combat deaths per year. Starting in 1968, South Vietnam began calling up every available man for service in the ARVN, reaching a strength of a million soldiers by 1972. In 1970 they performed well in Cambodia and were executing 3x as many operations as they had during the American war period. However, the officer corps was still the biggest problem. Leaders were often poorly trained, inept and the equipment continued to sub-standard as the U.S. tried to upgrade ARVN technology. Relations with the public also remained poor as their only counter to NLF organizing was to resurrect the "Strategic Hamlet" program, which the peasants resented. Disapproving Americans called this "barbed wire diplomacy". However, forced to carry the burden left by the Americans, the South Vietnamese army actually started to perform rather well and in 1970 was clearly winning the war against the Communists, though with continued American air support. The exhaustion of the North was becoming evident and the Paris talks gave some hope of a negotiated peace if not a victory. The most crucial moment of truth for the ARVN came with General Vo Nguyen Giap's 1972 "Easter Offensive", the first all-out invasion of South Vietnam by the Communist North. It was code-named "Nguyen Hue" after the historic Vietnamese hero who defeated the Chinese in 1778. The assault combined infantry wave assaults, artillery and the first massive use of tanks by the North Vietnamese. ARVN took heavy losses, but to the surprise of many, managed to hold on and stand their ground. The Communists took Quang Tri province and areas along the Lao and Khmer borders. President Richard Nixon dispatched more bombers to provide air support for ARVN when it seemed that South Vietnam was about to be overrun. In desperation, President Nguyen Van Thieu fired the incompetent General Giai and replaced him with ARVN's best commander, General Ngo Quang Truong. He gave the order that all deserters would be executed and pulled enough forces together so that the North Vietnamese army (PAVN) failed to take Hue. Finally, with considerable U.S. air and naval support, as well as some surprising determination by the ARVN soldiers, the Easter Offensive was halted. ARVN counter-attacked and ultimately succeeded in driving the PAVN out of South Vietnam, though they did retain control of northern Quang Tri province near the DMZ. By 1973 and 1974 the United States had almost completely retreated from Vietnam and ARVN was left to fight alone, though with massive technological support, having roughly 4x as many heavy weapons as their enemies. Nevertheless, American aid was gradually cut off. In 1975, after the end of American involvement, the PAVN again invaded the south. This time, the ARVN collapsed in a total panic. City after city fell to the Communists with ARVN soldiers joining the civilians trying to flee south. The North called this the "Ho Chi Minh Campaign". All resistance crumbled. General Cao Van Vien, ARVN chief of staff, ordered his men to fight to the death, then quickly fled the country. The ARVN tried to defend Xuan Loc, their last chance before Saigon. Even according to the Communists, these men fought very well, but it was not enough. Xuan Loc was taken and on April 30, 1975, initiated the Fall of Saigon the Communists captured the city, placing the NLF flag over the Independence Palace. General Duong Van Minh, recently appointed president by Tran Van Huong, surrendered the city and government bringing the Republic of Vietnam and also the Army of the Republic of Vietnam to a final end.

Presidents of South Vietnam

Ngo Dinh Diem (1955–1963) Duong Van Minh (1963–1964, 1975) Nguyen Khanh (1964) Phan Khac Suu (1964–1965) Nguyen Van Thieu (1965–1975) Tran Van Huong (1975) Huynh Tan Phat (1975–1976)

Provinces

Huynh Tan Phat South Vietnam's capital was Saigon which was renamed Ho Chi Minh City on May 1, 1975. Besides, the country was divided into forty-four provinces (tỉnh, singular and plural):

Geography

The south was divided into coastal lowlands, Dai Truong Son (central mountains) with high plateaus, and the Mekong River Delta.

Economy

Vietnam’s economy evolved under the burden of military actions and political issues. In 1954, the nations of North Vietnam and South Vietnam had developed their own economic structure, reflecting different economic systems with different resources and trading partners. South Vietnam maintained a free-market economy as well established the first Airlines under Chief of State Emperor Bao Dai, named Air Vietnam. The reunification of Vietnam in 1976, led to the imposition of North Vietnam’s centrally planned economy into the South. Vietnam has built its market economy since 1995.

Demographics

About 80% of population was Kinh, and 20% was Chinese, Montagnard, Khmer, Cham, Malay and others. (1970)

Culture

Principal religions were Buddhism, Roman Catholic, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao, animists and others.

Vietnamese culture

Cultural life was strongly flavored by that of China until French domination in the 19th century. At that time, the traditional culture began to acquire an overlay of western characteristics. Many families have three generations living under one roof. It is traditional for a married couple to care for the man’s parents. Also, it is very important to have a son. If there is only one son, he and his wife must live with his parents. If there are no sons, one of the daughters may remain unmarried and care for her parents. To make decisions, children must ask their parents. Vietnamese males and females are not allowed to date. They grow up in their families until age 18 to 20 and marry according to their parents' arrangements. Dating is believed to undermine traditions, encouraging sons and daughters to defy their parents' wishes and bringing shame to their families. Youths who have affections for one another may carry their relationship in secrecy, but eventually yield to their parents' wills. This may mean marrying a complete stranger or someone they do not like. Pleasing their parents is a social priority and doing otherwise would be a major dishonor. However, today Vietnamese males and females are free to date and get married to the one that they love.

See also


- North Vietnam
- Reunification

External links


- [http://www.chaocovnch.8m.com/anthem1.htm National Anthem of the Republic of Vietnam]
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/30/newsid_2498000/2498441.stm 1975: Saigon surrenders]
- [http://www.geocities.com/airvietnamairlines/Menu.html Air Vietnam] Vietnam, South Category:Vietnam War ja:ベトナム共和国

Fall of Saigon

The Fall of Saigon, (known also as the Liberation of Saigon) on April 30, 1975, saw the capture of the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon, by the North Vietnamese Army. A massive evacuation of American diplomats and support personnel, foreign nationals, and Vietnamese refugees (including two thousand Vietnamese orphans during "Operation Babylift") occurred, before the city fell. The Fall of Saigon marked the end of the Vietnam War and the reunification of the country.

Overview

In the morning of that day, General Duong Van Minh, who had been president of South Vietnam for only three days after the resignation of Tran Van Huong, made a radio declaration, stating "we are here to hand over to you the power in order to avoid bloodshed." NLF and North Vietnamese forces entered the city soon after, mostly peacefully, despite previous predictions that the fall of Saigon would be 'long and bloody'. The gates of the Independence Palace were destroyed by NLF tanks, and the National Liberation Front "Vietcong" flag was raised over the Palace at 12:15. National Liberation Front Within 24 hours of the fall, the city was renamed "Ho Chi Minh City", after the Vietnamese revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Order was quickly restored to the city, although the US Embassy, previously the site of an evacuation by helicopter, was looted. At 15:30, General Duong Van Minh released another radio broadcast, stating "I declare the Saigon government is completely dissolved at all levels." After twenty-nine years, the war in Indochina was over.

Casualties

No official count of the casualties during the fall of Saigon has been made by the government of North Vietnam, and most of the Western journalists who might have covered the story fled the country instead, and the South Vietnamese journalists were captured after the fall of the country, ensuring official silence. Therefore, no accurate or reliable count has been made. However, the subsequent exodus of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese "boat people" in the years afterwards, attest to the feelings of the captive South Vietnamese people, about their subsequent treatment by their North Vietnamese conquerors and "liberators".

Commemoration

April 30 is a public holiday in Vietnam, known as Reunification Day or Liberation Day (Ngày Giải Phóng).

External links


- [http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/saigon/ Saigon's Finale] by New York Times
- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/30/newsid_2498000/2498441.stm 1975: Saigon surrenders]
- [http://www.learnersonline.com/weekly/archive2K/week16/ The Fall of Saigon]
- [http://www.vietnambabylift.org/ Welcome to the Vietnam Babylift web site]
- [http://www.fallofsaigon.org/ The Fall of Saigon Marine Association]
- [http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0005/wcintro.htm White Christmas: The Fall of Saigon (A Photographer's Diary)]

Further Reading


- Herrington, Stuart A. "Peace with Honor? An American Reports on Vietnam 1973-75" Presidio Press (1983). [see especially pp. 137-189]. Category:1975 Category:Vietnam War

Reeducation camp

Reeducation camp is the official name given to the prison camps operated by the government of Vietnam following the end of the Vietnam War. In such "reeducation camps," the government imprisoned several hundred thousand former military officers and government workers from the former Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The theory underlying such camps is the Maoist theory of reforming anti-revolutionaries into socialist citizens by reeducation through labor. In reality, however, the camps are thinly disguised forced labor camps. The U.S. government considers reeducation camp inmates to be political prisoners. In 1989, the Reagan administration entered into an agreement with the Vietnamese government, pursuant to which Vietnam would free all former RVN soldiers and officials held in reeducation camps and allow them to emigrate to the United States. Thus began the third large influx of Vietnamese immigrants into the country. Category:Vietnam War

1949

1949 (MCMXLIX) is a common year starting on Saturday.

Events

January-February


- January 4 - RMS Caronia of the Cunard Line departs Southampton for New York on her maiden voyage
- January 4 - February 22 - Series of winter storms in Nebraska, Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Colorado and Nevada - winds of up to 72 mph - tens of thousands of cattle and sheep perish
- January 5 - U.S. President Harry S. Truman unveils his Fair Deal program.
- January 11 - Los Angeles, California receives its first recorded snowfall.
- January 22 - Communist forces enter Peking
- January 25 - The first Emmy Awards are presented at the Hollywood Athletic Club.
- January 25 - In the first Israeli election, David Ben-Gurion becomes Prime Minister.
- January 26 - Australian Citizenship comes into being.
- February 1 - Rationing of clothes ends in Britain
- February 8 - Cardinal Mindszenty of Hungary is sentenced to life imprisonment for treason against the Hungarian Communist government.
- February 12 - The Vatican announces the excommunication of all persons involved in the trial and conviction of Cardinal Mindszenty.
- February 14 - The Knesset (Israeli parliament) first convenes.
- February 14 - Antonio Carmona re-elected president of Portugal for lack of opposing candidate
- February 19 - Ezra Pound is awarded the first Bollingen Prize in poetry by the Bollingen Foundation and Yale University.
- February 22 - Grady the Cow, a 1,200-pound cow gets stuck inside a silo on a farm in Yukon, Oklahoma and garners national media attention.

March-April

Yukon, Oklahoma
- March 1 - World heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis retires
- March 1 - Indonesia seizes Yogyakarta from the Dutch
- March 2 - The B-50 Superfortress Lucky Lady II under Captain James Gallagher lands in Fort Worth, Texas after completing the first non-stop around-the-world airplane flight. It was refueled in flight four times.
- March 3 - The Tucker automobile Corporation folds.
- March 12 - The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Denver & Rio Grande Western and Western Pacific railroads inaugurate the California Zephyr passenger train between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California as the first train to feature Vista Dome cars as regular equipment.
- March 28 - United States Secretary of Defense James Forrestal resigns suddenly.
- March 31 - The former British colony of Newfoundland joins Canada as its 10th province.
- April 1 - Éire leaves the Commonwealth and becomes the Republic of Ireland
- April 4 - NATO is formed.
- April 18 - Éire formally became the Republic of Ireland.
- April 20 - Royal Navy frigate HMS Amethyst goes up the Yangtze River to evacuate British Commonwealth refugees escaping the advance of the Mao's communist forces. Under heavy fire it rans aground off Rose Island. After an aborted rescue attempt at April 26 it anchors 10 miles upstream. Negotiations with the communist forces to let the ship leave drag on for weeks
- April 23 - Chinese communist troops take Nanking
- April 29 - News Review reveals that neither Selhurst College nor its headmaster H. Rochester Sneath exist

May-June


- May 5 - The Council of Europe is founded by the signing of the Treaty of London.
- May 9 - Rainier III of Monaco becomes Prince of Monaco.
- May 11 - Israel is admitted to the U.N. as its 59th member.
- May 11 - Siam changes its name to Thailand.
- May 12 - Cold War: The Soviet Union lifts its Blockade of Berlin.
- May 20 - The AFSA (predecessor of the NSA) is established.
- May 22 - After two months in Bethesda Naval Hospital, James Forrestal commits suicide, under circumstances that seem suspicious to many.
- May 23 - The Federal Republic of Germany is established.
- EDSAC, the first stored-program computer, begins operation at Cambridge University.
- June 2 - Transjordan becomes kingdom of Jordan
- June 6 - With the passage of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act by the Indian government, Mahabodhi Temple is restored to partial Buddhist control.
- June 8 - Red Scare: Such celebrities as Helen Keller, Dorothy Parker, Danny Kaye, Fredric March, John Garfield, Paul Muni and Edward G. Robinson are named in an FBI report as Communist Party members.
- June 8 - George Orwell's book Nineteen Eighty-Four is published.
- June 29 - Last US troops withdraw from South Korea
- June 29 - Dock strike in the UK
- June 29 - Beginning of Apartheid - The South African Citizenship Act suspends the granting of citizenship to British Commonwealth immigrants after five years and imposes a ban on mixed marriages
- July 31 - Captain Kerans of HMS Amethyst decides to make a break after the nightfall under heavy fire from both sides of the river and successfully rejoins the fleet at Woosung the next day

August


- August 5 - In Ecuador an earthquake destroys 50 towns and kills more than 8000
- August 5 - 6.75 Richter scale earthquake kills 6000 in Ecuador
- August 8 - Bhutan becomes independent
- August 14 - Gang of Salvatore Giuliano explodes mines under police barracks outside Palermo, Sicily
- August 14 - Military coup in Syria ousts the president
- August 28 - Last surviving veterans of the United States Civil War meet in Indianapolis - all six
- August 29 - First meeting of the Council of Europe
- August 29 - Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb.

September


- September 5 - A former sharpshooter in World War II, Howard Unruh kills 13 neighbors in Camden, New Jersey with a souvenir Luger to become America's first single-episode mass murderer.
- September 6 - Allied military authorities relinquish control of former Nazi Germany assets back to German control.
- September 7 - Federal Republic of Germany officially founded. Konrad Adenauer is the first federal chancellor
- September 9 - Albert Guay affair: dynamite bomb destroys Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-3 in Quebec
- September 13 - Soviet Union vetoes United Nations membership of Ceylon, Finland, Iceland, Italy, Jordan and Portugal
- September 17 - Canadian steamship SS Noronic burns in Toronto Harbor with the loss of over 118 lives.
- September 24 - Laszlo Rajk, ex-foreign minister of Hungary, is sentenced to death.
- September 29 - First Plenary Session of the National People's Congress approves design for the Flag of the People's Republic of China.
- September 29 - Mrs. Iva Toguri D'Aquino is found guilty of broadcasting for Japan as "Tokyo Rose" during World War II.

October-December


- October 1 - Birth of the People's Republic of China.
- October 7 - Democratic Republic of Germany DDR established officially
- October 13 - Severe flooding in Guatemala
- October 16 - Civil war ends in Greece - communist troops surrender
- October 17 - Chinese communist troops take Canton,_China
- October 27 - An airliner flying from Paris to New York crashes near the Azores. Among the victims are violinist Ginette Neveu and boxer Marcel Cerdan.
- November 24 - Opening day at the ski resort Squaw Valley California.
- November 26 - The Indian Constituent Assembly adopts India's constitution. [http://lawmin.nic.in/coi.htm]
- December 8 - Nationalist Chinese finish their evacuation to Taiwan.
- December 10- Robert Gordon (Bob) Menzies elected.
- December 14 - Traicho Kostov, ex-vice prime minister of Bulgaria, is sentenced to death.
- December 15 - Typhoon strikes fishing fleet off Korea - several thousand reported dead.
- December 16 - Sukarno elected president of Republic of Indonesia.
- December 17 - Burma recognizes People's Republic of China.
- December 27 - Queen Juliana of the Netherlands grants Indonesia sovereignty.
- December 30 - India recognizes People's Republic of China.

An Unknown Date


- The Fourth Geneva Convention is signed.
- Pamir is the last commercial sailing ship to sail round Cape Horn.

Births

January


- January 2 - Christopher Durang, American playwright
- January 7 - Steven Williams, American actor
- January 8 - Wolfgang Puck, Austrian chef
- January 10 - George Foreman, American boxer
- January 10 - James Lapine, American stage director and librettist
- January 10 - Linda Lovelace, American actress (d. 2002)
- January 11 - Kalev Ots, Estonian statesman
- January 12 - Wayne Wang, Hong Kong-born film director
- January 13 - Brandon Tartikoff, American television executive (d. 1997)
- January 14 - Lawrence Kasdan, American director and screenwriter
- January 17 - Andy Kaufman, American comedian (d. 1984)
- January 18 - Philippe Starck, French designer
- January 19 - Robert Palmer, English musician (d. 2003)
- January 20 - Göran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden
- January 24 - John Belushi, American actor (d. 1982)
- January 30 - Peter Agre, American biologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- January 31 - Ken Wilber, American philosopher

February


- February 2 - Brent Spiner, American actor
- February 9 - Jim Sheridan, Irish film director
- February 10 - Maxime Le Forestier, French singer
- February 10 - Harold Sylvester, American actor
- February 15 - Ken Anderson, American football player
- February 18 - Gary Ridgway, American serial killer
- February 19 - Dan Bunten, American computer game designer(d. 1998)
- February 22 - Niki Lauda, Austrian race car driver
- February 25 - Ric Flair, American professional wrestler

March


- March 2 - Gates McFadden, American actress
- March 2 - Eddie Money, American singer
- March 2 - JPR Williams, Welsh rugby player
- March 3 - Jesse Jefferson, baseball player
- March 6 - Shaukat Aziz, Prime Minister of Pakistan
- March 6 - Martin Buchan, Scottish footballer
- March 7 - Ghulam Nabi Azad, Indian politician
- March 10 - Larry Wall, American computer programmer
- March 12 - Bill Payne, American musician (Little Feat)
- March 13 - Julia Migenes, American soprano
- March 16 - Erik Estrada, Puerto Rican actor
- March 16 - Victor Garber, Canadian actor
- March 17 - Patrick Duffy, American actor
- March 22 - Fanny Ardant, French actress
- March 23 - Ric Ocasek, American musician (The Cars)
- March 24 - Nick Lowe, American musician
- March 26 - Patrick Süskind, German writer
- March 30 - Marcia Ball, American musician
- March 30 - Lene Lovich, American singer

April-June


- April 1 - Gérard Mestrallet, French businessman
- April 1 - Gil Scott-Heron, American musician and composer
- April 3 - Richard Thompson, British musician and songwriter
- April 6 - Horst Ludwig Störmer, German-born physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- April 7 - John Oates, American musician (Hall and Oates)
- April 14 - John Shea, American actor
- April 16 - Sandy Hawley, Canadian jockey
- April 17 - Claudia de Santa-Fe, American painter and sculptor
- April 18 - Geoff Bodine, American race car driver
- May 4 - John Force, American race car driver
- May 9 - Billy Joel, American musician
- May 18 - Rick Wakeman, English musician and songwriter (Yes)
- May 18 - Bill Wallace, Canadian musician (The Guess Who)
- May 19 - Archie Manning, American football player
- May 24 - Tomaž Pisanski, Slovenian mathematician
- May 26 - Philip Michael Thomas, American actor
- May 26 - Hank Williams Jr., American singer
- May 31 - Tom Berenger, American actor
- June 8 - Emanuel Ax, Polish-born pianist
- June 13 - Ann Druyan, writer
- June 14 - Jimmy Lea, English musician (Slade)
- June 14 - Harry Turtledove, American historian and novelist
- June 21 - John Agard, British poet and playwright
- June 21 - Jane Urquhart, Canadian author
- June 24 - Albert Zappelli, American Educator

July-September


- July 3 - Jan Smithers, American actress
- July 15 - Carl Bildt, Prime Minister of Sweden
- July 17 - Charlie Steiner, American sportscaster
- July 22 - Alan Menken, American composer
- July 26 - Roger Taylor, English musician (Queen)
- August 6 - Alan Campbell, Irish minister
- August 7 - Walid Jumblatt, leader of the Lebanese Druze
- August 12 - Mark Knopfler, Swiss guitarist
- August 15 - Richard Deacon, Welsh sculptor
- August 23 - Shelley Long, American actress
- August 23 - Rick Springfield, Australian singer and actor
- August 25 - Martin Amis, English novelist
- August 31 - Richard Gere, American actor
- August 31 - H. David Politzer, American physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- September 1 - P.A. Sangma, Indian politician
- September 3 - Patriarch Peter VII of Alexandria (d. 2004)
- September 7 - Lee McGeorge Durrell, American author, television presenter, and zookeeper
- September 7 - Gloria Gaynor, American singer
- September 14 - Eikichi Yazawa, Japanese singer
- September 15 - Joe Barton, American politician
- September 17 - Cassandra Peterson, American actress Elvira
- September 18 - Mo Mowlam, British politician (d. 2005)
- September 23 - Bruce Springsteen, American singer and songwriter
- September 27 - Mike Schmidt, baseball player

October-December


- October 1 - Isaac Bonewits, American author and occultist
- October 2 - Lorraine Bracco, American actress
- October 8 - Sigourney Weaver, American actress
- October 14 - Katy Manning, British actress
- October 20 - Valeri Borzov, Ukrainian athlete
- October 21 - Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel
- October 22 - Stiv Bators, American musician (The Dead Boys) (d. 1990)
- November 5 - Armin Shimerman, American actor
- November 6 - Arturo Sandoval, Cuban musician
- November 7 - Aiswarya, Queen of Nepal (d. 2001)
- November 7 - Judi Bari, American environmental activist (d. 1997)
- November 24 - Nicholas Richard Ainger, British politician
- November 26 - Juanin Clay, American actress (d. 1995)
- November 29 - Alexander Godunov, Russian-born dancer and actor (d. 1995)
- December 3 - John Akii-Bua Ugandan hurdler (d. 1997)
- December 4 - Jeff Bridges, American actor
- December 4 - Pamela Stephenson, New Zealand-born comedienne, actress, and singer
- December 7 - Tom Waits, American singer, composer, and actor
- December 12 - Bill Nighy, English actor
- December 13 – Randy Owen, lead singer of the country music band Alabama
- December 14 - Bill Buckner, baseball player
- December 15 - Don Johnson, American actor
- December 17 - Paul Rodgers, British singer (Free)
- December 22 - Maurice Gibb, Australian musician (The Bee Gees) (d. 2003)
- December 22 - Robin Gibb, Australian musician (The Bee Gees)
- December 24 - Randy Neugebauer, American politician
- December 25 - Sissy Spacek, American actress
- December 25 - Joe Louis Walker, American musician
- December 26 - José Ramos Horta, Foreign Minister of East Timor, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize

Unknown date


- William Hope, Canadian actor

Deaths


- January 6 - Victor Fleming, American director (b. 1883)
- January 11 - Nelson Doubleday, American publisher (b. 1889)
- January 14 - Joaquín Turina, Spanish composer (b. 1882)
- January 28 - Jean-Pierre Wimille, French race car driver (b. 1908)
- February 12 - Imam Hassan al Banna, Egyptian founder of the Muslim Brotherhood (b. 1906)
- March 30 - Friedrich Bergius, German chemist, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1884)
- April 19 - Ulrich Salchow, Swedish figure skater (b. 1877)
- May 6 - Maurice Maeterlinck, Belgian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1862)
- May 9 - Louis II, Prince of Monaco (b. 1870)
- May 22 - James Forrestal, U.S. Secretary of Navy and Defense (suicide) (b. 1892)
- May 22 - Klaus Mann, German writer (suicide) (b. 1906)
- June 10 - Sigrid Undset, Norwegian writer, Nobel Prize laureate (b. 1882)
- June 14 - Russell Doubleday, American author and publisher (b. 1872)
- July 9 - Fritz Bennicke Hart, English-born composer (b. 1874)
- July 12 - Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland (b. 1860)
- July 18- Vítězslav Novák, Czech composer (b. 1870)
- August 18 - Paul Mares, American musician (b. 1900)
- August 30 - Arthur Fielder, English cricketer (b. 1877)
- September 8 - Richard Strauss, German composer (b. 1864)
- September 13 - August Krogh, Danish zoophysiologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (b. 1874)
- September 19 - Will Cuppy, American humorist (b. 1884)
- September 19 - Nikolaos Skalkottas, Greek composer (b. 1901)
- October 27 - Marcel Cerdan, French boxer (plane crash) (b. 1916)
- October 27 - Ginette Neveu, French violinist (plane crash) (b. 1919)
- December 6 - Leadbelly, American musician (b. 1885)
- December 11 - Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya, Indian philosopher (b. 1875)
- December 16 - Sidney Olcott, Canadian film director (b. 1873)
- December 28 - Hervey Allen, American author (b. 1889)
- December 28 - Jack Lovelock, New Zealand athlete (b. 1910)

Nobel Prizes


- Physics - Yukawa Hideki
- Chemistry - William Francis Giauque
- Medicine - Walter Rudolf Hess, Antonio Caetano De Abreu Freire Egas Moniz
- Literature - William Faulkner
- Peace - John Boyd Orr Category:1949 ko:1949년 ms:1949 ja:1949年 simple:1949 th:พ.ศ. 2492

Nationalist

Nationalism is an ideology which holds that the nation, ethnicity or national identity is a "fundamental unit" of human social life, and makes certain political claims based upon that belief; above all, the claim that the nation is "the only legitimate basis for the state", and that "each nation is entitled to its own state". In this form, nationalism is a universal ideology; but the term also refers to the specific ideology of nationalist movements, which make political claims on behalf of specific nations. Nationalism is also defined as a "specific conceptual perspective," born in 16th century England and eventually spread to other communities, that forms "the constitutive element of modernity." These movements may dispute each others specific claims; nevertheless, they share the same general nationalist ideology. Two of the standard (and methodologically dissimilar) works in nationalism are Benedict Anderson's "Imagined Communities" and Liah Greenfeld's "Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity." Nationalists define individual nations on the basis of certain criteria, which distinguish one nation from another; and also determine "who is a member of each nation". These criteria might include a shared language, a shared culture, and/or shared values; but the most important is probably now ethnicity, the belonging to or membership of an ethnic group. National identity refers both to these defining criteria, and to the "sense of belonging" to that group. Nationalists see membership of nation as exclusive and involuntary, meaning that you can not simply "join it", like any other association. Nationalism sees most human activity as national in character. Nations have national symbols, a national character, a national culture, a national music and national literature; national folklore, a national mythology and - in some cases - even a national religion. Individuals share national values and a national identity; admire the national hero, eat the national dish and play the national sport. Nationalism has had an enormous influence upon world history and geopolitics, since the nation-state has become the dominant form of state. Most of the world's population now lives in states which are, at least nominally, nation-states. The word 'nation' is often inaccurately used as a synonym for these states. The nation state is intended to guarantee the existence of a nation, to preserve its distinct identity, and to provide a territory where the national culture and ethos are dominant. Most nation-states appeal to a cultural and historical mythos to justify their existence, and to give them "legitimacy". Nationalists recognise that 'non-national' states exist; indeed, the struggles of early nationalist movements were often directed against empires, such as Austria-Hungary. The Vatican City exists to provide a sovereign state for the leadership of the Catholic Church; not for a nation. The global Caliphate sought by some Islamists is another example of a non-national state. Anyone who identifies with a nation, and sees nation-states as legitimate, can be described as a "nationalist". In this sense, most adults are "passive nationalists". However, the modern vernacular use of nationalism refers to political (and sometimes military) action, in support of nationalist demands. That action may include separatism, irredentism, militarism and in extreme cases "ethnic cleansing". Political scientists (and the media) usually tend to focus on these more extreme forms of nationalism.

Background and problems

Nationalism is a long controversial term, as its most general definition is broad, and has been controversial throughout history; and specific examples of nationalism are extremely diverse. Extreme emotions are aroused, when discussing nationalism, and that makes it difficult to describe and define nationalism. A recurring problem is that people define nationalism on the basis of their local experience. To a Breton nationalist, the central issue is state nationalism versus cultural nationalism; elsewhere that distinction may be irrelevant. Often supporters of nationalism fear that the negative consequences of conflicting nationalisms, ethnic tension, war, and political conflicts within states, are taken for nationalism itself, leading some to view the general concept of nationalism negatively. They argue that viewing nationalism through its most negative consequences distorts the meaning of the term. The emphasis upon specific conflicts has certainly diverted attention from general issues; for instance, the characteristics of nation-states. Nationalist movements may or may not claim that their nation is better than others. They may simply claim that the population of a given nation is better off when it is permitted to govern themselves; which is the principle of self-determination. However, conflicts often result in ideological attacks upon the identity and legitimacy of the 'enemy'. In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both sides claim that the other is not a real nation; and therefore has no right to a state. "Jingoism" and "chauvinism" make exaggerated claims about the superiority of one nation over another. National stereotypes are also common, and are usually insulting. These are nationalist phenomena; and are worthy of attention, but they are not a sufficient basis for a general theory of nationalism.

Issues in nationalism theory

The first studies of nationalism were generally historical accounts of nationalist movements. At the end of the 19th century, Marxists and socialists produced political analyses of the nationalist movements, then active in central and eastern Europe. Most sociological theories of nationalism date from after the Second World War. Some nationalism theory is about issues which concern nationalists themselves, such as who belongs to the nation and who does not, and what belonging to a nation means. Recent general theory has looked at underlying issues, and above all with the question of which came first, nations or nationalism. Nationalist activists see themselves as representing a pre-existing nation, and the primordialist theory of nationalism agrees. It sees nations, or at least ethnic groups, as a social reality dating back 20 thousand years. The modernist theories imply that until around 1800, no-one had more than local loyalties. National identity and unity were imposed from above, by European states, because they were necessary to modernise economy and society. In this theory, nationalist conflicts are an unintended side-effect. The more recent theorists of nationalism are influenced by postmodernism and emphasise that nations are a socially constructed phenomenon. Benedict Anderson, for example, described nations as "imagined communities". Ernest Gellner comments: "Nationalism is not the awakening of nations to self-consciousness: it invents nations where they do not exist." (Anderson and Gellner deploy terms such as 'imagined' and 'invent' in a neutral, descriptive manner. The use of these terms in this context is not intended to imply that nations are fictional or fantastic.) Modernisation theorists see such things as the printing press and capitalism as necessary conditions for nationalism. Anthony Smith proposes a synthesis of 'post-modernist' and traditional views. According to Smith, the preconditions for the formation of a nation are a fixed homeland (current or historical), high autonomy, hostile surroundings, memories of battles, sacred centres, languages and scripts, special customs, historical records and thinking. Smith considers that nations are formed through the inclusion of the whole populace (not just elites), constitution of legal and political institutions, nationalist ideology, international recognition and drawing up of borders.

Historical evolution of nationalism

Prior to 1900

Most theories of nationalism assume a European origin of the nation-state. The modern state is often seen as emerging with the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. This treaty created the Westphalian system of states, which recognised each others sovereignty and territory. Some of the signatories, such as the Dutch United Provinces, could be seen as a nation state, but there was no German equivalent, notwithstanding that the Holy Roman Empire consisted of almost entirely German-speaking states. In 1648 most states in Europe were still non-national. The theory of the Westphalian origin of the modern state system is disputed. The major transition to nation-states is often seen as originating in the late 18th and 19th centuries, although this is disputed. Beginning with romantic nationalism, nationalist movements arose throughout Europe. Some of them were separatist, directed against large empires, others sought to unify a divided or fragmented territory, most notably in Germany and Italy. These movements promoted a national identity and culture, and they were successful. By the end of the 19th century most people accepted that Europe was divided into nations, and personally identified with one of these nations. The collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the Ottoman Empire after the First World War accelerated the formation of nation-states. According to the standard view, before the 19th century people had local, regional, or religious loyalties, but no idea of nationhood. The typical state in Europe was a dynastic state, ruled by a royal house: if there were any loyalties above regional level, then they were owed to the king and the ruling house. Dynastic states could acquire territory by royal marriage, and lose it by division of inheritance - which is now seen as absurd. Going further back, the ancient Greeks called everyone who was not Greek a barbarian (because their different language sounded like 'bar-bar' to Greek speaking people), but the Greek city states often fought amongst themselves for dominance. Nationalism introduced the idea that each nation has a specific territory, and that beyond this point the claims of other nations apply.
    - Nation-states, in principle, do not seek to conquer territory.
    - However, nationalist movements rarely agreed on where the border should be. As the nationalist movements grew, they introduced new territorial disputes in Europe. Nationalism also determined the political life of 19th century Europe. Where the nation was part of an empire, the national liberation struggle was also a struggle against older autocratic regimes, and nationalism was allied with liberal anti-monarchical movements. Where the nation-state was a consolidation of an older monarchy, as in Spain, nationalism was itself conservative and monarchical. Most nationalist movements began in opposition to the existing order, but by the 20th century, there were regimes which primarily identified themselves as nationalist. The standard theory of the 19th-century origin of nation-states is disputed. One problem with it is that the South American independence struggles, and the American Revolution (American War of Independence), predate most European nationalist movements. Some countries, such as the Netherlands and England, seem to have had a clear national identity well before the 19th century. Italy's unification, however, is a good example of a 19th-century nationalist movement based upon ethnicity and/or language.

20th Century nationalism

By the end of the 19th century, nationalist ideas had begun to spread to Asia. In India, nationalism began to encourage calls for the end of British rule. The 20th century nationalist movement in India is generally thought to have been led by Mahatma Gandhi, although many other leaders were involved as well. In China, nationalism created a justification for the Chinese state that was at odds with the idea of the universal empire. In Japan, nationalism combined with Japanese "exceptionalism" to form Japanese imperialism, as extreme nationalism often leads to imperialism. World War I led to new nation-states in Europe being encouraged by the United States, who were opposed to the old Imperial Empires, and by France, who wished to isolate Germany and Austria by a series of client states. The result of this pressure was that several multi-nation empires (Ottoman Empire, Austro-Hungarian Empire) disintegrated. The Russian Empire also lost territory. The Versailles Treaty, based upon US President Wilson's 14 Points, was an attempt to recognize the principle of nationalism, as most of Europe was divided into nation-states in what was euphemistically called an "attempt to keep the peace". However, multi-nation and multi-ethnic states survived; and two new ones emerged, Czechoslovakia (where Czechs took control even though they only made up 43% of the population), and Yugoslavia, (which became dominated by the Serbs). World War II initiated a new wave of nation-state formation, by the emergence of fascism and Nazism ("national socialism") before the War, and by independence from European colonial Empires, which declined after the War. The most dramatic decolonisation was in Africa, which was transformed from a collection of European colonies into a continent of nation-states. Few of them corresponded to the European ideal of "a single people, with one language" and a clear territory. Ironically, the one that best met those criteria, Somalia, disintegrated. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to an unexpected revival of national movements in Europe around 1990. Its constituent states became independent, for the second time (in modern history) in the case of the Baltic states. In the second half of the 20th century, some trends emerged which might indicate a weakening of the nation-state and nationalism. The European Union is widely seen transferring power from the national level to both sub-national and supra-national levels. Critics of globalization almost always see it as a threat to national identity, culture, and sovereignty. Free trade agreements, such as NAFTA and the GATT, and the increasing internationalisation of trade markets, are seen as damaging to the national economy, and have led to a revival of economic nationalism. Protest movements vehemently oppose these negative aspects of globalization, (see Anti-globalisation). Not all anti-globalists are nationalists, but nationalism continues to assert itself in response to those trends. Nationalist parties continue to do well in elections, and most people continue to have a strong sense of attachment to their nationality. Moreover, globalism and European federalism are not always opposed to nationalism. For example, theorists of Chinese nationalism within the People's Republic of China have articulated the idea that China's national power is substantially enhanced, rather than being reduced, by engaging in international trade and multinational organizations. For a time sub-national groups such as Catalonian autonomists and Welsh nationalists supported a stronger European Union in the hope that a Europe of the regions would limit the power of the present nation-states. However, with Euroscepticism now widespread in the EU, this transformation is no longer on its political agenda.

Language and nationalism

A common language has been a defining characteristic of the nation, and an ideal for nationalists. For example, in France before the French Revolution, regional languages such as Breton and Occitan were spoken, which were mutually incomprehensible. Standard French was also spoken in large parts of the country and had always been the language of administration, but after the Revolution it was imposed as the national language in non-French-speaking regions. For instance, in Brittany, Celtic names were forbidden. The formation of nation-states, and their consolidation after independence, was generally accompanied by policies to restrict, replace, or abandon minority languages. That accelerates the tendency noted in sociolinguistic research, that high-status languages displace low-status languages. See also: Language policy in France. Some theorists believe that nationalism became pronounced in the 19th century simply because language became a more important unifier due to increased literacy. With more people reading newspapers, books, pamphlets and so on, which were increasingly widely available to read since the spread of the printing press, it became possible for the first time to develop a broader cultural attachment beyond the local community. At the same time, differences in language solidified, breaking down old dialects, and excluding those from completely different language groups. Nationalist movements from Ireland to India promote the teaching, preservation, and use of traditional languages, such as Celtic languages, Hebrew, and Hindi. (See also: Language revival.) The United States, a country which historically welcomes immigrants of varying nationality, has what can be seen as a pattern of discrimination against languages other than English. Prominent examples are the German language, which was nearly eradicated during World War I, and French and Italian, which have nearly disappeared from everyday life. Today Spanish is a large second language across large portion of the country. Some politicians, such as Pat Buchanan have consciously opposed the rise of Spanish as a second American language, for fear that it would undermine traditional institutions. In the Arab World during the colonial period, the Turkish language, French language, Spanish language and English language were often imposed, although the intensity of imposition varied widely. When the colonial period ended (mostly after World War Two), a process of "Arabisation" began; reviving Arabic to unify their states and to facilitate a broader Arab identity, motivated by Pan-Arabism. Countries such as Algeria and Western Sahara underwent large scale Arabisations, changing from French and Spanish to Arabic respectively. However within the Arab World, some nationalistic attempts were made to emancipate a domestic vernacular and treat classical Arabic as a formal foreign language. It was often incomprehensible to the non-literate population of nominally Arab countries, which were politically - but not necessarily linguistically, culturally or ethnically, Arabized. These policies were first promoted in Egypt in the mid 20th century by the Egyptian scholar and nationalist Ahmad Lutfi al-Sayyid, who called for the formalization of the Egyptian Vernacular as the native language of the Egyptian people. More recently Bayoumi Andil, an Egyptian Linguist and Egyptologist, did research in what he nationalistically defines as the "Modern Egyptian Language", which led him to declare it "irrelevant" to Arabic. He claimed that it was the fourth phase of the ancient Egyptian language descended from Coptic, with which it is intimately related, syntactically, morphological, and phonologicaly. Similar attempts to emphasise minority languages completely independent of Arabic were made by the Nubians who are split between Egypt and Sudan, and relatively more successfully by the Amazigh (also known as Imazighen or Berber) in Morocco.

Prominent figures

See the List of prominent figures in nationalism.

Types of nationalism

Nationalism may manifest itself as part of official state ideology or as a popular (non-state) movement and may be expressed along civic, ethnic, cultural, religious or ideological lines. These self-definitions of the nation are used to classify types of nationalism. However such categories are not mutually exclusive and many nationalist movements combine some or all of these elements to varying degrees. Nationalist movements can also be classified by other criteria, such as scale and location. Some political theorists make the case that any distinction between forms of nationalism is false. In all forms of nationalism, the populations believe that they share some kind of common culture, and culture can never be wholly separated from ethnicity. The United States, for example, has "God" on its coinage and in its Pledge of Allegiance, and designates official holidays, which are seen by some to promote cultural biases. The United States has an ethnic theory of being American (nativism), and had a committee to investigate Un-American Activities. Civic nationalism (also civil nationalism) is the form of nationalism in which the state derives political legitimacy from the active participation of its citizenry, from the degree to which it represents the "will of the people". It is often seen as originating with Jean-Jacques Rousseau and especially the Social contract theories which take their name from his 1762 book The Social Contract. Civic nationalism lies within the traditions of rationalism and liberalism, but as a form of nationalism it is contrasted with ethnic nationalism. Membership of the civic nation is considered voluntary. Civic-national ideals influenced the development of representative democracy in countries such as the United States and France. Ethnic nationalism defines the nation in terms of ethnicity, which always includes some element of descent from previous generations. It also includes ideas of a shared culture, shared between members of the group and with their ancestors, and usually a shared language. Membership of the nation is hereditary. The state derives political legitimacy from its status as homeland of the ethnic group, and from its function to protect the national group and facilitate its cultural and social life, as a group. Ideas of ethnicity are very old, but modern ethnic nationalism was heavily influenced by Johann Gottfried von Herder, who promoted the concept of the Volk, and Johann Gottlieb Fichte. Ethnic nationalism is now the dominant form, and is often simply referred to as "nationalism". Note that the theorist Anthony Smith uses the term 'ethnic nationalism' for non-western concepts of nationalism, as opposed to western views of a nation defined by its geographical territory.