The Essence of Nationalism

by Doug Vandinan

Given the growing use of the terms "nationalism" and "nationalist" to denote the ideology and activists who resist communist tendencies in society, it would be appropriate to clarify what exactly nationalism means and what nationalists stand for. Such an examination would serve to strengthen the ideological foundation of the nationalist struggle, and to help identify those activists who truly deserve to fashion themselves as nationalists, as opposed to those who masquerade as nationalists yet rightfully should be classified as communists, socialists, Marxists, or anarchists.

Simply put, nationalism is an ideology based on the belief that people with a common identity constitute a separate political, cultural, and social community from other peoples. This common identity stems from shared characteristics -- ethnicity (or blood), lineage, language, culture, and society. Nationalists have historically demanded that governments share the same identity as the governed and that they strive to preserve the national heritage. Nationalists, however, distinguish between the state and the nation, as the state exists solely to further the interests of the Nation.

All of the above terms -- nation, state, culture, government -- are used loosely in everyday discourse. Therefore, a concrete understanding of them is necessary to achieve a true comprehension of nationalism.

A nation is a people that, besides maintaining a common identity, radiates a cultural idea and interacts in a distinct society.

A culture is the sum total of a nation's creative output. Art, music, religion, literature, science, architecture, and academe are the building blocks of culture.

Society is a term that refers to the manner in which a group of people interacts with one another. It embodies a people's traditions, customs, and morals. The ways that families, friends, the sexes, colleagues, etc., treat one another, and the values and norms that are expected from such relationships, constitute a society.

A state is ideally the legally formed entity that puts the collective will of the nation into action. To do so, a state must extract funds from its population and control territory by force.

A government is the individuals and institutions within a state that have the authority to establish and enforce public policy and mediate internal and external conflicts. It also has the power to grant citizenship, which is a special status that a government gives to its people. Citizens' rights are (supposedly) guaranteed by their government. A contemporary example to illustrate the difference between government and state: the American government is comprised of the President, Congress, and Supreme Court on the federal level, as well as the various state- and local-level representatives, judges, mayors, and councils. The state includes all of those but also manifests itself in the forms of the military, the police, the public education system, the IRS, the EPA, and all the woefully numerous bureaucracies and committees.

In the ideal nationalist state, citizenship would be restricted to members of the nation. However, the power elite that has wrested control of the state from the American people has determined that any human born on American soil is automatically classified as an American citizen. As a result, Mexicans, Haitians, Indians, Orientals, and others who are not of the same stock as those that founded America travel here and birth offspring that immediately are eligible for the complete range of state benefits. American nationalists demand that this influx of foreigners be halted and that those already here be encouraged, and ultimately forced, to return to their native lands. Multi-ethnic states historically have been failures, and today in the 21st century we are witnessing the crumbling of the once-great American nation, a decay which perfectly fits the historical precedent set by Egypt, Greece and Rome in ancient times, and the Balkan states in recent ones.

Nationalists also demand that the American nation's sovereignty absolutely be maintained by the state. Sovereignty, bluntly defined, is the principle that a government has the right to do what it wants on its own territory, and ideally should reciprocate by staying out of the internal affairs of other states. Unfortunately, American troops have been used by the United Nations for "humanitarian" causes, and the disease of globalism frequently motivates the actions of our government. Hence this nationalist principle of sovereignty has been blatantly violated, and we must reassert our nation's political authority to act strictly independent from international and foreign interests.

Communism, also known as Marxism, Leninism, Bolshevism, or socialism, is the ideological opposite of nationalism. Communist doctrine states that there are no nationalities; that they are false creations of the rich (or "bourgeoisie," as communists call them) meant to keep the "proletariat" (blue-collar workers) divided and at bay. To back that claim, communists seek to promote the notion that we are all "one people," one individual as good as, and substitutable for, another. Africans, Hispanics, Asians, Europeans -- all are equal in this view. Therefore, communists revel in a multicultural, ethnically diverse society, which they see as fulfilling their dream of some twisted utopian paradise. Calls for national sovereignty and homogeneity are anathema to them. Furthermore, communists often mask their true intentions with false propaganda intended to create the illusion that they are fighters for the working class and for workers' rights. This is but a public relations ploy used to garner the support of the broad masses, most of whom fall into the "working class" category.

Nationalists do not recognize the communist doctrine of class warfare, which states that the proletariat must always struggle against the bourgeoisie. According to communists, the workers -- farmers, miners, factory workers, construction laborers, etc. -- are continuously exploited by the bourgeoisie -- business owners and white-collar job holders. As a matter of fact, this false notion of "class" is altogether foreign to a nationalist's way of thinking. In a nationalist's view, all members of a nation are one "class," regardless of an individual's job or income. In this sense, farmers, policemen, store owners and doctors are all organic parts of the nation, all part of one "class," because of common blood, lineage, language and history. A communist, however, draws distinctions by income level, since in his mind the poor are systematically manipulated by the wealthy. This belief has, to say the least, resulted in much civil strife, rioting, and mass suffering in Western societies since Marx published his manifesto in 1848.

Today, while classic communism may have faded with the Soviet Union, its ghost powers a number of politically potent if intellectually barren offshoots including feminism, queer rights, and multiculturalism; radical ideologies shot through with the leveling spirit of egalitarianism that continue to exact a terrific toll from traditional, civilized White America.

Only nationalism, with its emphasis on the preservation of the wondrous heritage of America, can win this cultural war. While communism seeks to degrade, denigrate, and destroy, nationalism focuses on creativity, rejuvenation, and replenishment. Nationalists must, above all else, endeavor to return America to its rightful destiny as the Founding Fathers envisioned it. Otherwise, our descendents will be forced to endure hellish lives in a Third World country, a fate for which they will curse us in our graves.

Back to VNN Main Page

Click Here!