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could someone mark this politics edexcel alevel essay please?

To what extent is nationalism an exclusive ideology (24 marks).

Nationalism is an ideology that emphasises allegiance and devotion to a nation-state and maintains that such obligations outweigh other individual or group interests. Over the different strands, exclusivity is a widely debated principle regarding different aspects of the ideology, with Liberal Nationalists generally opting for a more cooperative, equal form of nationalism, which operates on the basis of inclusivity. This is echoed by Liberal Nationalist thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who values the cohesion of society, based on national self-determination. Other strands, however, such as Conservative, Anti-Colonial and Post-Colonial, and Expansionist Nationalists are generally more in favour of operating on the basis of exclusivity, with a few contradictions. Such views are voiced by Expansionist Nationalist thinker, Charles Murras, who believes that some nations are innately supreme, and therefore should be exclusive, to maintain that supremacy. Overall, nationalism can be characterised as exclusive to a moderate extent, as there remains contradictions between the different strands, regarding exclusivity.

With regard to the concept of the national identity, different strands have different understandings of the requirements to become a part of a national identity and reside within a nation state. Some Liberal Nationalists are inclusive in that the only requirement to become associated with a national identity is to be committed and loyal to the values of the nation. This bases the concept of national identity on inclusivity, as any individual could potentially become a member of the nation, and its inclusion is based on learnt traits, such as commitment and passion towards the nation state, rather than inherent traits, such as religion, ethnicity or language. This is echoed by Liberal Nationalist thinker, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who believed in Civic Nationalism, which is the view that the nation state becomes legitimate because of the active participation of the people of the nation, not because of the shared cultural or ethnic heritages of said people, which is inherently inclusive, as its primary focus is on learnt traits, rather than inherent traits that are unchangeable. This said, it is likely that Rousseau’s views are context-bound in that he was likely to have been surrounded only by people of similar heritages and cultures in late 1700’s France, so he was likely to not have been exposed to different cultures or ethnic groups, therefore likely affecting his views. This view, however, was challenged by Liberal Nationalist, Johann von Herder, who emphasised the notion of the ‘collective identity,’ which was based on cultural groups with a common history and language. This viewpoint is inherently exclusive, as it excludes people from claiming a national identity on the basis of different inherent traits, rather than learnt traits, such as allegiance and devotion to the nation state. However, other strands of nationalism tend to be more exclusive in the formation of the national identity. In particular, Expansionist Nationalists are exclusive in the requirements of the national identity, with membership dependent upon being a member of a specific race, and sharing a common culture, history and language. This is echoed by Expansionist Nationalist, Charles Murras, who emphasised the supremacy of certain nation states, based on the supremacy of their shared ethnicity and culture. This is inherently exclusive as it espouses the view that certain people are inferior (due to their race/ethnic identity) and therefore should be excluded from the superior nation states. Therefore, exclusivity remains prominent, regarding national identity, throughout all strands of nationalism, to different extents. The fact that it is present within each strand is indicative of nationalism’s overall adherence to exclusivity, and therefore, nationalism is an exclusive ideology, to a moderate extent.

In terms of international economic relations/affairs, different strands have different attitudes towards this, some of which lean towards inclusivity, and others towards exclusivity. Liberal Nationalists generally believe that interacting with other nations on an international scale is productive, and that free trade creates cultural interdependency, and therefore reduces the potential for conflict. Furthermore, many Liberal Nationalists view international institutions, such as the EU, as an ideal of promoting greater harmony between nations, and later, closer trade ties, allowing for the liberal economy to thrive. Such view is inclusive, as it emphasises cooperation between all nations, on an international scale. However, other Liberal Nationalists (such as Johann von Herder) would challenge this view, as greater international relations, as manifested in international institutions, such as the EU, threatens the sanctity of the collective national identity. In this, he claims that people can only be rightfully governed, with their own collective identity, and common goal in mind. This is somewhat supported by Jean-Jacques Rousseau as well, as he emphasises the ‘General will’ of the people – which argues that the collective will of the people dictates how they are governed. Whilst Liberal Nationalists come be claimed to be inclusive in their attitudes towards international relations in terms of mutual economic benefit, it could also be said that they are exclusive, in that the will of the people of the nation is emphasised, and an external body ruling over them is rejected. Expansionist Nationalists, such as Charles Murras, are of the view that maintaining cooperative relations with other nation states is reductive, as it undermines the supremacy of certain nation states. Instead, he claims that the superior culture of one nation naturally leads to the economic dominance of that nation over weaker nations, thus cooperation, and inclusivity on international economic grounds is unnecessary. Therefore, exclusivity remains prominent, regarding international relations, throughout all strands of nationalism, to different extents. The fact that it is present within each strand, however, is indicative of nationalism’s overall adherence to exclusivity, and therefore nationalism is an exclusive ideology, to a moderate extent.

The concept of independence is also a widely debated issue within nationalism, and different views extend themselves to being inclusive, or exclusive. Anti-Colonial and Post-Colonial Nationalists reject colonial rule (exclusion of colonial oppressive powers) to ensure the independence of the oppressed people of the nation (inclusive in its promotion of oppressed individuals), thereby being inherently inclusive in its exclusivity. Marcus Garvey, a key Anti-Colonialist thinker, advocates this view in his promotion of racial separatism, to ensure the empowerment of black individuals. Independence is gained through the exclusion of colonial and oppressive powers, on the grounds of inclusivity for the oppressed individuals to become united, free from oppression. This view is opposed by the Expansionist Nationalist thinker, Charles Murras, who believed that the independence of innately superior nations is fully gained through the exclusion of inferior people. Historically, this was seen in Nazi Germany, with the deportation, and later, mass murder of Jewish people, who were deemed ‘subhuman.’ Moreover, it is claimed that independence is gained by exerting colonial control over other ‘inferior’ nations, or, in other words, independence is gained by limiting or excluding other nations from accessing their own independence. Thus, exclusivity remains a central theme within the strands of nationalism, regarding the differing concepts of independence. Therefore, despite some contradictions, nationalism is moderately exclusive, in this regard.

Overall, it's evident that nationalism is an exclusive ideology, to a moderate extent. In evaluating its exclusivity across the different strands regarding the concept of national identity, international economic affairs, and the concept of independence, it appears that nationalism is moderately exclusive. Liberal Nationalists take a fair inclusive view, despite some contradictions, whilst the other strands of nationalism, such as Conservative, Expansionist and Anti-Colonial and Post-Colonial Nationalists are more exclusive in this way. However, the intentions behind exclusivity differ between the branches. Whereas Conservative and Expansionist Nationalists exclusivity is founded in feelings of nationalistic supremacy, whereas Anti-Colonial and Post-Colonial Nationalist thinkers generally exercised exclusivity as a response to oppressive colonial powers.