When does nationalism turn to ultranationalism?

Answer 1

There is not a clear distinction between nationalism and ultranationalism; it differs along a gradient. Ultranationalism, usually develops in one of four main cases: (1) Strong Successes of Nation-States, (2) Strong Failures of Nation-States, (3) Ethnic Imbalances in Nation-States, and (4) Demagoguery.

(1) Strong Successes of Nation-States: Since the nation-state is usually created through some sort of stuggle (like an independence war or unification war), a rapid success may confer on patriotic nationalists the idea that the nation-state is Divinely assisted or has the "hand of Destiny". We can see this transition most clearly in the case of Israel, where the great success in the Six Day War has resulted in the development of Ultranationalism in the West Bank territories by those who believe that God is on Israel's side.

(2) Strong Failures of Nation-States: However, if a nation-state encounters a serious setback, this leads to a strong sense of irrendentism in numerous nationalists who believe that the reason for the failures of the country does not have to do with specific political choices, but the toleration of minority groups and other impurities with the nationalism as enacted. We can see this transition most clearly in the case of Weimar Germany, where the failures of World War I and the Depression led to the Nazis becoming empowered on irridentist forms of ultrantionalism.

(3) Ethnic Imbalances in Nation-States: The Nation-State is defined by having one dominant ethnicity for which the state becomes a cultural amplifier. If a different ethnic group with a different culture becomes large enough to threaten the dominant ethnic group, it usually leads to some members of the dominant ethnic group to embrace ultranationalism since they believe that the institutions of the country that they support will soon come under attack. We can see this in much of Europe where large Muslim Immigration has occurred, resulting in a strongly-felt change of ethnic balances and the development of ultranationalist groups, like the UK's English Defense League.

(4) Demagoguery: If a particular leader or institution (such as an established religion or the military) becomes a charismatic symbol of nationalism, his/its followers can be easily radicalized by slavish devotion to that personnage and his/its ideals. One of the more famous symbols of this is Turkey's Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. As a demogogue he created a wave of Turkish Nationalism and Irridentism that hinged on his personality and prowess as a military commander.