New Nationalism

New Nationalism
Name	New Nationalism
Founding period	Late 19th century to 21st century
Regions	Global
Ideology	Nationalist revivalism; protectionism; civic and cultural conservatism
Notable figures	See main text

New Nationalism is a term applied to a series of political tendencies emphasizing national sovereignty, cultural identity, and state intervention in economic life. It has recurred in varied forms from the late 19th century through the 21st century, intersecting with movements such as protectionist conservatism, civic republicanism, and populist conservatism. Proponents often position it against supranational integration, cosmopolitan liberalism, and certain international institutions.

Origins and historical context

Origins of the phenomenon can be traced to the aftermath of industrialization and imperial competition in the 19th century, when thinkers around Otto von Bismarck, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour, and Meiji Restoration statesmen sought national consolidation. Later iterations responded to crises linked to the Great Depression, the aftermath of the First World War, and the realignments following the Second World War and Cold War. Twentieth-century adaptations intersected with policies of John Maynard Keynes in responses to Great Depression dislocation and with intellectual currents around Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman who critiqued central planning. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, resurgence correlated with reactions to European Union expansion, North American Free Trade Agreement, World Trade Organization dispute settlement, and the effects of the 2008 financial crisis.

Ideology and core principles

Core principles typically include prioritization of national sovereignty, protection of territorial integrity as exemplified by responses to Treaty of Versailles consequences, and emphasis on national cultural continuity invoked by references to Renaissance heritage or Enlightenment legacies. Economic features often blend protectionist trade measures reminiscent of Navigation Acts with industrial policy reminiscent of Alexander Hamilton’s Report on Manufactures and occasional social welfare measures in the spirit of Bismarckian welfare state. Constitutionalists within the tendency draw on precedents such as the Magna Carta and United States Constitution for arguments about popular sovereignty, while critics point to episodes like Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany when assessing potential authoritarian drift. International posture ranges from conditional multilateral engagement modeled on Concert of Europe diplomacy to unilateral withdrawal, comparable to moves around Brexit.

Key proponents and movements

Prominent historical and contemporary figures associated with strands of the tendency include political leaders and intellectuals linked to diverse organizations. Nineteenth-century nation-builders such as Giuseppe Mazzini and Simón Bolívar influenced republican-nationalist thought, while twentieth-century proponents ranged from protectionist conservatives like Charles de Gaulle to populist modern leaders such as Viktor Orbán, Jair Bolsonaro, and Donald Trump whose administrations advanced variants of the platform. Intellectual advocates have included Carl Schmitt in legal theory, Samuel P. Huntington on civilizational identity, and economists like Alexander Hamilton historically for state-led development. Party-level embodiments include Alternative for Germany, National Rally (France), Lega Nord, Fidesz, Law and Justice (Poland), People's Action Party-adjacent national conservatives, and movements such as Tea Party movement and UKIP in the United Kingdom context.

Policy positions and platforms

Policy packages vary but commonly feature protective trade measures, immigration restrictions, industrial subsidies, and assertive foreign policies. Trade instruments echoing historical precedents include tariffs akin to those used under Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act and strategic subsidies comparable to postwar Marshall Plan industrial policy in selective cases. Immigration stances reference border control mechanisms similar to those in debates over the Schengen Area and Immigration Act of 1924. Cultural policies may seek heritage promotion via institutions like national museums analogous to British Museum or curriculum reforms recalling debates over Common Core State Standards-type controversies. Security and defense postures sometimes emphasize conscription legacies like those from the Napoleonic Wars era or rearmament discourses seen in Reichswehr-era debates.

Global impact and regional variations

Expressions differ by region: in Europe, parties such as Vox (Spain) and Fidesz mix Euroscepticism with welfare chauvinism; in North America, elements appear within the platforms of Republican Party (United States) figures and allied think tanks; in Latin America, leaders like Hugo Chávez and Andrés Manuel López Obrador configured nationalist rhetoric with developmentalist economics. In Asia, state-centric modernization projects in China under Chinese Communist Party narratives and assertive maritime policies around South China Sea disputes show a distinct, party-led variant; Japan's postwar conservative resurgence engages with Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) debates on constitutional revision. African instances involve ruling parties referencing anti-colonial legacies such as Pan-Africanism and Negritude; Middle Eastern forms intertwine with postcolonial state-building seen after treaties like Sykes–Picot Agreement.

Criticism and controversies

Critics argue the tendency can lead to xenophobia, exclusionary citizenship policies, and erosion of pluralist institutions, drawing historical parallels to authoritarian regimes including Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. Legal scholars cite risks identified in debates around Genocide Convention noncompliance and challenges to human rights instruments like the European Convention on Human Rights. Economic critics warn of retaliation reminiscent of the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act aftermath and stagflation episodes. Debates over democratic backsliding reference examples such as contested elections in Belarus and constitutional changes in Turkey and Venezuela as cautionary comparisons. Proponents counter by citing sovereign remedies employed by states in crises like Great Recession and asserting parallels with historical nation-building projects led by figures such as Simón Bolívar.

Category:Political movements