Economy and Organisation

Abstract

Nationalist movements aim for state power, and their strategies for achieving this are directly related to the structural context within which they operate. This encompasses not only the avenues for political and cultural mobilisation made available by the existing state structure, but demographic factors such as population distribution, relative wealth, and education levels. Also critically important is the role of the state in supplying or denying material welfare to its citizens and the impact this has on both mobilisation structures and strategies. This chapter examines these factors and argues that the organisational networks established by each of the nationalist movements were in large part shaped by such factors. It suggests that it was those organisations, rather than the ideology underlying them, that were the key to their resilience. In particular, it argues that each movement utilised patronage — ranging from the direct provision of jobs and pensions, to the promise of future material benefits — as an important element in the consolidation of national support.