Introduction

Abstract

The era since 1789 has been called The Age of Nationalism.’¹ but this does not imply that all nationalisms have been alike. Variations in form, content, contributing factors and effects defy easy categorization of nationalism. ‘Chameleon-like, nationalism takes its colour from its context.’² To distil specific aspects of nationalism as a common phenomenon, if such an exercise is possible, consideration of the individual contexts, evolutions and expressions of nationalist variants is necessary with a comparative perspective and cross-application and -development of theoretical constructs. Selected early twentieth-century nationalisms offer a set of divergent and novel examples differing from traditional nineteenth-century nationalisms in Western Europe which were generally liberal and oriented towards state-building and maintenance. At the same time, these twentieth-century manifestations still exhibited conceptual characteristics common to nationalism since the late eighteenth century.