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CIAO DATE: 03/02
Critical Review
The State of Nationalism
By Charles Tilly
Abstract
John Breuilly's Nationalism and the State provides an indispensable guide to the history of nationalist doctrines and practices since 1800. Yet it misses a crucial dynamic. Top-down nationalizing efforts by European rulers generated bottom-up demands for autonomy or independence by political entrepreneurs claiming to represent distinct nations. Those demands gained credibility and strength when third parties such as great powers and international organizations validated them. This process established an evolving internationall procedure and an incentive structure that promote top-down suppression of minorities, bottom-up bids for recognition, and violent struggles among the parties.