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When did nationalism emerge?

Nationalism emerged at the close of the Middle Ages (A.D. c. 450–c. 1500) in Europe. Nationalism is defined as a people's sense that they belong together as a nation because of a shared history and culture, and often because of a common language and/or religion. By the 1700s, several countries, notably England, France, and Spain, had developed as "nation-states," groups of people with a shared background who occupy a land that is governed independently. Nation-states began replacing fiefs (huge estates controlled by noblemen), tribes, city-states, and empires, which overlapped one another as organizing units, dividing peoples' loyalties.

By the 1800s nationalism had become a powerful force, resulting in the idea that any national group has the right to form its own state. Because of this belief, called national self-determination, some nations achieved independence (including Greece,...

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