What is the relationship between nationalism and centripetal force?

States constantly face a mix of forces that promote both unity and division. These forces are typically the result of a complex history, contemporary political and economic situations, and the area’s socio-economic dynamics.

In political geography, forces that create a sense of unity and pride among the citizens of a state are referred to as centripetal forces. Forces that divide a state’s citizens, leading to political and/or instability, are referred to as centrifugal forces. The balance of these forces impact the ability of a country to retain control over the territory and its status as a sovereign state. If centrifugal forces are stronger than unifying forces, the state could weaken enough that its very existence is challenged.

Centripetal Forces

Nationalism is a strong unifying force. While nationalism can be defined in many ways, it generally implies that the citizens share a sense of common identity and a strong support for the state and its goals. While the sense of common identity may be based on shared ethnicity, nationalism is possible in multinational states. In the case of state with multiple ethnicities, consensus nationalism is significant when loyalty to the country supersedes, or is valued, above any ethnic differences. Consensus nationalism is seen in multinational states such as the US, Canada, and Switzerland.

Nationalism is centripetal in that it unifies citizens in allegiance to the country, seen in their support for the state’s political, economic, and social ideals. While nationalism and patriotism are similar, patriotism implies a loyalty to the government and its institutions. Nationalism extends loyalty to the citizenry. In both cases, the state actively promotes unity through government institutions, communications, policies, and programs.

Icons–or symbols–can be a powerful unifying force. Iconography, or the study of how symbols can unite people, reveals that anthems, state flags and colors, cultural traditions and holidays, and national sports teams all lend themselves to promoting a sense of belonging. These icons lend strength to the state by fostering a sense of belonging and shared experience among citizens.

A variety of political and social institutions lend themselves to a sense of unity and loyalty to the state. Public institutions–such as schools, the military, and government services and agencies–are often intentionally centripetal, with clear missions to promote allegiance to the state. Cultural elements, such as language and religions, can also be centripetal.

Schools successfully promote cohesion by teaching the country’s history, ideals, and goals. Most state’s school curricula emphasize their own contributions to the past and present at the expense of other countries. Furthermore, most schools provide instruction in the state’s most common language, thereby reinforcing a common cultural element.

The military can promote state loyalty, whether through mandatory service or campaigns to encourage enlistment or support for those already in service. The US military campaign featuring Uncle Sam is particularly exemplary of the centripetal aspects of the military and icons.

If a government can effectively deliver on policy goals and promised services, citizens are more likely to have confidence in the state. In this way, the state’s organization and administration provide a centripetal force. In US history, the public’s widespread support for FDR’s New Deal policies during the Great Depression provide a particularly good example of the unifying and stabilizing force of government organization and administration.

In some countries, a dominant religion or religious denomination provides a strong unifying force. Such spiritual and ritual cohesion is evident in India (Hinduism), Buddhism (Thailand), and Ireland (Catholicism). In some cases, a holiday or tradition may be shared among more than one religion if they share a geographic and historic history. In India, the holiday of diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. Known as the holiday of lights, hundreds of millions of people across the sub-continent join together to light candles, bonfires, and set off fireworks in recognition of the triumph of good over evil.

While not a particularly strong centripetal force, infrastructure can play a role in uniting the citizens of a state. Well-developed and maintained transportation and communication (telecommunication, digital) systems serve to unite regions of a state for political, economic, and social purposes. Examples of the unifying power of these systems are evident throughout history. The Romans created a sense of unity across much of western and southern Europe by building a network of paved roads. The Incan empire united across the rugged Andes mountains via paved roads and a brilliant communication system using knotted strings that translated to the spoken language, Quechua. In more modern times, US government efforts to provide electricity (in the 1930s) and broadband internet (today) in rural areas illustrate the importance of communication infrastructure to the stability and unification of the state.

On the surface, centripetal forces appear to be positive. However, this is not always true, as history clearly demonstrates. For example, if a state deliberately advances a nationalist agenda that demonizes minority groups or a foreign state, the unification of one people may lead to the oppression, persecution, or destruction of another group. While history is full of such examples, Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime and agenda are infamously illustrative. He promoted a highly discriminatory and hateful nationalism within German-speaking regions of Europe, directly resulting in the Holocaust and the devastation of World War II.

None of the forces above are sufficient in and of itself to unify the citizens of a state. Any one of the forces, or a few together, can conspire to be divisive and destabilize the state. These situations will be examined below.

Centrifugal Forces

The forces that disrupt or threaten unity within a state are plentiful. A number of these forces are the same that can promote unity, though the specifics of the situation or their intentions may differ.

As mentioned above, nationalism may provide a unifying force, but a nation–minority or majority–may also challenge the state. If a particular nation believes the state does not represent their interests or is oppressive, they may oppose the state and present a centrifugal force. Subnationalism–or the promotion of allegiance to a nation over the state–may lead to political and/or social unrest or even violence in efforts to advance the goals of the group. If the nation coincides with a particular region, this form of centrifugal force may also be classified as regionalism. (Other forms of regionalism are discussed below.) In the 1990s, a number of nations within Yugoslavia asserted their right to self-determination, or the efforts of a nation to establish their own state. In response to these separatist movements, the Yugoslav government reacted with military force and civil war erupted. In the end, the state of Yugoslavia ceased to exist and multiple other near nation-states were created in the region. The process of a state ceasing to exist in its previous territorial form due to subnationalism is often referred to as devolution, or Balkanization, as the former Yugoslavia in the Balkan region of Europe.

In some instances, the divisive forces within a state are so strongly tied to ethnicity that genocide or “ethnic cleansing” occurs. According to the United Nations, genocide is “any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such: killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part1 ; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; [and] forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.” Ethnic cleansing is a somewhat sanitized (less powerful/having less negative connotation) term for genocide, though it became common in political and media circles during the genocide in the former Yugoslavia.

Another example of devolution is the break-up (or dissolution) of the USSR (Soviet Union) in 1991. The once one powerful, multi-national state held together through the dictatorial and authoritarian Soviet region, the USSR became fifteen separate states.

In some instances, self-determinist efforts have, to date, been unsuccessful. Examples include the secessionist movement in Quebec, Canada (the only dominantly French province) and Basque region in Spain. Even though these movements have not (yet) devolved their respective states, they remain critically important centrifugal forces. In some cases, the subnational group would be satisfied with remaining part of the state if granted greater political control, a situation referred to as regional autonomy.

Regionalism as a centrifugal force may also arise when there are no ethnic or national differences. In such cases, the region expresses discontent for a lack of investment or support from the state, whether real or perceived. The most common reasons for regional separatism are inequitable political representation/support or economic investment. For example, there are a number of regional secessionist movements within the United States that are not based on any national or ethnic differences. The Alaskan Independence Party (AIP) advocates for a referendum on the future of the state, and the four choices the party proposes for the referendum include complete secession of Alaska or become a territory of the US. AIP supporters cite a lack of connection and representation in the US government, as well as the ability to economically benefit more from the state’s vast natural resources. Without any ethnic differences, the AIP represents a regional, but not subnational, centrifugal force.

Another divisive force within states are terrorist organizations or actors. Terrorism is acts of violence carried out in the pursuit of political aims. Because the ultimate goal of terrorism is some change in policy or political structure, any internal terroristic organization and actions are inherently centrifugal. Examples of domestic terrorism are many. However, as with most things political, classification is a function of perspective and personal ideology. In other words, “one person’s terrorist is another’s freedom fighter.” That said, the dominance of ISIS in regions of a number of Southwest Asian states, such as Iraq, are clearly centrifugal. In areas where ISIS has control, citizens are subjugated to the social and economic impositions of the terrorist group, and the state must dedicate tremendous resources to fight ISIS. In sum, ISIS presents a strong centrifugal force, and the future of the government in each state in which ISIS operates is questionable.