Nationalism, Sparked in 1800s, Is Relatively Recent Phenomenon in World History Resulting from Decolonization

A personal sense of identity from nationhood — something beyond tribe, religion, ethnicity, locality, region — did not really emerge as a dominant theme in world history until the 19th century. Most people before the 1800s did not identify strongly with the nation-state and support its interests to the exclusion or detriment of the interests of other na…