] By "nationalism" I mean first of all the habit of ] assuming that human beings can be classified like insects ] and that whole blocks of millions or tens of millions of ] people can be confidently labelled "good" or "bad." But ] secondly -- and this is much more important -- I mean the ] habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or ] other unit, placing it beyond good and evil and ] recognizing no other duty than that of advancing its ] interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with ] patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a ] way that any definition is liable to be challenged, but ] one must draw a distinction between them, since two ] different and even opposing ideas are involved. By ] "patriotism" I mean devotion to a particular place and a ] particular way of life, which one believes to be the best ] in the world but has no wish to force on other people. ] Patriotism is of its nature defensive, both militarily ] and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is ] inseperable from the desire for power. The abiding ] purpose of every nationalist is to secure more power and ] more prestige, not for himself but for the nation or ] other unit in which he has chosen to sink his own ] individuality George Orwell: Notes on Nationalism |