- Patriotism is, generally speaking, cultural attachment to one's homeland or devotion to one's country, although interpretations of the term vary with context,geography and political ideology. It is a set of concepts closely related to those of nationalism.
History
The general notion of civic virtue and group dedication has been attested in culture globally throughout the historical period. For the Enlightenment thinkers of 18th-century Europe, loyalty to the state was chiefly considered in contrast to loyalty to the Church. It was argued that clerics should not be allowed to teach in public schools since their patrie was heaven, so that they could not inspire love of the homeland in their students. One of the most influential proponents of this classical notion of patriotism was Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Enlightenment thinkers also criticized what they saw as the excesses of patriotism. In 1774, Samuel Johnson published The Patriot, a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism. On the evening of 7 April 1775, he made the famous statement, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."James Boswell, who reported this comment in his Life of Johnson, does not provide context for the quote, and it has therefore been argued that Johnson was in fact attacking the false use of the term "patriotism" by contemporaries such as John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute(the patriot-minister) and his supporters; Johnson spoke elsewhere in favor of what he considered "true" patriotism. However, there is no direct evidence to contradict the widely held belief that Johnson's famous remark was a criticism of patriotism itself. Patriotism is the will of the members of a country to support the country and help it continue.
Philosophical issues
Patriotism may be strengthened by adherence to a national religion (a civil religion or even a theocracy). This is the opposite of the separation of church and state demanded by the Enlightenment thinkers who saw patriotism and faith as similar and opposed forces. Michael Billig and Jean Bethke Elshtain have both argued that the difference between patriotism and faith is difficult to discern and relies largely on the attitude of the one doing the labeling.
Marxism
Marxists have taken various stances regarding patriotism. On one hand, Karl Marx famously stated that "The working men have no country" and that "the supremacy of the proletariat will cause them [national differences] to vanish still faster." The same view is promoted by present-day Trotskyists such as Alan Woods, who is "in favour of tearing down all frontiers and creating a socialist world commonwealth."On the other hand, Stalinists and Maoists are usually in favour of socialist patriotism based on the theory of socialism in one country.
Region-specific issues
- In the European Union, thinkers such as Jürgen Habermas have advocated a Euro-patriotism, but patriotism in Europe is usually directed at the nation-state and often coincides with Euroscepticism.
Surveys
Country
|
Score 1990–92
|
|---|---|
3.74
| |
3.73
| |
3.67
| |
3.55
| |
3.53
| |
3.46
| |
3.38
| |
3.27
| |
3.25
| |
3.22
| |
3.18
| |
3.17
| |
3.07
| |
2.93
| |
2.75
| |
Average
|
3.26
|
Country
|
Score 1995–97
|
|---|---|
3.733
| |
3.72
| |
3.72
| |
3.70
| |
3.68
| |
3.64
| |
3.55
| |
3.54
| |
3.38
| |
3.29
| |
3.13
| |
2.98
| |
2.85
| |
2.69
| |
2.59
| |
2.47
| |
2.10
| |
1.37
| |
Average
|
3.12
|
Several surveys have tried to measure patriotism for various reasons, such as the Correlates of Warproject which found some correlation between war propensity and patriotism. The results from different studies are time dependent. For example, patriotism in Germany before World War I ranked at or near the top, whereas today it ranks at or near the bottom of patriotism surveys.
The Patriotism Score tables here are from the World Values Survey and refer to the average answer "for high income residents" of a country to the question "Are you proud to be [insert nationality]?". It ranges from 1 (not proud) to 4 (very proud). The higher value for Germany in 1990–92 likely reflects a temporary effect from reunification occurring then.
History
The general notion of civic virtue and group dedication has been attested in culture globally throughout the historical period. For the Enlightenment thinkers of 18th-century Europe, loyalty to the state was chiefly considered in contrast to loyalty to the Church. It was argued that clerics should not be allowed to teach in public schools since their patrie was heaven, so that they could not inspire love of the homeland in their students. One of the most influential proponents of this classical notion of patriotism was Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
Enlightenment thinkers also criticized what they saw as the excesses of patriotism. In 1774, Samuel Johnson published The Patriot, a critique of what he viewed as false patriotism. On the evening of 7 April 1775, he made the famous statement, "Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel."James Boswell, who reported this comment in his Life of Johnson, does not provide context for the quote, and it has therefore been argued that Johnson was in fact attacking the false use of the term "patriotism" by contemporaries such as John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute(the patriot-minister) and his supporters; Johnson spoke elsewhere in favor of what he considered "true" patriotism. However, there is no direct evidence to contradict the widely held belief that Johnson's famous remark was a criticism of patriotism itself. Patriotism is the will of the members of a country to support the country and help it continue.
Philosophical issues
Patriotism may be strengthened by adherence to a national religion (a civil religion or even a theocracy). This is the opposite of the separation of church and state demanded by the Enlightenment thinkers who saw patriotism and faith as similar and opposed forces. Michael Billig and Jean Bethke Elshtain have both argued that the difference between patriotism and faith is difficult to discern and relies largely on the attitude of the one doing the labeling.
Marxism
Marxists have taken various stances regarding patriotism. On one hand, Karl Marx famously stated that "The working men have no country" and that "the supremacy of the proletariat will cause them [national differences] to vanish still faster." The same view is promoted by present-day Trotskyists such as Alan Woods, who is "in favour of tearing down all frontiers and creating a socialist world commonwealth."On the other hand, Stalinists and Maoists are usually in favour of socialist patriotism based on the theory of socialism in one country.
Region-specific issues
- In the European Union, thinkers such as Jürgen Habermas have advocated a Euro-patriotism, but patriotism in Europe is usually directed at the nation-state and often coincides with Euroscepticism.
Surveys
Country
|
Score 1990–92
|
|---|---|
3.74
| |
3.73
| |
3.67
| |
3.55
| |
3.53
| |
3.46
| |
3.38
| |
3.27
| |
3.25
| |
3.22
| |
3.18
| |
3.17
| |
3.07
| |
2.93
| |
2.75
| |
Average
|
3.26
|
Country
|
Score 1995–97
|
|---|---|
3.733
| |
3.72
| |
3.72
| |
3.70
| |
3.68
| |
3.64
| |
3.55
| |
3.54
| |
3.38
| |
3.29
| |
3.13
| |
2.98
| |
2.85
| |
2.69
| |
2.59
| |
2.47
| |
2.10
| |
1.37
| |
Average
|
3.12
|
Several surveys have tried to measure patriotism for various reasons, such as the Correlates of Warproject which found some correlation between war propensity and patriotism. The results from different studies are time dependent. For example, patriotism in Germany before World War I ranked at or near the top, whereas today it ranks at or near the bottom of patriotism surveys.
The Patriotism Score tables here are from the World Values Survey and refer to the average answer "for high income residents" of a country to the question "Are you proud to be [insert nationality]?". It ranges from 1 (not proud) to 4 (very proud). The higher value for Germany in 1990–92 likely reflects a temporary effect from reunification occurring then.
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