Quote:
Originally Posted by Skybird
Identity tends to be something sticking to a people for generations and centuries - and that is how long it takes to form or change one. That it could be done shorter, metaphorically by pushing a button on some bureaucrat's desktop or by printing a stamp in some official formula (or drawing lines on a map in a different manner than bfeofre, for that matter), is the big illusion.
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This was not strictly true in the past, this is even less true now.
French for example did not even share a single spoken language (this was introduced via mass media), Chinese still do not share a single spoken language (this is now being introduced via mass media).
If you want to see how fast modern nation building works in Europe now look no further than Ukraine. It managed to build itself into a nation-state in 25 years. The foundations of such a nation-state are simple:
- consistent historic myth creation.
- consistent falsification of culture.
- state sponsored and enforced distribution of the myth and culture.
Both myth and culture have to be simple in nature and hostile to any competition.
p.s. the ability to introduce culture/historic myth to vulnerable populations is especially clear in the post Soviet states, in addition to the nationalistic examples (Ukraine, Kazahstan, Belorussia, to lesser extend Russia as we adopted continuation of the existing structures) you get religious ones (spread of Islam to the atheist Dagestan for example).
p.p.s. to clarify - originally I wasn't talking about formation of a unitaric nation-state of Europe, I was talking about formation of a super state above nation-states of Europe which would provide certain services to the people of those nation-states that those nation-states could not. For example credible Armed Forces.