Nation-building and regional integration, c.1800-1914: the role of empires

In this: publication
By this: publisher
In this Subject: History
By this author: Berger, Stefan ;&nbsp; Miller, Aleksey

Authors: Berger, Stefan¹; Miller, Aleksey²

Source: European Review of History, Volume 15, Number 3, June 2008 , pp. 317-330(14)

Publisher: Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group

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Abstract:

This article takes issue with the view that nation-states challenged empires in the nineteenth century and ultimately brought about their downfall. Instead it argues that nation-states were created by empires. It discusses nationalising strategies of diverse empires in comparative perspective, and focuses on their key elements, including, first, mental mapping of empires, second, the role of elites (both at the centre and at the periphery), third, means of transport and communication as well as the emergence of a public sphere, fourth, migration within and between empires, and, finally, the economic development of empires and their border regions. In conclusion, the article offers some tentative suggestions as to why some empires were more successful than others in nationalising their cores and incorporating diverse peripheries.

Keywords: empire; nation-state; region; identity; comparison; mental maps; elites; transport; communication; migration; public sphere; economic development; borders