Increasing and Decreasing Nationalism Post-WWII

Prior to World War II, powerful countries were focused on gaining more power, territory, and control.  There was an age of “New Imperialism” where Britain, France, Germany, and other countries raced to claim land and conquer people that they felt were inferior to them.  The ideas of cultural/racial superiority and the “white man’s burden” were very apparent at this time.  Nationalism was widespread as European people took pride in the success, values, and actions of their countries.  This all changed after World War II.  Many nations, especially Germany, lost their power and prestige after the war.  Their soldiers, resources, and stamina had been exhausted, and citizens were no longer as proud of their homelands.  Europe took a beating after two world wars, and many countries were divided among the victors as punishment to the losers in the treaties that officially ended the war and declared the peace conditions.  The people in these divided countries definitely gave up on nationalism; their countries technically no longer existed and they were forced to join another country with which they did not identify.  Even those countries that got to keep their territories began the process of decolonization.  The colonized people wanted their freedom and European nations were more focused on maintaining internal stability after the shocking and destructive war, so they were looking to cut ties with any territory that was not cooperating or exhibiting strong self-determination.  Both France and Britain granted independence to many of their colonies.  World War II had empowered the colonies and exhausted the colonizers.  Colonies were gaining their independence as they challenged their rulers, leading to an increase in their nationalism and corresponding a decrease in European nationalism.  Finally, after the war, many countries agreed to put preventative measures in place to protect themselves against the possibility of another world war in the form of international alliances and organizations such as NATO and the United Nations.  While these collaborative efforts were beneficial and increased the security of each member country in the case of a threat or attack, the nations were somewhat reluctant to join.  They knew that it was for their own good, but it also decreased their already declining nationalism as they became more dependent on other countries and ceded some of their power/sovereignty to these multinational organizations.  In conclusion, decolonization following the war resulted in nationalism for new independent countries, but concession of power and weakened stability led to a diminished sense of nationalism in Europe.