Why the Prince Consort Was Right: Nationalism, Economic Development, and Violence, 1800-2000

Abstract

A common belief is that nationalism is a major source of violence. The present paper disputes this contention. It argues that the European Enlightenment spawned two phenomena that have revolutionized the world: the nation-state and the Industrial Enlightenment. The two are interconnected in the sense that both are predicated on the premise that the creative talents and voice of the masses should prevail, realizing progress in the long-run. Successful nation-state projects achieve these ends by expanding the scope of infrastructure (human capital enhancing, physical and financial). As a result domestic violence rates plummet. At the same time the technological progress unleashed by the Industrial Enlightenment drives down the relative price of exerting military force in successful nation-states. The result is a huge gap in military potential between nation-states and states that are not yet nation-states. The existence of this gap promotes intrusion in the domestic affairs of traditional states by nation-states, ultimately leading to the conversion of states into nation-states. For this reason the world witnessed a massive unleashing of international violence in the period 1914-75, the eponymous Hemoclysm. However at its conclusion the nation-state system has spread globally. Moreover technological progress in the field of military affairs has so transformed warfare that it has become less and less useful as a tool for managing international affairs. This state of affairs has ushered in the long peace and a massive expansion of international trade.