Diversity Within Unity

The modern nationalism of Western Europe took shape during the fight against feudalism. The awakening of national consciousness and the establishment of nation-states took European countries into the modern history. On the European continent today, the most striking scene is the development of European integration as well as the European Union. As the highly developed regional political ecoFnomic group, the European Union embodies the expectation of Europeans to build up a united Europe, which can play an important role in the world affairs. Although the future of European integration is expected in an ideal and optimistic way, the diversity of the national cultures and the complexity of the European identity arouse rational reflection on the reality of integration and the future of the European Union.In a sense Europe is a region with unity. At the same time, however, it is also an area of diversity, composing various nation-states. The formation of nation, the awakening of national consciousness, the establishment of nation-states and the development of nationalism went with the process of European history. The development and the extremity of nationalism threw Europe into the abyss of separation as well as wars, which bred the ideal for the peaceful and unified Europe. In the practices of European integration, however, it is nationalism that blocks the process to future development or even leads to deterioration. Therefore, the development of nationalism in Western Europe provides us with a new angle to profoundly understand the European integration. By analyzing the development of nationalism in Western Europe, the thesis explains the historical and cultural origins for the unification and split of Europe and demonstrates the plight and foreground of...