Nationalism, Labour and Ethnicity 1870-1939

Book excerpt: This text looks at the inter-relationships between labour, nationalist movements and ethnicity during the Age of Imperialism. Two of the most debated contemporary issues focus on the decline of labour, particularly socialist ideologies, and the rise of nationalism. It is sometimes assumed that the demise of one led to the triumph of the other. It is also thought that labour as an internationalist movement underestimated and misunderstood the power of nationalism. This text links these historical phenomena and sets the debate in more accurate historical context.