Bourgeois nationalism

Template:Short description In Marxist theory, bourgeois nationalism is the ideology of the ruling capitalist class which aims to overcome class antagonism between proletariat and bourgeoisie by appealing to national unity. It is seen as a distraction from engaging in class struggle and an attempt to impose interests of capitalists on the proletariat by constructing capitalist interests as "national interests". Internationally, it aims to create antagonism between workers of different nations and serves as a divide-and-conquer strategy. The bourgeois nationalism is contrasted with left-wing nationalism and proletarian internationalism.

Usage

Soviet Union

File:Leonid Brezhnev Portrait (1).jpg

Leonid Brezhnev

After the October Revolution, the Bolshevik government based its nationalities policy (korenization) on the principles of Marxism. According to these principles, all nations should disappear with time, and nationalism was considered a bourgeois ideology.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> By the mid-1930s these policies were replaced with more extreme assimilationist and Russification policies.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> The term was used indiscriminately to smear national groups opposed to Russian centralism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In his Report on the 50th anniversary of the formation of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev emphasized: "That is why Communists and all fighters for socialism believe that the main aspect of the national question is unification of the working people, regardless of their national origin, in the common battle against every type of oppression, and for a new social system which rules out exploitation of the working people."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In the Soviet Union throughout its existence, the term generally referred to Ukrainian, Estonian, Latvian, Armenian, Kazakh and other types of nationalism that were propagated by the Soviet Union's non-Russian minorities. The Soviet leadership saw their struggle for independence as a threat to the entire existence of the USSR's communist regime.<ref name="Khiterer">Khiterer, В. (2004), "Націоналізм в Радянському Союзі" , в Енциклопедії російської історії, М. довідник США</ref><ref>Фролов М. О. Сталін і Україна: особливості стосунків між кремлівським диктатором, українським народом, керівництвом УСРР і КП(Б)У в 1920-х рр. ст. / Наукові праці історичного факультету Запорізького національного університету. — Запоріжжя: ЗНУ, Історія України 20–30-х рр. XX, 2011. — Вип. XXX. — 368 с. {{#if:2076-8982|Template:Catalog lookup link{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}{{#if:Template:Trim|{{#ifeq:Template:Yesno-no|yes|Template:Main other|{{#invoke:check isxn|check_issn|Template:Trim|error=Template:Error-smallTemplate:Main other}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}|Template:Error-small}}</ref><ref name="Жупник">Науковий і культурно-просвітній краєзнавчий часопис “Галичина” Науковий журнал / Василь Жупник «Протистояння ОУН і УПА та радянських органів влади на території Волині і Галичини (1944–1953 рр.) в радянській історіографії», 2008, Ч.14 </ref>

China

File:LiuShaoqi Colour.jpg

Liu Shaoqi

Bourgeois nationalism as a concept was discussed by China's president, Liu Shaoqi as follows: Template:Quote

Jews and Zionism

In 1949, the Communist Party USA declared the Zionist movement to be a form of "Jewish bourgeois nationalism".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Writing for People's World, the leftist activist John Gilman referred to Jewish bourgeoisie nationalism as having multiple varieties, including Jewish assimilationism and Zionism.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

See also

• Class collaboration
• Korenization
• Liberal nationalism
• Proletarian internationalism (an antonym of bourgeois nationalism)
• Russification
• Social patriotism
• Socialist patriotism
• Sovietization
• Civic nationalism

Further reading

• Internationalism and Nationalism by Liu Shaoqi
• Marxism and Nationalism Template:Webarchive by Tom Lewis