The Arise of the National Idea and National Extremism in Post-Communist Central and Eastern Europe

Seminar paper from the year 2006 in the subject Sociology - Political Sociology, Majorities, Minorities, grade: 4.5 Erasmus grade - very good, Wroclaw University of Technology, course: Ethnics and Nationalities in Central and Eastern Europe, 7 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: The national idea has played a very powerful role in the regime, state and economic transitions in post-communist Eurasia. The important role of national identity can have positive effects as well as negative ones - for example in case of the Racist Extremism. Nationalism is able to play a powerful role to create movements of extremism, and this role differs in its importance between the different countries of Eastern Europe as well as between countries of Eastern Europe compared to other countries. In my Essay, I will first try to explain where the nationalism in Central and Eastern Europe after the communist era comes from. Afterwards, I will concentrate in those negative effects which I mentioned. I will compare the racist extremism and finally I will compare the situation there to the situation in Western countries. I will try to find reasons for the existing situation, although I know that a respectable analysis would clearly exceed the size of this short essay.