The European Nation State: A Great Survivor

Today Europe consists of a great number of nation states – some large like Germany, some small like Latvia – where nationhood coincides with statehood. This situation is the result of political upheavals, such as the Italian resorgimento and the waning of the Ottoman Empire in the nineteenth century, and the dismemberment of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the collapse of the Soviet Union and Communist Yugoslavia in the twentieth century. The process is still going on and the United Kingdom may one day be divided into three nation states, England, Scotland and Ireland. The author explores the origins of the modern state after Europe had passed through the tribal and feudal phases (fifth–twelfth centuries) and the role of the Church in the success of the late medieval monarchies, while making clear that the Church also thwarted their ambition to achieve full sovereignty. The author finally wonders what encouraged the European peoples to achieve independence and national statehood.