Belief Quote by Eric Hobsbawm
“No serious historian of nations and nationalism can be a committed political nationalist... Nationalism requires too much belief in what is patently not so.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Nations and Nationalism since 1780, 1992
Nationalism demands belief in myths that conflict with factual history, making true commitment contradictory.
In simple terms: Nationalism conflicts with factual history.
Key Takeaway
Question the myths behind political loyalty.
Themes
politics
identity
history
Mood
critical
skeptical
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- political debates
- education curricula
- public speeches
Key Concepts
nationalism
mythmaking
ideology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do myths shape national identity?
- Can loyalty exist without myth?
A Different Perspective
Blind nationalism can ignore critical evidence.
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![“He[Napoleon] had destroyed only one thing: the Jacobin Revolution, the dream of equality, liberty and fraternity, and of the people rising in its majesty to shake off oppression. It was a more powerful myth than his, for after his fall it was this, and not his memory, which inspired the…” quote by Eric Hobsbawm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dfd/eric-hobsbawm-20660_century_he-napoleon-had-destroyed-only-one-thing_1313226.jpg)
