History Quote by Noam Chomsky
““Well, in my view what would ultimately be necessary would be a breakdown of the nation-state system―because I think that's not a viable system. It's not necessarily the natural form of human organization; in fact, it's a European invention pretty much. The modern nation-state system basically developed in Europe since the medieval period, and it was extremely difficult for it to develop: Europe has a very bloody history, an extremely savage and bloody history, with constant massive wars and so on, and that was all part of an effort to establish the nation-state system. It has virtually no relation to the way people live, or to their associations, or anything else particularly, so it had to be established by force. And it was established by centuries of bloody warfare. That warfare ended in 1945―and the only reason it ended is because the next war was going to destroy everything. So it ended in 1945―we hope; if it didn't, it will destroy everything.””
About This Quote
Source Interview: The Future of the Nation State, 2015
The nation-state is a European construct born from centuries of violent conflict; it may not align with natural human organization and could be unsustainable.
In simple terms: Nation-states are artificial and violent origins.
Key Takeaway
Question the viability of current political borders.
Themes
politics
history
human organization
violence
systems
social contract
state legitimacy
Mood
critical
thought‑provoking
Type
political
philosophical
When to use this quote
- policy reform
- educational curricula
- activism
- community building
Key Concepts
political theory
anthropology
conflict studies
Questions to Reflect On
- Is a post‑nation world feasible?
- What alternatives could replace current structures?
A Different Perspective
May overlook successful aspects of nation-states and alternative governance models.
![“I wrote an article about the marine landing [in Haiti] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two months later and I assumed by then, "of course, everybody knows." Nobody knew. There was a news report in the Wall Street Journal, in the petroleum journals, and…” quote by Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/dc5/noam-chomsky-42_articles_i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-land_13341.jpg)
