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What Is Ultra-Nationalism?

Decent Essays

Introduction Part of the exceptional nature of the EU stems from the notion that nothing like it has ever been attempted successfully before. The European Union is an international institution with a single market and shared currency. It strives to maintain singular goals and make its way towards being an “ever closer union”. Today, the European Union has expanded to include twenty-eight member countries with an influence that reaches every continent. This institution has had an impressive history, but it has reached a point of concern. The golden years which held high hopes of a united supranational Union are long over. The EU faces destructive problems today, which could ultimately end their impressive era of cooperation. The Union has come …show more content…

Whether it is a cause or effect of the institution’s growing issues, it is today the number one barrier for EU success. The upsurge of ultra-nationalism diminishes the EU’s soft power, inhibiting its overall success. We also argue that Europe’s affinity for nationalism from its unique history makes them vulnerable to ultra-nationalism. This paper will first cover a brief history of the EU and of ultra-nationalism, explaining the current state of affairs. Next, European countries will be examined in regards to their ultra-nationalist parties gaining popularity and why it is that those parties have found increasing success. The significance of these cases will be debated. We will discuss the overall implications of ultra-nationalism and finish by concluding our …show more content…

Ultra-nationalism covers all extreme nationalism that promotes the interest of one state or people above all others. Nationalism refers to patriotic feeling, principles, or efforts. To define success for the European Union we draw upon the EU’s fundamental principles, stated in Article I-4 of the Constitution, which guarantees the free movement of persons, goods, services and capital within the Union (the famous "four freedoms") and strictly prohibits any discrimination on grounds of nationality (European Union, 2005). We take the Union’s Constitution to define EU’s success as maintaining a united coalition, free from barriers, and upholding their fundamental

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