Classical Liberalism

Individual liberty, rule of law, constitutional government, and free markets with limited state interference.

State Power44/100

EconomyMarket

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Off-Spectrum · The Nation

Nationalism

18th c. — present

Holds that the nation is the primary unit of political loyalty and should govern itself in its own sovereign state.

State Power58

NoneTotal

Economy50

PlannedFree Market

Why it's off the spectrum

Nationalism is about the unit of belonging, not the size of the state. It bolts onto the left, the right, and the center alike — so it floats above the spine rather than resting on a point.

Origins

Nationalism fused 'people' and 'state' into the nation-state, powering both liberation from empires and aggressive expansion. It can be civic (shared citizenship) or ethnic (shared ancestry), with very different consequences.

Core Tenets

01The nation as the basis of legitimacy
02National self-determination and sovereignty
03Shared identity, history, and culture

Key Figures

Founding Texts

Imagined CommunitiesBenedict Anderson, 1983 (analysis)

In Practice

Italian & German unificationanti-colonial independence movements

The Central Tension

The same force that frees a people can turn to excluding or dominating others.