Nation vs. Nation-State: Key Concepts

Chapter 1 Key Terms

• A nation is a group of people who share a sense of belonging, while a nation-state (country) is a political entity with defined borders and a government.
• Seven characteristics of a nation include shared culture, language, history, territory, ethnicity, religion, and values.
• Characteristics of a nation-state include sovereignty, defined territory, a government, and recognition by other states.
• Patriotism is a feeling of love, devotion, and pride in one's nation or country.
• Ethnic refers to a shared cultural heritage, language, and traditions.
• Sovereignty is the supreme authority within a territory.
• Self-determination is the right of a people to choose their own political status.
• Civic nation is a nation united by shared values and beliefs, regardless of ethnicity or culture.
• A constitution is a set of fundamental principles and laws by which a nation-state is governed.

Chapter 2 Key Terms

• Revolution is a fundamental and often violent change in political power and organization.
• A republic is a state in which power is held by the people and their elected representatives.
• Collective consciousness refers to the shared beliefs, ideas, and moral attitudes which operate as a unifying force within society.
• Bourgeoisie is the middle class, typically with reference to its perceived materialistic values or conventional attitudes.
• Push factors are conditions that drive people to leave their homes.
• Pull factors are conditions that attract people to a new location.

French Revolution

• People overthrew the king due to social and economic inequality, as well as a desire for political representation.
• The three Estates consisted of the clergy, nobility, and commoners.
• The storming of the Bastille is seen as the start.
• The Tennis Court Oath was an agreement among members of the Third Estate not to disband until a constitution was written.
• Versailles was the palace of the French monarchy and a symbol of its power.
• The Declaration of the Rights of Man was a document that asserted the rights of liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
• France went to war with Austria due to fears that Austria would restore the French monarchy.
• The Reign of Terror was a period of extreme violence during the French Revolution, led by the Jacobins.
• Napoleon spread nationalism through his military conquests and the spread of French revolutionary ideas.
• The French Revolution established it by promoting the ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
• Immigrant treatment in France today involves issues of integration, discrimination, and national identity.
• The White Paper was a government document outlining proposals for the creation of Nunavut.
• Nunavut formed through a process of negotiation and self-determination by the Inuit people.

Explore the key differences between a nation and a nation-state, including the characteristics that define each. Understand concepts like patriotism, ethnicity, sovereignty, self-determination, and civic nations. This also covers the importance of a constitution.