The nation is one of the most important actors in politics. The national question is given significant attention in the political programs of parties, regardless of their spectrum. Nations are often the initiators of political change.
The term nation has a different interpretation. It can denote the population of the country (or the state itself), as well as ethnic community. A modern understanding of the nation took shape during the French Revolution, when national self-awareness began to take shape. French revolutionaries characterized themselves as patriots, respectively, it was civic identity that formed the basis for the formation of the nation. Since then, the nation has been understood as a historically established community of people based on economics, language, territory and psychology, as well as cultural characteristics.
Some scholars believe that nations cannot be considered real subjects of political processes. In their opinion, nations are formations artificially constructed by political elites, limited within the state. However, one can hardly agree with this position. Since the national aspect is often the basis of the requirements for the state. It was the national idea that became the dominant one for the intensification of movements against oppression and slavery, the formation of nation-states.
In modern political life, national problems play an important role. Among them, sovereign development, equality of nations, inalienable rights of nations (for self-determination, for self-identification, etc.). National issues can contribute to an increase in the level of political participation; they play a significant role in the party struggle, in the process of forming political institutions.
Nations can help solve other important socio-political problems. In particular, they can help improve the cultural level of a particular nation, or their social security. Other likely goals of national movements are the dissemination of national identity (for example, by opening schools with instruction in the national language), expanding the rights to special forms of political representation, as well as legislative initiatives.
There is even a separate ideology - nationalism, the leitmotif of which is the protection of the interests of national communities in interaction with state power. This ideology is activated in difficult moments of the historical development of the state, when it is necessary to ensure high cohesion of society and its components. Sometimes nationalism can take an extreme form, which defends the thesis of the superiority of one nation over another.
Nations are both subjects and objects of politics. However, the role of nations is not the same. Based on the position they occupy, the dominant and oppressed nations are distinguished. The former possess the entire spectrum of political resources. In realizing their political goals, they can rely on the army, state bodies, the media, etc. The oppressed nations act as subjects of politics, since they oppose the dominant nations. Ignoring their interests can lead to serious negative consequences for the stability of society.
National and interethnic relations do not exist in its purest form. Within nations there are various social strata and groups, which makes them closely interconnected with political and economic aspects.
The importance of nations in political life is determined by the fact that many politicians and movements use the national question as their trump card in the political struggle.
