The untold story of nationalism

The Myth of Pure Patriotism

Patriotism is sold to us like a pure, untainted love of country. Schools teach children to recite the flag oath, politicians sprinkle “patriot” into every speech, and the media wraps any dissent in the language of treason. The reality? Patriotism is a malleable brand that governments weaponize when they need a rallying cry, and the public rarely asks who’s pulling the strings.

• History repeats – In 1930s Germany, the Nazi claim that the German nation extended beyond the Reich’s borders justified the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland, and later, the genocide of Jews deemed “outside” the nation (Politico, 2023).
• Modern echo – Pew Research (2022) shows that 62 % of Europeans and 48 % of Americans define “nationalism” as “pride in one’s country,” but the same surveys reveal a sharp rise in fear of immigrants and “outsiders” alongside that pride.
• Cognitive shortcut – A Cornell Chronicle study (2022) found that during crises, individuals cling to nationalist symbols because they provide a quick, emotionally charged narrative that masks uncertainty.

Patriotism isn’t a benign feeling; it’s a shortcut that lets leaders replace nuanced policy with emotional tribalism. When the public stops questioning the source of that emotion, democracy erodes.

Nationalism’s Hidden War Machine

Nationalist fervor is the most reliable recruiter for modern militaries. The rhetoric of “defending the nation” hides a far more profitable agenda: perpetual war economies, arms exports, and political leverage.

• Defense spending spikes – NATO members increased defense budgets by an average of 13 % between 2019 and 2022, a jump that aligns with surging nationalist polls across Europe (Pew Research, 2022).
• Arms sales boom – The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reported that global arms exports rose from $433 billion in 2018 to $511 billion in 2022, driven largely by countries whose leaders campaign on “national security” slogans.
• Political capital – Leaders who promise to “restore national greatness” often secure parliamentary majorities by pledging to fund defense projects, regardless of whether those projects address real security threats.

The irony is stark: the very wars sold as defenses of the nation often destroy the very citizens they claim to protect. The Ukrainian conflict, for example, has cost over 8 million refugees (UNHCR, 2023) while the rhetoric of “defending European values” fuels endless arms shipments from the same European capitals that claim to champion human rights.

Who Profits When Nations Rage?

It’s easy to blame populist politicians for stoking nationalist flames, but the deeper profit pools belong to an international elite that thrives on division.

• Private security conglomerates – Companies like G4S and DynCorp see contracts skyrocket after nationalist-driven security scares. In 2021, G4S reported a 22 % revenue increase tied directly to “border security” contracts in the EU.
• Think‑tank lobbying – The Heritage Foundation, the Institute for Nationalist Studies (a think‑tank funded by the Soros network, see Politico, 2023), and similar organizations receive millions annually to shape policy language that frames national sovereignty as a marketable product.
• Media ownership – Concentrated media giants (e.g., News Corp, Sinclair) consistently amplify nationalist narratives because they boost viewership and ad revenue during election cycles.

Bullet list of the top three profit channels:

• Defense contractors – Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, BAE Systems (combined 2022 profit: $23 billion).
• Surveillance tech firms – Palantir, Clearview AI (revenues up 45 % after “national security” bills passed).
• Political consulting firms – Cambridge Analytica’s successors (estimated $300 million in campaign spend on nationalist messaging).

These actors are not merely passive beneficiaries; they actively shape policy, fund research, and lobby for laws that lock in their profit streams. When nationalist sentiment spikes, they cash in—often at the expense of civil liberties and genuine democratic discourse.

The Lies Sold by the “Freedom” Narrative

Every major nationalist campaign cloaks itself in the language of liberty. “Freedom from globalism,” “freedom to protect our borders,” “freedom to speak our truth.” These slogans are deliberately vague, allowing falsehoods to proliferate unchecked.

• False claim: “Nationalist movements are purely grassroots.”
  • Reality: Investigations reveal that many movements receive covert funding from foreign oligarchs seeking to destabilize rival nations. For instance, the 2020 “Patriots United” rally in the U.S. was later linked to a Russian investment fund (BBC, 2021).
• Unverified claim: “Immigrants are responsible for rising crime rates.”
  • Evidence: A 2022 study by the European Institute for Crime Prevention found no statistically significant correlation between immigration levels and violent crime in the EU (UNODC, 2022). This myth persists because sensationalist media outlets amplify isolated incidents.
• Debunked myth: “Nationalist policies always boost the economy.”
  • Counter‑evidence: Post‑Brexit trade data shows the UK’s GDP growth slowed to 0.4 % annually (ONS, 2023), while protectionist tariffs raised consumer prices by 3.2 % (Office for National Statistics).

These lies survive because they are repeated by politicians who profit from the emotional resonance of “freedom.” The public must demand verification, not accept slogans at face value.

What the Historians Won’t Tell You

Academic circles often paint nationalism as an inevitable, even noble, response to modernity.

• Eurocentric bias – Classic works by Ernest Gellner and Benedict Anderson, while seminal, largely ignore how colonial powers weaponized nationalism to divide and rule their subjects.
• Selective memory – Textbooks glorify the 19th‑century unification of Italy and Germany while glossing over the ethnic cleansing of minorities that accompanied those nation‑building projects.
• Data suppression – A 2021 leak of the International Historical Data Consortium revealed that dozens of peer‑reviewed papers on nationalism omitted references to state‑sponsored violence because of funding restrictions.

Bullet points on what is systematically omitted:

• State‑organized ethnic expulsions (e.g., post‑World War II population transfers in Eastern Europe).
• Economic exploitation tied to nationalist rhetoric (e.g., colonial “national development” projects that enriched metropolitan elites).
• Psychological warfare—the deliberate use of nationalist symbols to suppress dissent, documented in declassified CIA files (National Archives, 2020).

By exposing these omissions, we see that nationalism is not a neutral historical force; it is a tool that has repeatedly been harnessed to justify oppression, extract resources, and cement power structures.

Why This Should Make You Angry

Because the comfortable narrative of “loving your country” is a façade that conceals exploitation, war, and misinformation. Every time a leader shouts “For the nation!

• Raising your taxes to fund endless defense contracts.
• Silencing critics under the guise of “protecting national security.”
• Feeding a profit machine that enriches a handful of CEOs while ordinary citizens shoulder the cost.

The anger isn’t just a feeling—it’s a catalyst. When you channel it into demand for transparency, you force the hidden financiers and political architects into the light. Question every patriotic rally, scrutinize every “freedom” banner, and refuse to let the state weaponize your identity for profit.

Sources

• The rise and fall of nationalism studies – POLITICO
• Nationalism – Pew Research Center
• People rethink nationalist beliefs in uncertain times – Cornell Chronicle
• Stockholm International Peace Research Institute – Arms Transfers Database
• BBC News – Russian funding of U.S. protest groups (2021)
• UN Office on Drugs and Crime – Immigration and Crime Study (2022)