Nationalism can be described as the commitment to the interests or culture of one country. Nationalism can be expressed in a small way, such as the celebration of individual culture or something much larger, such as the French Revolution. Nationalism appears in both positive and negative forms. Ultranationalism is a more aggressive form of nationalism that can be seen as disruptive. Ultranationalistic decisions were made to solve certain problems throughout history, such as scapegoating, internments, and genocides. When a certain event happens, such as war, racism can turn the spirit of nationalism into a dangerous form of extreme nationalism. Ultra-nationalism has a devastating effect on individuals because it can result in hatred towards others, mass killings and racism. Individuals should embrace nationalism only until discrimination or violence is involved, and also when human rights are violated.
It can also be seen throughout history that genocide has also been induced by ultra-nationalism. There had been a tragic event in 1994, and that would have been the genocide of Rwanda. The two groups that were involved in this are the Tutsi and Hutu groups. The Tutsi and Hutu had animosity between them and deeply desired to kill each other. Their ultra-nationalistic views helped to build up their resentment towards each other. This event led to the planned assassination of the Hutu on their president. They were able to use this as an excuse to destroy the Tutsis. The Hutus blamed the Tutsis for killing their president and went on a rampage which conducted the mass killing of Tutsis. The Rwandan Genocide is an example of ultranationalistic ideas from leaders planted into the minds of other individuals. The Rwandan Genocide was hatred between two different nations, the Hutus and the Tutsis. Due to the leader convincing others to kill, led to the death of approximately 800,000 individuals which took place in 1994.
Ultra Nationalism led to the death of millions of Jewish people. They had their rights and lives taken away because of one man who had an ultranationalistic idea. Hitler’s ultranationalistic views towards Jewish people led the Germans to believe that they were the enemy. Adolf Hitler achieved this by scapegoating the Jewish people. Jewish people, because they were an isolated minority, became popular targets of scapegoating. The anti-Semitic views helped convince Germany that the Jewish people were the root cause of their economic downfall. Jewish people faced economic discrimination by being forced out of government, university, law, medical and school positions. The Jewish businesses were boycotted and later seized. Jews were seen as handicapped in the eyes of ultranationalism Germans. Later, the Jews were deported from all German-occupied countries and were isolated from the rest of the population. Germany believed they had a problem and found an unethical and dangerous solution that ended up helping the start of World War II. Another form of genocide due to the ultranationalistic idea of a leader was the Holocaust. During World WarII Adolf Hitler convinced Germany as a nation that the Jewish people needed to be exterminated. This ended up with the death of more than 6,000,000 Jewish people.
During World War I and II, Canada pursued its national interest in security by creating internment camps. Individuals with a German, Japanese, or Italian background were sent to internment camps across Canada. Although Canada, as a nation, felt it was right to place individuals with a certain ethnic background in the camps, it still violated their human rights. The individuals inside the camps broke no laws, but still had all of their possessions taken away, and were stripped of their rights. The victims of the camps lost their livelihood after they were released, due to their properties and possessions being taken away. This was Isaac Abraham an ultranationalistic solution to Canada’s problem regarding their security of the nation. The result of Canada’s ultranationalistic decision left a permanent scar on the history of the country. Throughout history, there have been many cases of genocide due to the ultranationalistic views of certain individuals and nations. Genocide is a tragedy of humankind and is a threat that continues to this very day. Certain individuals or political figures were able to convince the nation that it was okay to murder, as long as it was for their cause. Ultranationalistic views of certain people can cause the death of millions. The genocides that took place were the result of ultranationalism, which left a scar on the world.
The ultra-nationalistic responses of a country to certain issues can not only breach one's right as a human being but can also trigger racism-related murder. No matter the amount of power and control a nation has, it should never impose its ultranationalistic views on others. The consequences of ultranationalistic solutions to certain problems can result in the death of millions. A nation’s self-interest does not matter when the lives or rights of humans are at risk. Individuals should never be put in a situation where their nation causes them to violate the human rights of innocent people. Ultranationalism is an extreme nationalism that promotes the interests of one state or people, above all others, or simply extreme devotion to one nation.