State nationalism or state-led nationalism is a nationalism that equates 'state identity' with 'nation identity' or values state authority. 'State nationalism' is considered a form of 'civic nationalism' and there are similarities between the two, but state nationalism also has to do with illiberal, authoritarian and totalitarian politics.
Conceptual framework
State nationalism is a "top-down" process where the state apparatus creates and promotes a national identity to secure political legitimacy. Unlike ethnic nationalism, which typically emerges as a "bottom-up" movement from shared ancestry, state nationalism relies on the existing legal and political boundaries of the state. Scholars like Anthony D. Smith categorize this as a feature of "territorial nations," where the state exists before a coherent sense of national belonging is formed. In this model, the state uses institutions—such as public education, military service, and official language policies—to assimilate diverse populations into a single national body.
While civic nationalism is broadly associated with political liberalism, state nationalism is more closely aligned with conservatism, emphasizing social cohesion and public order.
By countries Asia In the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, "state nationalism" and "statism" are both written as 國家主義, making the distinction between the two unclear. Also, in the East Asian cultural sphere, state nationalism is often contrasted with ethnic-based national liberation movements.
China Republic of China (1912–1949)
Chiang Kai-shek promoted strong ROC-based Chinese nationalism throughout the territories under his control, as well the Tridemist ideal of a unified "Dang Guo" (Party-state), to solidify its rule and ideological supremacy. Mandarin Chinese became the sole official language, and standard education curriculums emphasized Chinese history with Confucianism culture.
People's Republic of China Today, Chinese state nationalism is a civic nationalistic ideology. It reduces Hong Kong's autonomy and justifies the dictatorship of the Chinese Communist Party.
Japan
, variously translated as "statism" and "nationalism", "state-nationalism" and "national socialism", was the ruling ideology of the Empire of Japan, particularly during the first decades of the Shōwa era. Japan's unique form of Kokkashugi is closer to religious nationalism centered on State Shinto than to , variously translated as "ethnic nationalism".Skya W. A. Japan's Holy War: The Ideology of Radical Shinto Ultranationalism. Duke University Press, 2009.
Japan's ultranationalism (e.g. Shōwa statism) is often described as "state ultranationalism" because it values state unity around the Emperor of Japan.
Another term in Japan that means "state nationalism" is , which is used in a somewhat different context from Kokkashugi and carries a less authoritarian and more strongly civic-nationalistic connotation; Japanese liberal political scientist Masao Maruyama opposed Kokkashugi and Minzokushugi, and supported Kokuminshugi.
Korea State-aligned nationalism (), state nationalism or "statism" is a nation building based on 'state/country' () identity; it appears in North Korea as nationalism emphasizing the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" identity and in South Korea as nationalism emphasizing the "Republic of Korea" identity. These forms of nationalism are called "North Korean nationalism" and "South Korean nationalism", respectively, and are distinct from the general Korean nationalism (minjok).
North Korea
Early North Korean nationalism was socialist patriotism based on Marxism–Leninism, but it was replaced by Juche. This ideology has historically been closely related to Korean nationalism and reunification; beginning in 2023, North Korea abandoned the goal of reunification and stopped emphasizing national ties with South Korea, instead designating South as an hostile state.
South Korea
South Korean nationalism is a form of nationalism that stands out in the South Korea. In the 20th century, South Korean nationalism was hardly distinguished from anti-communist Korean nationalism, but South Korean nationalism in the 21st century has relatively weakened the ethno-nationalism of "Korean people" and the state identity of "Republic of Korea" is more prominent among the some youth. Today, South Korea–based state nationalism is advocated by some conservative forces, while left-leaning forces are more inclined to anti-imperialistic ethnic nationalism.Cloudy forecast for Moon's 'Sunshine Policy 2.0' East Asia Forum (2017. 07. 20).
In 1945, Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule, the northern Korea was occupied by the Soviet Union, and the southern Korea was occupied by the United States. by the United States. Northern Korea was quickly taken over by the communists, with Kim Il Sung as the focal point, so from early in 1947, Syngman Rhee insisted on establishing a "separate government in South Korea" (남한 단독 정부), acknowledging the difficulties in establishing a unified Korean government. Rhee's stance faced opposition from many pan-Korean nationalists.김인식 / kim In sik (2009). 대한민국 정부수립과 안재홍: 정부수립주체론을 중심으로 [The Establishment of the Republic of Korea and An Jae-Hong: An Analysis of the Theory of Leadership for the New Government]. vol.8, no.1, pp. 5-25. "남한단독정부수립이 현실화하는 상황에서, 안재홍은‘순정우익’의 개념으로 중간우파의 이념지표를 제시하며 이들을 정치세력화하려 하였다." [The establishment of a separate government in South Korea was becoming a reality and under such circumstances An Jae-Hong attempted to organize the moderate right into a political power by presenting ‘Pure Rightists’(Sunj˘ong Uik) as their ideological principle.]. Park Chung-hee, who became president in 1961, insisted on "development first, unification later" (선경제 후통일), as he began to place more emphasis on the South Korean economy than on Korean unification.Frederick Betz (January 2013). Prime-movers in a commodity industry. p. 303. Modern South Korean nationalist and patriotic sentiments are deeply related to Park's legacy.
Gukppong (국뽕) is a derogatory Korean word that is used to pejoratively describe a South Korean nationalist. The word is made up of the Korean word guk (), which means country or state, and ppong () which is believed to have originated from the word philopon , which is a Japanese slang for the drug methamphetamine. As a result, the word literally means "intoxicated with nationalism".
Mongolia Yumjaagiin Tsedenbal during the People's Republic of Mongolia is an example of state nationalism.
Singapore
Singaporean nationalism is regarded as an example of 'authoritarian civic nationalism' or 'state nationalism'; Singapore establishes English as its official language, enforces an Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP), defends state authority through strict law enforcement, and instills the identity of being Singaporean people. In Singapore's state nationalist discourses, the "Pioneer Generation" is emphasized; these are those born before December 31, 1949, who led the independence and early growth of the Republic of Singapore, and those who acquired Singaporean citizenship before December 31, 1986; their diligence and adherence to the national strategy formulated by the state are deeply connected to Singapore's flourishing and rise.
Lee Kuan Yew was the first Singaporean leader to emphasize a nation which created a national interest amongst the splintered cultures of Singapore. This was done as a transformative approach to the national hegemony at the time which was eroding due to a lapse in time from the historical conditions that led to the original underlying Marxist ideology of the PAP, among other things.Chua, Beng-Huat (1995). Communitarian Ideology and Democracy in Singapore. Routledge, . Although it may have been the pragmatic approach to Marxism that was the catalyst of a First World Singapore, it was also Lee Kuan Yew's national interest approach which allowed the success of Singapore to grow. The weakening hold of pragmatism acted as a Petri dish allowing for new concepts such as communitarianism to implant itself in the national consciousness. Recent global political trends tend to fill pragmatic voids with liberal democracy such as after the fall of the Soviet Union and most of its satellite nations. However, due to Singapore's majority ethnic Chinese (coupled with a sense of retaliatory ethnic pride against the then recent Malaysian expulsion) and its Confucian mentality, formal democratic processes were framed within a communitarian ideology. This ideological communitarian veil over Singaporean democracy includes such actions as the PAP's attempt to redirect cultural and political development towards traditional values. This redirection was perceived as way of resisting the "corrupting influences of an incipient Westernisation", or in other words a way to Confucianise society.Said, Edward (1979). Orientalism. New York: Vintage.
Turkey
Kemalism can also be referred to as Turkish state nationalism.
Vietnam In Vietnam, the expression chủ nghĩa quốc gia, dating back to the 1930s, came to refer to anti-communist nationalism, particularly in the Republic of Vietnam during the height of the Cold War.
Europe Belarus The Belaya Rus has been described as a political party, a state nationalist, pro-Russian–Belarusian integration, and as a party whose purpose is to promote the interests of Alexander Lukashenko.
France State nationalism during the French Revolution, also referred to as "Jacobin nationalism", was civic in character but collectivist in doctrine. The legacy of the revolution laid the groundwork for long-term state-led nationalism, which later culminated in the late 19th century with the institutional focus on "turning peasants into Frenchmen". This process involved the "invention of tradition" within the nation, achieved by documenting national histories, erecting monuments in public spaces, and producing patriotic artworks to forge a unified national identity.
Integral nationalism (as argued by the French far-right theorist Charles Maurras) is closely linked to state nationalism, which is an attempt to create an integrated and clearly defined nation-state through a centrally manipulated state ideology. For example, aiming for a single-language state despite the existence of multiple languages within a state's borders. As Umut Özkırımlı states, "civic" (or "state") nations can be as intolerant and cruel as the so-called "ethnic" nations, citing French Jacobin techniques of persecution that were utilized by 20th-century fascists.
Gaullism, a centre-right French conservative ideology that emerged in the 20th century, is linked to the Bonapartist tradition; Charles de Gaulle established parties based on centralized state nationalism.
Italy In Italian fascism, state nationalist sentiment appears in the slogan Benito Mussolini: "Tutto nello Stato, niente al di fuori dello Stato, nulla contro lo Stato" ("Everything in the State, nothing outside the State, nothing against the State"); this illustrates the fascist principle of statolatry, where the state is elevated to a spiritual entity that absorbs all aspects of private and national life.
Russia
Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian nationalism, due to its imperialist character, is closer to a multi-ethnic, corporatist, cult of personality and fascistic state-nationalism than to a single ethno-nationalism; since the early 2010s, the Putin regime has been suppressing ethnic nationalism in Russia (whether ethno-Russian chauvinism or ethnic separatism). Putin’s discourse on state nationalism speaks of a linear development toward a bright future, emphasizing only the bright side of life while ignoring the dark side; it was influenced by Soviet nationalism.
Former Soviet Union
Spain
Francoism is marked by 'state nationalism' based on authoritarianism.
North America United States