НАЦИОНАЛИЗАМ — ИДЕОЛОГИЈА ВЛАДАЈУЋИХ ПОЛИТИЧКИХ СНАГА
NATIONALISM — IDEOLOGY OF THE RULING POLITICAL FORCES

Summary/Abstract: Torsten Veblen, a well-known American sociologist, research worker and critic of the conditions of development of the contemporary capitalist society, has devoted considerable attention to the research of nations and the formation of the ideology of nationalism. The fundamental presumption of his research has been that the significant role in the creation of „national myths”, which in the capitalist society have been the constituting element of the ruling ideology, is played by the privileged social class. Namely, Veblen is of the opinion that the capitalist system within the so-called legal state is also maintained by the ruling system of values, the „acquired ideals or ideas”, just as the values of the „money culture” are predominantly expressed in „excessive consuption”, and also in the expression of national peculiarities and national exclusiveness and the overemphasized role of the nation in the social community. In this way, the capitalist system manages to eliminate the conscienceness of class differences, which, according to his opinion, has a weakening effect on the role of the working class in the process of changing the society. His other presumption is that, in accordance with the current social conditions, nationalism in the capitalist system has the opportunity of being transformed into national militarism. Conditions fostering this transformation are those of social and economic crises. He has anticipated such a course of development for Germany and Japan as far back as in 1904.

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