How did nationalism develop through culture in Europe? Explain.

                                                                         OR

How did Paul Bernard argue in favour of economic development of Vietnam?

Culture played an important role in creating the idea of a nation; art and poetry, stories and music helped express and shape nationalist feelings.

(i) Romanticism, a cultural movement, sought to develop a particular form of nationalist sentiment. Romantic artists and poets generally criticised the glorification of reason and science and rather focused on emotions, intuitions and mystical feelings. Their efforts was to create a sense of shared collective heritage, a common cultural past, as the basis of a nation.

(ii) Collecting and recording of different forms of folk culture was essential to the project of nation building. For example, Karol Kurpinski celebrated the national struggle through opera and music, turned folk dances like the 'polonaise & mazurka' into nationalist symbols.

(iii) Language too played an important role in developing nationalist sentiments. After Russian occupation, the Russian language was imposed in schools as medium of education. The use of Polish language came to be seen as symbol of the struggle against Russian dominance.