We have seen that nationalism can unite people as well as divide them, liberate them as well generate bitterness and conflict. Illustrate your answer with examples.

Explanation

Nationalism requires to be studied due to its important role in the world affairs:
(a) Nationalism has united the people and divided them also to liberate them from oppressive rule and has been the cause of conflict and wars.
(b) Nationalism has contributed to the drawing and re-drawing of the boundaries of states and empires.
(c) Nationalism has been a factor in the break of empires and states.
(d) Nationalism has gone through various processes/passes, i.e. it led to the unification of a number of small kingdoms into large nation states as Italy, Germany, etc.
(e) Even at present a large part of the world is divided into different nation- state s and separatist struggles within existing states are common.
(f) Nationalism has also accompanied to the break up of empires like Austro- Hungarian (in the end of 1919 or 1920), break of colonial Britain, France, Dutch and Portuguese in Asia and Africa.