the context of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, Qu’est-ce qu’une Nation? was preceded by La Guerre entre la France et l’Allemagne (The War Between France and Germany).2 My aim here is to analyse Renan’s message with regard to the formation of a united Europe as well as the integration of former Communist countries in the European federation. What was the main point of Renan’s analysis? That the nation is ‘an idea that seems clear and straightforward, but which, if misinterpreted, could prove dangerous’. Human experience has varied greatly over the course of history, and to ignore this would lead to serious misunderstandings of the past and the present. For example, Athens and Sparta were organised differently than autonomous states such as France or England; densely populated regions such as China, Egypt or ancient Babylon were unlike the Carolingian Empire, which was composed of different nations; communities without a nation – for example, the Jews in late antiquity and the Middle Ages – defined their identity through religion, setting them apart from communities that belonged to confederations such as Switzerland. Renan distinguishes between nations with different socio-political structures, suggesting that it is impossible to adopt an umbrella term that would include all kinds of identities, as the historical context, as well as the religion, language and race of different communities, gives them their own specific characteristics: Classical antiquity featured republics, municipal royalty, confederations, local republics, empires; it did not have nations in the way we might understand the term... Athens, Sparta, Sidon and Tyre were centres of patriotism, but they were relatively small kingdoms. Before their absorption into the Roman Empire, Gaul, Spain and Italy were ensembles of communities often linked together, but without central institutions or dynasties. The Assyrian Empire, the Persian Empire and Alexander’s empire were not homelands. There have never been Assyrian patriots; the Persian Empire was a vast feudal system. No nation traces its origins back to Alexander’s colossal adventures, despite their significant impact on the general history of civilisation. The Roman Empire was closer than any of these to being a homeland… It 64
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