Glazier 1

Hugh Glazier
Mr. Hakim
English 10
4 October 2014
The American Ieolog!
On "o#ember $% 1&1'% the (orl (as change )ore#er. *eon Trotsk! an +laimir *enin le
their ,olshe#ik -art! to -o(er against the .ussian -ro#isional re-ublic% establishing the ne( /o#iet
regime in .ussia. This cause massi#e backlash )rom man! nations% as this (as the )irst time a )ar0
le)tist go#ernment (as e#er establishe 1 es-eciall! in a nation (ith such a high -o-ulation as .ussia.
This can be seen in multi-le ne(s-a-er articles% 2ust like this "e( 3ork Times article. 45rom the outset
o) re#olution% the! ha#e th(arte e))orts o) moerate go#ernments.6 74E8tremists9 .ise to :o(er in
.ussia6 1;. E#en no(% the ieals o) <ommunism% ,olshe#ism% an the /o#iet ientit! are largel!
)ro(ne u-on in America% o)ten ismisse as threatening the 4)reeom6 an 4libert!6 o) the American
ientit!.
:erha-s this is because the /o#iet <ommunists estro!e -re#ious national ientities%
attem-ting to create /o#iet -atriotism in -lace o) )ame .ussian an other /la#ic -atriotism. One o)
Trotsk!9s man! )ame s-eeches is-la!s this ieal #er! (ell. 4An (hat the =krainian -eo-le...the
*ettish -eo-le% the *ithuanian -eo-le% the ,elorussian -eo-le% are the! set on se-arating )rom us (ith a
stone (all> "o? The! (ant a closel!0knit% )rienl! union.6 7Trotsk!% 4A =nite /o#iet .e-ublic o) All
:eo-les6;. The Americans sa( this 9E8tremism9 as a -ossible threat to their ientit! 1 an e#en a
-ossible cause )or re#olution. Man! Americans toa! (ill sa! that their ientit! is about being 9)ree9
an being a 9guarian o) emocrac!.9 Ho(e#er% the /tate o) @orl *ibert! Ine89s 2014 ranks on9t
e#en -ut America in the to- 10. 7/tate o) @orl *ibert! Ine8;. This brings into Auestion the legitimac!
o) the American ieals.
Glazier 2
This /o#iet ieal o) remo#ing nationalit! an turning the (orl into a global union% sim-l!
turning countries into regions% nationalit! into ethnicit! cou-le (ith the isillusionment (ith the
American ientit!% brings u- the AuestionB coul the same be one (ith the American ientit! as the
/o#iets i (ith the .ussian one> Co the communist ieals sho( that nationalit! -erha-s is 2ust being
born on one -iece o) groun rather than another> In other (ors% in our -art o) the (orl% oes the
American ientit! actuall! e8ist>
This .ussian re#olution (as -erha-s the )irst s-ark )or )ar0le)t mo#ements an )urther
re#olution aroun the (orl. One o) the )irst ones o) these (as the organization o) ,olshe#ik
re#olutions aroun eastern an central Euro-e 1 (ith the )ormation o) the ,a#arian /o#iet .e-ublic%
the Hungarian /o#iet .e-ublic% the /lo#ak /o#iet .e-ublic% an so on. The most thing that these
nations ha in common (ere their )lags 1 the! (ere all com-letel! re. Man! -eo-le )eare this to be
the a(n o) the Mar8ist ieal o) global re#olution% (here the (hole (orl (oul rise u- uner the
banner o) communism an uni)! the (orl in a stateless an classless societ!. 7McDa! et al. &02;. This
re )lag (as most likel! use )or (hat seeme to be the beginning o) global re#olution )or one reason 1
the elimination o) national ientit!. This brought not onl! the Auestion o) the 9melting -ot9 American
ientit!% but the more soli an e)ine German% /la#ic% an Hungarian ientities in orer to uni)! them
uner a re banner 1 an the hammer an sickle. This brings u- more Auestions as to a -ossible
communist re#olution in America% estro!ing this national ientit!. It is in )act -ossible that America
coul be )l!ing re )lags as a ,olshe#ik nation instea o) the /o#iet =nion% in the case that a
communist re#olution gaine su--ort here. Histor! (oul change #astl! uner this banner% an -erha-s
the American ientit! (oul ha#e not e#elo-e )urther 1 but instea ha#e been shattere.
Much o) American nationalism is base aroun the )lag. The )lag is much like a sort o)
o#erla!ing s!mbol )or America 1 (e -lege our allegiance to it% (e salute it% (e raise it an see it
e#er!(here% all )rom the age o) three in -re0school% an in some cases% be)ore that. This is
Glazier E
uncom)ortabl! similar to other inoctrination -rinci-les seen in more e8treme societies% such as the
Hitler 3outh an the /talinist eucation -rograms. The )lag is also much like the /(astika an -ortraits
o) Hitler uring the Thir .eich 1 sim-le s!mbols meaning e#otion to the state% acting as )urther
inoctrination to both the American -eo-le an German "azis res-ecti#el!. Ho(e#er% the ieals o) the
American )lag9s meaning% the /(astika an the /o#iet hammer an sickle i))er. "azi German! )ocuse
on racism an e8treme nationalism% /o#iet eucation )ocuse on es-ising the u--er class% but the
American )lag s!mbolizes )reeom an eAualit!. Ces-ite these i))erences% the! all seem to make
e8cuses )or the state being able to o (hat it (ants% es-ite the (ill o) the -eo-le in the )ormer t(o
nations% an the ieals in the American ientit!. Through inoctrination o) the American -eo-le through
the )lag% America can in-ut -olicies against immigration% something #astl! against the ieals o) eAualit!
an )reeom. 5or e8am-le% in moern -olic!% (e ha#e a (all stretching across the entire Me8ican
borer% )orcing Me8icans (ho (ant to lea#e the northern regions% (ar0torn b! rug cartels% to sta! an
risk eath. These -olicies are backe b! a certain right0(inge -art! 1 the .e-ublican :art!% o)ten seen
(a#ing )lags an -reaching 9eAualit!9 (hile getting u-set o#er America letting in e#en a small amount
o) immigrants. This can be seen o)ten in current e#ents% (ith an attack a b! the :art! against
immigration on the 1$
th
o) /e-tember% this !ear. 7,enen;. This is increibl! h!-ocritical against the )lag
an its ieals% es-ite the .e-ublicans being the more nationalist -olitical -art!% !et again bringing into
Auestion the realit! o) the American ientit!% as o--ose to it being a (a! )or -olitical -arties to control
the #ast ma2orit!% something that the <ommunists (ante to remo#e in aition to nationalit!.
There are o) course man! -eo-le (ho (oul use American nationalism itsel) to -ro#e American
nationalit!. There are man! 2ust things that -eo-le su--ort b! )l!ing the )lag an su--orting America 1
one o) the ma2or ones o) these being su--orting troo-s uring (artime b! )l!ing the )lag an stating
that the! 9su--ort our troo-s.9 This action% ho(e#er% is barel! e#en relate to the American nationalit!%
instea it is sim-l! su--orting the people (ho )ight )or the American go#ernment% !et (e still sa! that
Glazier 4
America is oing all o) the (ork. The iea o) soliers being #aliant heroes is also something that has
been ingraine in the American -eo-le9s heas since a !oung age% 2ust like the su-eriorit! o) the
American )lag. These ha#e connections in that it eucates Americans into e#oting themsel#es to the
state% e#en su--orting (ars that the American go#ernment creates 1 the recent con)licts in the Mile
East% )or e8am-le. I remember% in multi-le graes% (riting -ostcars starting (ith 4Cear Mr. /olier%6
or 4Thank !ou Mr. /olier%6 thanking them )or their ser#ice to the countr! an ho( the! -rotect us an
kee- us sa)e. Ho(e#er% staning behin the troo-s (ho are )ighting )or America% ho(e#er% cannot be
-ro-erl! re-resente b! the American )lag because it has nothing to o (ith nationalism.
Man! other Auestions arise )rom the Auestioning o) nationalit! an nationalism. 5or one% is this
unit! bene)icial to America as a state> In man! other nations% minorities e8ist (hich consier
themsel#es to be nationals o) other countries 1 the ethnic .ussians scattere throughout the lans
)ormerl! o(ne b! the =//. an the Durs in Iran% IraA% Turke!% an /!ria )or e8am-le%
emonstrating those states9 lack o) unit!. This arguabl! has resulte in re#olts in these -laces. Ho(e#er%
this American unit! coul also be argue to be estro!ing the culture o) immigrants. In aition% oes
this American )orm o) nationalism e8ist in other countries> It9s com-letel! -ossible that there are states
that are )unctioning or attem-ting to )unction in a (a! similar to the American ientit! (hen )acing
culture. @ith the rise o) ,olshe#ism an the (ant to estro! culture% coul this bring u- the argument
that culture has onl! -re#ente humanit! )rom bettering itsel) through racism as (ell>
Glazier F
@orks <ite
,enen% /te#e. G.e-ublicans coalesce aroun anti0immigration message.G MSNBC 1$ /e-t. 2014B n.
-ag. :rint.
GEHT.EMI/T/9 .I/E TO :O@E. I" .=//IA.G New York Times I"e( 3orkJ & "o#. 1&1'B n. -ag.
:rint.
McDa!% Kohn :.% et al. A History of Western Society. <om-. Merr! E. @iesner0Hanks. "e( 3orkB
Houghton% n.. :rint.
G/tate o) @orl *ibert! Ine8 2014 .ankings.G State of World Liberty Inde. ".-.% n.. @eb. 2& /e-t.
2014. Lhtt-BMM(((.stateo)(orllibert!.orgMine8.htmlN.
Trotsk!% *eon. GA =nite /o#iet .e-ublic o) All :eo-les.G :etrogra. /-eech.