Both the industrial revolution and nationalistic movements rapidly developed in the 19th century. Nevertheless, even considering all the effects of the industrial revolution on nationalism, they are different. The industrial revolution had a social impact but was mainly related to technological changes, whereas nationalistic ideology related more to economic and political changes. Therefore, it is safe to say that the only similarity between the industrial revolution and the nationalistic movement is the period of rapid development, whereas, in other aspects, they significantly differ and can hardly be compared.
The industrial revolution began in the second half of the eighteenth century in Britain and extended around the world from there. The term was used to describe the process of economic transition rather than a specific period. This explains why certain regions, such as India and China, did not experience their industrial revolutions before the twentieth century, while other countries, such as the U.S. and western Europe, saw the second industrialization by the late nineteenth century. The first generation of nationalistic movements peaked during the European revolutions of 1848, which saw Germany and Italy reunited. The second wave hit Europe around the close of the nineteenth century. Nationalist movements quickly expanded throughout Asia and Africa. Nationalist movements were a global phenomenon in the twentieth century. This means that these events took place around the same time. The industrial revolution happened in the period between the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while the nationalistic movements started spreading in the nineteenth century and peaked in the twentieth century.
A nationalistic movement is a sociopolitical movement aimed at achieving and sustaining national identity and independence among a group of people considered a nation by some of its members. The driving ideology’s core concept, nationalism, is to maintain national interest or identity as the major basis for political decisions. The process of transitioning from an agricultural and manually made products economy to one driven by technology and machine production is known as the Industrial Revolution. These technological advancements revolutionized civilization by introducing new methods of working and living. Industrialization had a strong effect on the development of nationalistic movements in Europe as it connected the economic aspects of the society to its cultural and political life. Nevertheless, it cannot be called a similarity between them, as it is just the influence of one another. As mentioned previously, they had different areas of development. The nationalistic movement is a sociopolitical phenomenon, whereas the industrial revolution is a technological and economic change.
Another difference between the two of these phenomena is their duration. Whereas the industrial revolution ended long ago, nationalistic movements still exist in contemporary society. As mentioned earlier, industrialization finished its development in the twentieth century. Even though the nationalistic movements peaked in the twentieth century, they are still relevant nowadays. They have evolved, and they do not necessarily lead to aggressive actions, wars, and genocides that happened in the past century. Instead, they are implemented in different political movements, and in many countries, nationalism manifests more in developing nations’ interests as countries, which is different from discriminating against ethnic groups. Therefore, there is no process of industrialization anymore, whereas nationalism is still present.
In conclusion, there are more differences between nationalism and the industrial revolution than similarities. Besides them taking place in somewhat similar periods, there are no other aspects of them that resemble them. Nationalism is a sociopolitical movement that started developing in the nineteenth century and still exists today. The industrial revolution is a technological and economic process of transitioning from manual labor to industrial manufacturing that ended in the twentieth century. Therefore, the industrial revolution and nationalistic movements are different in most of their characteristics.