Patriotism -- a Social and Term Paper

The vast majority of human beings never ventured beyond the local region of their birth and knew very little, if anything, about human affairs elsewhere, much less in other nations. In fact, many people may never have known what country they lived in. The Enlightenment brought technology that increased communication and travel to distant regions. As nation states developed from many previously isolated communities, monarchs and oligarchies tended to promote the concept of patriotism and loyalty to royal families for the purpose of suppressing rebellion, maintaining power and authority, and funding major expenses such as wars for territory and resources fought against other nation states.That mechanism probably culminated in World War I when millions of young European men known as the "lost generation" died fighting one another, many of them without any understanding of the reasons why, let alone any personal animus for their battlefield enemies. Ultimately, the reality of mechanized warfare did a lot to diminish the traditional "glory" of war between nation states......