Nationalism is inevitably racist – analyse and evaluate this statement.

one paragraph example answer for A level politics AQA ideology 25 marker -
Nationalism can be argued to be inevitably racist through the analysis of Maurras’s view of Nationalism. Maurras stressed the racist element of nationalism and argued that ethnic identity is a key aspect of our human consciousness. He also believed that some races were integrally superior to others; in particular the French State. This subsequently means that not all races are as important as others and therefore, do not always need the same level as respect. Maurras has had a strong effect on modern French nationalist movements such as the National Rally Party which is led by Marie Le Pen. This shows that his views of nationalism being connected to race are still incredibly influential in the modern day. However, this analysis can undermine by the contrasting views of von Herder. Herder did not view race as the unifying factor of a nation but rather stressed language to be more important. While this could be viewed as contradiction to Maurras’ views, Herder could be seen to emphasize them through his inclusion that the inclusion of any external/ foreign language would be a threat to the cultural well-being within the particular nation. He states that the best culture, and subsequently the best nation, thrives only by the means of ancestral dialect. His theory can therefore be seen to facilitate racial exclusivity. Overall, it can be determined that both Maurras and, to an extent, Herder both contribute to the idea that Nationalism can be seen as inevitably racist.