nation-building
Forging national identity
Nation-building is the process of constructing or strengthening a national identity and the institutions that support it—government, infrastructure, economy, civil society.
The term often refers to efforts by outside powers to stabilize and develop countries after conflict or regime change: Critics questioned whether nation-building in Afghanistan could succeed.
It can also describe internal efforts to forge unity among diverse populations: The new government prioritized nation-building through education reform.
Freedom from external control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- self-ruleGovernance without outside control
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
decolonization · liberation · nationhood · recognition · legitimacy · self-governance · enfranchisement · empowerment
Unity among allies
- cohesionTendency to bind together
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
- integrationCombining into a whole
- pluralismCoexistence of differing views
tolerance · inclusivity · multiculturalism · brotherhood · community · peacebuilding · healing · bilingualism
Inherent physical or structural makeup
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- reformImprove by correcting faults
- democratizationTransition toward popular rule
- parliamentNational legislative assembly
elections · administration · bureaucracy · judiciary · decentralization · federalism · statecraft · accountability
Inherited cultural legacy
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
- flagCloth symbol or signal
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
- artsCreative disciplines collectively
literature · folklore · symbols · monuments · museums · historiography · ceremonies · memorials
Transition to factory-based economy
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
- educationSystematic development of mind
- healthcareOrganized provision of treatment
- literacyAbility to read, write
employment · investment · entrepreneurship · microfinance · electrification
Major intercity roads
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- damsWater-blocking structures
- electricityEnergy from charged particles
- telecommunicationsRemote signal transmission technology
airports · railways · sanitation · construction · roads · housing · ports · schools
independence
Freedom from external control
- self-determinationControl over one's fate
- statehoodCondition of being sovereign
- self-ruleGovernance without outside control
autonomy · decolonization · liberation · nationhood · recognition · legitimacy · self-governance · enfranchisement · empowerment · citizenship
solidarity
Unity among allies
- cohesionTendency to bind together
- reconciliationRestoration of friendly relations
- integrationCombining into a whole
pluralism · tolerance · inclusivity · multiculturalism · brotherhood · community · peacebuilding · healing · bilingualism · interfaith
constitution
Inherent physical or structural makeup
- legislationOfficial enactment of statutes
- reformImprove by correcting faults
- democratizationTransition toward popular rule
parliament · elections · administration · bureaucracy · judiciary · decentralization · federalism · statecraft · accountability · transparency
heritage
Inherited cultural legacy
- languageSystem of symbolic communication
- flagCloth symbol or signal
- traditionsLong-established customs passed down
arts · literature · folklore · symbols · monuments · museums · historiography · ceremonies · memorials · iconography
industrialization
Transition to factory-based economy
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
- educationSystematic development of mind
- healthcareOrganized provision of treatment
literacy · employment · investment · entrepreneurship · microfinance · electrification
highways
Major intercity roads
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- damsWater-blocking structures
- electricityEnergy from charged particles
telecommunications · airports · railways · sanitation · construction · roads · housing · ports · schools · hospitals
- founding historyfounders, framers, charter, constitution, declaration
- developmentgrowth, progress, advancement, expansion, improvement
- governancegovernance, government, democracy, vote, parliament
- Latin AmericaArgentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Cuba
- African historyNubia, Dahomey, Oyo Empire, Scramble for Africa, scramble for Africa
- African IndependenceNelson Mandela, independence movement, freedom fighters, anti-colonial, armed struggle
nation-buildingconquest
Defeating and seizing control
destabilization · colonization · imperialism · military occupation · exploitation
nation-buildingbalkanization
Division into hostile units
fragmentation · secession · partition · separatism · dissolution
nation-buildingmilitary occupation
Foreign army's territorial administration
invasion · smash and grab · shock and awe · hit and run · abandonment
build, building, builder, nation, national, nationalism, international, nationality, multinational