From the end of the Second World War until the recent break-up of the communist regimes, there has been a widespread assumption that the age of nationalism had passed and that nationalism was made up of a set of dangerous and disastrous ideas.

States and Nationalism examines the ceaseless controversies surrounding the ideas of the nation and nationalism and shows that they are very far from dead in twenty-first century Europe. Beginning by defining these terms and setting out theories and concepts clearly and concisely, this book analyzes the impact of nationalism since the Second World War, covering themes that include the relationship of nationalism to the Cold War; the re-emergence of demands by stateless nations; European integration and globalization and their effects; immigration since the 1970s; the effects of nationalism on the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, and Yugoslavia.