Actually, most European states were not monoethnic. Not only is there the glaring example of the Austrian Empire, but the Russian Empire as well. Additionally, Poland embraced large minorities of Jews, Ukrainians, Lithuanians, and Germans at various times. In France, not only are there large ethnic divisions among the various regions (Brittany and Normandy have a largely Celtic and Scandinavian background, for example), but the indigenous dialectics were, at the beginning of the century, almost different languages. In Spain, the regions do practically speak different languages, such as Catalan, and the Galicia is considered to speak a dialect of Portugese. Britain is certainly not monoethnic, even without Ireland. In Italy, the North has more of a Germanic (Ostrogothic) mix, and the South is more Mediterranean. Sicilians practically speak a different language, as do those in the poorest parts of the south. Belgium is, of course, binational, and Switzerland trinational. Scandinavia is fairly homogeneous (discounting the Laps), and so is Germany. On the other hand, I have known a few Bavarians, for example, and they generally despise Prussians, so I presume that there is a good deal of regionalism even in Germany.
In any event, I did not say that self- determination was not a legitimate principle, but that it had to be balanced against other things, that it is not a trump card. I think that minorities should usually seek constitutional guarantees or limited autonomy, but sometimes separation is the only way to escape oppression. My beef is with the incipient racialism inherent with ethnic self- determination. I do not like any concession to the Volk concept, the idea that "organic democracy" requires affinities of "blood and soil". I think it is one thing to admit that social stability requires control of immigration and the expectation that most immigrants will assimilate, and another to favor Volga Germans, whose ancestors last saw Germany in the 18th century, and who do not speak the language, in the quest for citizenship over Turks who have been spent their working lives in Germany, for example....... |
