This archive report was first published on 3 July 2019.
Published on July 3, 2019, a fascinating aspect of 19th-century nationalism was its cosmopolitan nature. Many prominent nationalists, including the revolutionary Giuseppe Mazzini, sought to unite nations across borders and promote international understanding.
As nationalism radicalized in the early 20th century, nationalists continued to pursue internationalist ambitions, often uniting against perceived left-wing threats. One key thinker, Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia University, distinguished between 'colloidal' and 'crystalline' internationalism in his 1918 tract 'A World in Ferment.'
Butler dismissed colloidal internationalism as impractical, while advocating for crystalline internationalism, which emphasized nationalistic and patriotic sentiments. This ideology influenced the formation of organizations like the Geneva International, founded in 1924, which aimed to defend national principles worldwide.
Europe's Fascist movements between the world wars engaged in international cooperation, including world congresses and rallies. The Conference of Fascist Parties in Montreux, Switzerland, convened by Mussolini in 1934, sought to forge a transnational coalition against socialism and liberal democracy.
As George Orwell observed in 1937, Fascism was becoming an international movement, with regimes founding organizations to engage with like-minded groups worldwide.
