[MTVN]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Patriotism is different in every country, based on their history, surely?

English/British history is based on purely on Empire and so English patriotism and pride is rooted in that, and therefore, the illusion of power and presence and "a place on the world stage(!!!)" tends to be a very important concept within English patriotism.

Smaller countries like Scotland / Ireland which have a very specific internal culture unrelated to global politics have a different sense of patriotism. There's a lot of self-deprication, humour, and "underdog" stuff in there that you don't get in England (because England thinks it's a big-boy, not an underdog).

To use another example: American patriotism finds its roots in the idea of being newer / better / and importantly, personal freedom, and a sense of self-sufficiency. Again there's no humour in their patriotism; it's firmly "we are THE best" probably more than any other country in the world. All of which of course stem from colonization and independence.

Russia, Israel and South Africa are other interesting ones, for examples of different / unique forms of patriotism...

I don't know, I think that view is more a product of recent history and the surge for Scottish independence. It doesn't make sense to see the Empire as an 'English' phenomenon because a lot of the most enthusiastic Empire builders were Scots and the whole thing permeated through Scotland just as much as it did England.

The British Empire was never wholly English, of course, or even predominantly so. Scotland had its own colonial enterprises before the Act of Union (1707), and afterwards arguably contributed more to their joint imperial project than its southern neighbour. Of course you don’t find the Scots celebrating this much now, as imperialism is no longer generally considered to have been A Good Thing and the idea that they were colonial victims seems a better card to play for a people striving (some of them) for national independence

http://www.historytoday.com/blog/201....VoPjOluu.dpuf

I don't really think that patriotism differs that much across different countries, some might think they have better reason to feel 'pride' in their country than others but its still essentially the same phenomenon.