Rebels against Rome: 5 case studies of modern uses of ancient figures for nationalist purposes

The study of nationalism throughout the 19th and 20th century is an important topic that many historians see as the prologue to both World War I, World War II, and the end of the Cold War. However, despite the amount of research done on nationalism, this paper will look into what methods modern leaders use to bring forth this sense of nationalism. A rewarding line of research to pursue is how leaders look towards the past and expose the strength and resilience that their ancestors had when fighting for their independence. The reason this is important is that it helps us understand how history is powerful enough to galvanize and unite a nation during tough times and how fascist and authoritarian governments use these tactics to gain power. In order to do so, I use 5 case studies to analyze how leaders exploit national legends. By doing so, I was able to identify certain themes such as national identity, nationalism, imperialism, and the alteration of ancient figures. These themes will help us understand how leaders and nations used ancient figures for their own political propaganda so that we can prevent the rise of fascists and authoritarian governments in the future.M.A.Includes bibliographical referencesby Bishoy Gari