The Importance of History to National Identity

History plays a crucial role in national identity, because it is the events of the past that shape people's perceptions of themselves and the nation they belong to. Of course, events from hundreds of years ago may seem irrelevant to today's population, but it is the shared experiences of a nation's inhabitants which creates a sense of belonging. Children are taught about past battles that were fought, about great leaders and social changes that took place. There are television programmes which show clips from the past that are almost cemented in the collective mind of a population, so that certain historical events will never be forgotten.

Indeed, it is imperative that the past is not forgotten, because the past serves as a reminder that there hasn't always been harmony within a nation and between nations. The past is often characterised by periods of strife and discord, as well as harmony. The experiences of women, indigenous populations and immigrants were clearly somewhat different to those of white, middle-class men, and it is important to recognise how a struggle for recognition and equality has managed to drive change. To be able to understand the predominant view of a nation's identity, you have to look at the differences within a nation, as well as the commonalities that have unified people.

It is always going to be difficult to pinpoint what a national identity actually is, because nationality means different things to different people. Where you are born is the predominant determinant of a person's nationality, but some people have dual nationality because of their parents' heritage, whilst others are born in one place but decide to change nationality later on. Being born in a country doesn't necessarily mean you're going to take on that particular national identity. Even if you're born in a country and live there all your life, you may not necessarily accept the prevailing notions of what your national identity should be.

After all, the education you receive and the images you're exposed to may shape your attitudes towards national identity, but these images are subjective. If you're continually exposed to the idea that your nation is superior to every other nation in the world and that you're the best at everything, it can be hard to stand up and say that you don't necessarily accept that viewpoint. You're surrounded by people who are exposed to similar ideas about the past which apparently help to keep the nation united, and so it is hard to challenge other people's preconceptions and to argue that national identity is actually an artificial construction.

There are certain images from a nation's past that will live on forever. Nobody is going to forget the pictures of London being bombed during the blitz and the British stiff-upper lipped stoicism that apparently prevailed. Britain has undergone a great deal of change since World War Two, yet is it the image of Londoners carrying on as normal despite the turmoil going on around them that Britons latch on to, regardless of its accuracy. Perhaps, it is reassuring for people who are diverse in so many ways to have something that appears to unite them.