Kde se Gellner mýlil? : modernizační teorie nacionalismu Ernesta Gellnera aplikovaná na Řecko v 19. století

The present paper assesses how applicable Ernest Gellner's modernization theory of nationalism is to the Greek national movement of the 19th century. The aim is to challenge Gellner's theory and its claims that industrialization is causally linked to nationalism. Gellner contends industrialization and modernization always precede nationalism. He says economic factors lay the groundwork for the emergence and spread of nationalism. But the historical development of modern Greek nationalism largely disconfirms Gellner by showing that the phenomenon was mainly the outcome of cultural factors. The formative period of a modern nation in the Balkans, as studied in this paper, remained unaffected by the revolutionary economic and social changes described by Gellner. The erosion of traditional social bonds and the initiation of industrialization in Greece in fact followed the introduction of nationalism as the leading political principle. Gellner's claim that it was nationalism that created nations does, however, find partial confirmation. Using the example of Greece, the paper demonstrates that the newly created state was consolidated by establishing unified administrative systems, national cultures, and irredentist policies. In conformance with Gellner's theory, these steps are seen to strengthen the identification between the people, the state, and the nascent nation. Gellner's modernization theory is thus perceived as insufficient for explaining why nationalism emerges in underdeveloped states such as Greece, but partly successful in describing the forces behind the spread of the phenomenon.