When Italian statesman Massimo D'Azeglio spoke those words in 1861, Italy was in the late stages of what is commonly referred to as its "unification." The process didn't conclude until 1871, when the peninsula's disparate states were merged into their modern territorial form under the ideals of republicanism. Italian unification, however, was only a part of a broader political transformation -- nationalism -- that shook the world from the late 18th century onward. As the world heads in the direction of more nationalistic politics from Arkansas to Austria, now is a good time to take the long view on nationalism and try to project its future....
