Abstract
Nationalism has been presented on many occasions as an enemy of freedom and liberalism, and it is true that it can be a foe on some occasions. However, Jesús Huerta of Soto wrote an essay on the possibility of liberal nationalism, pointing out the positive characteristics that nationalism can contribute to a free society. In this chapter we want to follow this line of thought centering on two characteristics: first, the nationalist idea itself and, second, the secession principle. Both characteristics are allies in the fight for limiting statism. In the text we affirm that nationalism acts as a brake on the creation of a global state, the big threat to liberty freedom in our times; at the same time that nationalism can limit the state’s internal power. We also point to the function that nationalism can play by exercising the right of secession in order to reduce state expansion and to achieve a future of states smaller in extension and population.
I would like to pay tribute to Professor Huerta de Soto. I still remember the day I met him at the University of Vigo where he was invited to lecture on money and the Austrian School. While speaking he was interrupted by the sound of a mechanical hammer. Quickly, the professor approached the worker who was making the noise, opened his wallet, and offered him a sum of money to interrupt the work for the duration of his lecture. I don’t know how much he offered, but he achieved his goal. I would like to thank Bernardo Ferrero for his assistance with the translation of this chapter.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Álvarez Junco, J. (2016). Dioses útiles: Naciones y nacionalismos. Galaxia Gutemberg.
Archard, D. (1995). Myths, Lies and Historical Truth: A Defence of Nationalism. Political Studies, XLIII, 472–481.
Armstrong, J. (1982). Nationalism. University of North Carolina Press.
Bartkus, V. O. (2004). The Dynamics of Secession. Cambridge University Press.
Beran, H. (1984). A Liberal Theory of Secession. Political Studies, XXXII, 21–31.
Billig, M. (1995). Banal Nationalism. Sage.
Burczak, T. A. (2006). Socialism After Hayek. University of Michigan Press.
Gat, A., & Yakobson, A. (2013). Nations: The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity and Nationalism. Cambridge University Press.
Gellner, E. (1983). Nations and Nationalism. Basil Blackwell.
Greenfeld, L. (1992). Nationalism: Five Roads to Modernity. Harvard University Press.
Greenfeld, L. (2001). The Spirit of Capitalism: Nationalism and Economic Growth. Harvard University Press.
Hazony, Y. (2018). The Virtue of Nationalism. Basic Books.
Hoppe, H.-H. (1996, March). Small Is Beautiful and Efficient: The Case for Secession. Telos, 1996(107), 95–101.
Huerta de Soto, J. (1994). Teoría del nacionalismo liberal. In J. H. de Soto (Ed.), Estudios de economía política (pp. 197–213). Unión Editorial.
Jacobs, J. (1980). The Question of Separatism: Quebec and the Struggle Over Sovereignty. Baraka Books.
Jones, E. (2003). The European Miracle. Cambridge University Press.
Kohn, H. (1944). The Idea of Nationalism. Macmillan.
Lichtenberg, J. (1999). How Liberal Can Nationalism Be? In R. Beimer (Ed.), Theorizing Nationalism (pp. 167–188). State University of New York Press.
Lind, M. (1994, May–June). In Defense of Liberal Nationalism. Foreign Affairs, 73(3), 87–99.
Llobera, J. R. (1996). El dios de la modernidad. Anagrama.
Maiz, R. (2000, Octubre). El lugar de la nación en la teoría de la democracia y el nacionalismo liberal. Revista Española de Ciencia Política, 3, 53–76.
Malesevic, S. (2020). Grounded Nationalism: A Sociological Analysis. Cambridge University Press.
Miller, D. (1995). On Nationality. Oxford University Press.
Minogue, K. R. (1967). Nationalism. Basic Books.
Mises, L. v. (1983). Nation, State and Economy. New York University Press.
Mises, L. v. (2005). Liberalism in the Classical Tradition. Liberty Fund.
Mises, L. v. (2011). Omnipotent Government. Liberty Fund.
Pavcovik, A. (2004, September). Secession as a Defence of a Political Liberty: A Liberal Answer to a Nationalist Demand. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 37(3), 695–713.
Pavkovic, A., & Radan, P. (2007). Creating New States. Ashgate.
Popper, K. (1971). The Open Society and Its Enemies. Princeton University Press.
Roshwald, A. (2006). The Endurance of Nationalism. Cambridge University Press.
Rothbard, M. N. (1994, Fall). Nations by Consent: Decomposing the Nation-State. Journal of Libertarian Studies, 11(1), 1–10.
Scheidel, W. (2019). Escape from Rome: The Failure of Empire and the Road to Prosperity. Princeton University Press.
Scott, J. C. (1998). Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed. Yale University Press.
Simon, H. (1997). Administrative Behaviour (4th ed.). The Free Press.
Smith, A. D. (2010). Nationalism (2nd ed.). Polity.
Tamir, Y. (1993). Liberal Nationalism. Princeton University Press.
Woods, T. D. (2010). Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century. Regnery Publishing.
Yack, B. (1995). Reconciling Liberalism and Nationalism. Political Theory, 23(1), 166-182.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Bastos Boubeta, M.A. (2023). Nation, Secession, and Freedom. In: Howden, D., Bagus, P. (eds) The Emergence of a Tradition: Essays in Honor of Jesús Huerta de Soto, Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17418-6_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17418-6_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17417-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17418-6
eBook Packages: Economics and FinanceEconomics and Finance (R0)