Rizal's World (Nationalism) | Lecture notes History

GRIZAL

MODULE II | JOSE RIZAL AND THEORY OF NATIONALISM

NATIONALISM

• It is the political and social attitude of

people who share a common culture,

language, and territory as well as common

aims, and thus feel a deep-seated loyalty to

their group

• It can also be defined as the identification

of a nation as an imagined political

community imagined as both inherently

limited and sovereign (Anderson 1991).

NATION IS:

- imagined in the sense that although a

member would think that all other members

of the nation belong to one national family,

he/she will never really know them all.

- limited in the sense that no matter how big

a nation is, it is still limited in size, and it has

boundaries beyond which other nations lie.

- SOVEREIGN in the sense that the nation is

supposed to be free and independent from

external forces that may intervene in its

power and right to make decisions for its

own.

- Imagined community in the sense that no

matter how different the members are in

their socio-cultural, economic, and political

standing, no matter the inequalities, they still

see each other as co-equals (horizontal

relationship) living in one national

community.

• The upsurge of Nationalism usually

presents an ambivalent moral picture: heroic

and inhumanly cruel.

The fight for Philippine independence against

the colonizers is an example of heroic

nationalism. They fought the colonizers as a

manifestation of their love for their nation.

On the other hand, the genocide committed

by the German Nazis against the Jews is an

example of inhuman or cruel nationalism. It

is an example of showing nationalism or love

of country in the wrong or negative way.

NATIONALISM DURING THE TIME OF RIZAL

In the 18th century, the American War for

Independence took place followed by the

famous French Revolution. These Revolutions

were attributed to the feeling of nationalism.

The people in America and France during that

time, however, were still in the process of

identifying themselves as one nation.

Their spirit of nationalism and nationhood

were not yet fully established then.

In the 19th century, the Filipinos fought for

their independence from Spain, and it is said

that nationalism was behind this event.

Nationalism has already emerged in the

Philippines in the 19th century but

accordingly, it did not have the same concept

as what it is in the 21st century.

Liberal nationalism was evident in the 19th

century wherein people around the world

were struggling to fight for their liberty or

freedom either from their colonizers or from

their abusive despotic monarchs (Kings,

Queens)

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MODULE II | JOSE RIZAL AND THEORY OF NATIONALISM

NATIONALISM

It is the political and social attitude of people who share a common culture, language, and territory as well as common aims, and thus feel a deep-seated loyalty to their group
It can also be defined as the identification of a nation as an imagined political community imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign (Anderson 1991). NATION IS:
imagined in the sense that although a member would think that all other members of the nation belong to one national family, he/she will never really know them all.
limited in the sense that no matter how big a nation is, it is still limited in size, and it has boundaries beyond which other nations lie.
SOVEREIGN in the sense that the nation is supposed to be free and independent from external forces that may intervene in its power and right to make decisions for its own.
Imagined community in the sense that no matter how different the members are in their socio-cultural, economic, and political standing, no matter the inequalities, they still see each other as co-equals (horizontal relationship) living in one national community.
The upsurge of Nationalism usually presents an ambivalent moral picture: heroic and inhumanly cruel. The fight for Philippine independence against the colonizers is an example of heroic nationalism. They fought the colonizers as a manifestation of their love for their nation. On the other hand, the genocide committed by the German Nazis against the Jews is an example of inhuman or cruel nationalism. It is an example of showing nationalism or love of country in the wrong or negative way. NATIONALISM DURING THE TIME OF RIZAL In the 18th century , the American War for Independence took place followed by the famous French Revolution. These Revolutions were attributed to the feeling of nationalism. The people in America and France during that time, however, were still in the process of identifying themselves as one nation. Their spirit of nationalism and nationhood were not yet fully established then. In the 19th century , the Filipinos fought for their independence from Spain, and it is said that nationalism was behind this event. Nationalism has already emerged in the Philippines in the 19th century but accordingly, it did not have the same concept as what it is in the 21st century. Liberal nationalism was evident in the 19th century wherein people around the world were struggling to fight for their liberty or freedom either from their colonizers or from their abusive despotic monarchs (Kings, Queens)

MODULE II | JOSE RIZAL AND THEORY OF NATIONALISM

These days, people talk of nationalism in a different way. Now that many nations and states are already enjoying their sovereignty, nationalism now is seen in terms of doing something that is for the good of the country, participating in national events, showing concern for the nation’s welfare, and manifesting a deep sense of loyalty and belongingness to it. THE RISE OF THE FILIPINO NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS The rise of Filipino national consciousness was gradual, and this can be attributed to several internal and external factors. During the pre-colonial period , the early Filipinos established themselves in communities characterized by small and widely scattered settlements. There were communities that were made up of individuals having common language, beliefs and ancestors. There were villages that forged alliances for purposes of defense and economic cooperation. When the Spaniards colonized the country, they found it relatively easy to conquer the people in most parts of the archipelago. This was due to the lack of sense of unity that could have been a powerful weapon of the natives (early Filipinos) to resist the Spaniards. Through the skillful use of the strategy of “Divide and Rule” the Spanish colonizers managed to keep the early Filipinos disunited. The Spaniards managed to create conflicts among the already disunited natives resulting to a successful colonization that lasted three hundred and thirty-three years , one of the longest colonization in Southeast Asia. The Spaniards unified the diverse socio- political groups into their plaza complex and their Reducciones. The Spaniards created towns putting the warring groups together to maintain the disunity of the natives. It was, however, quite a blessing in disguise for these disunited natives who soon started to set aside their differences- but that happened slowly but surely. Also, the suffering of the natives under the abusive Spanish colonial government would be a great internal factor for the rise of Filipino national consciousness. The external factors that contributed to the rise of Filipino national consciousness were made up of the historical events that happened in Europe. Some of these were:

THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION - It made possible the improvements in transportation and communication resulting to the transfer of goods and raw materials around the world. Europe was the center of Industrialization of the world in the 19tn century. The transfer of goods from Europe to other parts of the world was accompanied by the entry of liberal and revolutionary ideas coming from Europe. The Philippines, a colony of Spain then, benefitted from these developments.

MODULE II | JOSE RIZAL AND THEORY OF NATIONALISM

In the Philippines therefore, there was a fast turnover of officials due to the alternate ruling of Spain between the Conservatives and the Liberals. The Philippines was negatively affected by the chaotic situation in Spain. One of the Liberal politicians appointed by the Spanish Liberal government was Governor General Carlos Ma. De la Torre. He introduced liberal reforms such as the freedom of assembly, speech and the like. The acts of erring officials and abuses of the friars were investigated. His policies encouraged Filipino activists to be more vocal in expressing their sentiments. Unfortunately, the liberal regime of Dela Torre was cut short as the Conservatives in Spain took over the Liberals. His successor , Governor General Rafael de Izquierdo rejected all the liberal reforms of De la Torre and returned to the conservative style of ruling the Philippines. The Filipino activists led by the Filipino clergy reacted to his regime negatively. During the regime of Governor General Izquierdo, two significant event s further enhanced the rise of Filipino national consciousness- the CAVITE MUTINY and the EXECUTION OF THE THREE SECULAR PRIESTS - Fathers Gomez, Burgoz and Zamora The CAVITE MUTINY happened on January 20, 1872. Accordingly, a number of Filipino native soldiers attacked Fort San Felipe in Cavite wherein other native soldiers and workers at the Cavite arsenal joined them. They were angered by the policy of Governor general Izquierdo’s removal of some of their privileges. The Spanish colonial authorities headed by Izquierdo magnified the mutiny as a full-blown rebellion and soon they started arrested even those who were just peacefully expressing their sentiments to the government. Unfortunately, the colonial administration used the Cavite Mutiny as excuse to implicate the three priests- Fathers Gomez, Burgoz and Zamora as masterminds or instigators of the Cavite Mutiny. They were arrested, partially tried, and were convicted. They were sentenced to be executed through the garrotte. The execution of the three priests was a big factor in the rise of Filipino national consciousness and this would later lead to a greater cry for unity and freedom for the Filipinos. Years after the execution of the three priests, the PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT was organized with Jose Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce and Juan Luna as the prominent members. This movement (based in Spain) aimed to demand for changes or reforms in the Philippines. It is clear that this group of Reformists advocated peaceful means of change, not radical or drastic steps. Their demands were the following:

Reorganization of the government structure
Assimilation of the Philippines as a regular province of Spain
Equality in government positions

MODULE II | JOSE RIZAL AND THEORY OF NATIONALISM

Secularization of the parishes
Extension of peninsular (Spanish laws) into the Philippines
Proper representation of the Philippines in Spanish Cortes (Congress) These demands, however, were not realized because Spain was faced with heavy problems and that the Madrid government was not able to attend to these anymore. The Propagandist also had problems that led the group to disintegrate later. Some of their problems were the lack of funds, homesickness, personal conflicts, and health concerns. The failure of the Propaganda movement ushered the rise of another movement- this time a radical one. The KKK (KATAAS-TAASAN, KAGALANGGALANGAN NA KATIPUNAN NG MGA ANAK NG BAYAN) was organized when other patriots see no more hope in securing reforms from Spain through peaceful means. The KKK with Andres Bonifacio as the “ Supremo ” aimed to secure separation from Spain through radical means or an armed revolution. The Philippine Revolution of 1898 broke out with the Katipunan at the front of the war for independence. POPULAR NATIONALISM VS COLORUM NATIONALISM It was pointed out by Ileto that when the Spanish conquest ended, two perspectives about the plot of nationalist histories emerged- popular nationalism and nationalism from the underside.

POPULAR NATIONALISM

In the development of Filipino nationalism, or the standard plot explains that it all started with the Glorious Past, then to Dark Age, to Recovery and the final stage the Birth of the Nation. This plot in the development of Philippine nationalism was also experienced by other nation states around the world. Glorious Past→The Fall→Dark Age→ Recovery→ Birth of the Nation This is how nationalism in the Philippines was shaped according to the standard plot. GLORIOUS PAST Is about the free and progressive way of life of pre- colonial Filipinos wherein they already enjoyed a considerably high level of culture. FALL Is marked by the conquest and eventual colonization of the archipelago by the Spaniards. DARK AGE Refers to the period of native Filipino sufferings under the abusive and corrupt colonial institutions. RECOVERY The period refers to the events on the second half of the 19th century when Filipino middleclass and clerical patriots started to clamour for change in the country.

Rizal's World (Nationalism), Lecture notes of History

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