Spirit of ‘Rashtriyatva’ was dominant in Bharat from ancient times. From the beginning of human history, Bhartiyas saw Bharat as a full-fledged ‘Rashtra’. It is often confused with the Western concept of nationalism. But this is factually or historically correct.
Initial European history is marked with family as the only social unit which was subsequently replaced by scattered nomadic tribes. Tribalism based upon blood relationship formed the foundation during that period. Territorialism was evolved in course of a number of centuries in the Middle Ages. Synchronization of the two into nationalism is as recent as French Revolution. In case of Bharat such synchronization was already prevalent when history opened its eyes. In later period Greeks furnished the first organized leadership to Europe. But they do not constitute a ‘Nation’. They had their city states but nothing like a ‘Greek nation’. Rome was also a city state until it attained the status of an empire but breathed the spirit of international imperialism of a city-state and not of ‘Nation’. Under the Christian Church, all Christians belonged to one family. Growth of nationalism was inconceivable so long as the Church was influential. The first patriotic war fought by English was the’ War of Jenkin’s Ear’ in the Eighteenth century. Before that wars were either religious or dynastic.