Читать книгу Political Science For Dummies - Marcus A. Stadelmann - Страница 28

Finally, nationalism, defined as pride in one’s country, can be a source of legitimacy. Often newly created states can receive legitimacy from a person or an event that unified the nation and instilled national pride into a population. A good example is the U.S. after the War of Independence against Great Britain. The country had been split on whether to wage a war of independence against British rule, and many colonists didn’t believe in independence. The new country needed to become legitimate. The first president was war hero George Washington, and his name provided legitimacy to the newly established republic. While colonists may not have liked the new constitution or the leaders of Congress, they wanted to support General Washington. Many other prominent leaders, such as Thomas Jefferson and James Madison, followed, providing the country and its newly created institutions with legitimacy.