Nation State as the basic unit of the political life of mankind, is a fiction in its three aspects. First, it is a symbol formed in modern Western Europe. Second, an ideology: one nation, one language, and one state has had so strong an effect in Western Europe. Third, a fiction of equal sovereignty. And such an ideology proved realization in 1870-71 in the unifications of Italy and Germany. Extra Europe Japan achieved such an example in East Asia.
In 1919 Versaille Peace Treaty realized this fiction in Europe by the principle of national self-determination. Russian Revolution also brought the independence of Finland and Baltic countries as well as Poland in Europe. The League of Nations emerged as the co-operative system of peace proposed by Wilson. But its caliber came to be limited by U. S. A. refusal of participation. After the dissolution of Turkish Empire Arab Area was still under the control of Britain and France until the independence of Egypt in 1922, and of Iraq as well as Saudi Arabia in 1932.
After the Second World War came the global age of the nation state. The dissolution of colonial system proceeded until the return of Hong Kong to China in 1997. The United Nations started in 1945 as the new international system, and in 1960 adopted the resolution of colonies which led the globalization of nation state system. But it was accompanied by the nominalization of nation state itself. On the other hand Soviet Union under Stalin established her colonial empire over the countries under her occupation in the dogma of the limited Sovereignty. Against this threat Western Europe formed the North Atlantic System with U. S. A. The cold war between these two powers was symbolized by the wall of Berlin.
In spite of the dissolution of colonial empire, Western Europe enjoyed economic prosperity, and there appeared some change of basic unit of political life: the unification and the differentiation in nation states. Unification proceeded from EC to EU. EURO as the common currency and EU Constitution came to be. Differentiation in France, Spain and Italy has been proceeded and in Britain also devolution has emerged.
The collapse of Soviet system also emancipated nation states in Eastern Europe. And the independence of Israel, the conpensation of Christian World to the Jews by the depression of Palestine people produced tragedy in Arab World.
Now we are witnessing the unlimited imigrants seeking chance and better life. In England the industry of many area cannot carry out without the labour power of such immigrants. And in Japan so many women come to marry the peasants of Tohoku area from China, Korea and Philippines. These cases may be rather shocking to the people of Tokyo area.
