Some historians have argued that since 1945, nationalism has been on the decline in Europe. Their position is understandable, as even a return to the prewar level of nationalistic ferver would appear to be a sharp decline from the glorious war for the Motherland. However, the decline rests on a deeper level than that. Many other political and economic factors contributed to the decline in nationalism. Some of these were the opposing camps in the Bloc System, the rise of interwebbed (sic) alliances such as NATO and the European Union, and the removal of tariff barriers between EEC countries. The fall of the Soviet Union and the preceding 1989 revolts showed a spike in nationalism, but this was the exception, not the rule.
When observing post-WWII Europe, the most striking feature that is observed is the rabid opposition between East and West. In the East, the Warsaw Pact countries are under the thumb of the USSR, and oppose the NATO nations in the West. These oppositions were not from the racism typical in nationalism, but rather stemmed from idealogical differences. This is why France and West Germany, who had been mortal enemies since WWI, joined hands against communism. This hatred off the Eastern nations was not a characteristic of nationalism, but a conflict of ideology.
Another important political factor was the rise of large alliances. NATO and the EU formed wide groups of countries, interconnected militarily, and in the case of the EU, politically. These alliances diminished a countrie's (sic) ability to rule autonomously, as compliance with international treaties forced countries to govern according to the organization, not their own citizens. Had nationalism been alive, no country would join these organizations for fear of being subject to their rule.
The decline of nationalism in Europe is even visible economically. The European Economic Community and subsequent European Union worked to make nations economically interdependent, against a key belief in nationalism. The talks in 1988 toward a single unified currency in Europe only reinforce this idea of interdependency. A single currency would not have helped much in Europe, except the European Union also removed tariff barriers between nations to allow easier movement of currency. These notions of interdependency and cooperation may look good on paper, but their attack on nationalism is undeniable.
A brief revival of nationalism occurred from 1989 up through the '90's, when the Soviet Union collapsed and revolts sprang up across Eastern Europe. For years, Josef "Tito" Bruz had held down his subjects in Yugoslavia with an iron fist. It is a sad day for nationalism when a former freedom fighter is more concerned with ruling his people than leading them, and action was taken after his death. Like in the rest of Eastern Europe, nationalists broke up the large Yugoslavia and formed seperate (sic) states based on ethnic populations. But, these revolts were the exception, and not the rule, in the decline of nationalism.
All in all, nationalism in Europe has seen a slow decline since the great patriotic war in the 1940's. It was shown by the wide alliances and idealogical debates, and by economic factors such as the creation of a single currency and the destruction of tarriffs (sic). It saw a slight rebirth in 1988, but was only a brief refreshal (sic) of nationalism. This decline is clearly evident, but not necesarily (sic) a bad thing. During WWII, rampant nationalism led to fascist regimes, invasions, and genocide. with any luck, its decline will someday bring an end to senseless warring and killing, and a new age of peace can dawn on humanity.
and rightfully so.