Does nationalism imply any particular economic system?
For a nation to be strong, it must be prosperous. Both economic theory and historical experience show that free enterprise is the economic system most conducive to prosperity. Many nationalists have argued that the nation, as a community, must be directly responsible for the material welfare of its members. But no one has yet answered the question: how do you keep a guaranteed “safety net” from becoming a hammock? The welfare state is an incubus on the economy and a succubus for society. It stifles initiative and wealth-creation, and diverts resources from the central purpose of the national government: defense. A stronger case can be made that nationalism should try to efface or conciliate class distinctions as much as possible, because they weaken national unity. Classes cut horizontally across nations; nationality unites a people vertically, in distinction from all other peoples. National egalitarianism differs from social egalitarianism in being inspired by love (of country) rather
