从西班牙历史看“民族国家”的形成与界定

The Definition and Formation of "Nation-states" in the Light of Spanish History

"民族国家"是一种国家形式,同时也是近代以来形成的一种政治属性的民族,可称为"近代民族"。它与其他那些传统意义上的自然属性的民族有明显区别,主要特征在于:其规模相当于一个主权国家,而不像自然属性的民族那样不是大于一个国家就是小于一个国家;其主权属于人民,而不能属于任何个人或其家族。它诞生的标志不是"国家统一"而是资产阶级革命或改革。19世纪以前,国家统一之后所产生的往往是中央集权的专制王朝国家,而不是民族国家,它们的性质是完全不同的。西班牙国家统一后,立即通过海外征服和王室联姻等途径迅速膨胀成为一个超级庞大的殖民帝国,西班牙人成为它的"主体民族",但国家主权却属于来自外族的君主。它那时不是民族国家,而是封建王朝国家。直到19世纪初,随着反抗拿破仑占领的独立战争,西班牙的近代民族意识才被唤醒,才成为一个民族国家。

Nation-state is a political nation formed in modern times.Its size could be compared with a sovereign state.It is not like a natural nation which is smaller or larger than a sovereign state.Its sovereign only belongs to its people,not to a person or a family.The birth symbol of a nation-state is not the appearance of 'a unified country' but a bourgeois revolution or reform.After its unification,Spain immediately expanded to a super empire with enormous colonies through overseas conquering and through other methods,such as allied marriage between royal families.Spanish people served the empire as its main nation.However,the sovereign of the country belongs to an alien emperor.Spain was not a nation-state at that time but an absolutist monarchy state.Spain turned into a nation-state in early 19th century after its independence war against Napoleon.