Quote:
Originally Posted by Itse
This is a severely anachronistic reading.
The concept of zionism was born in the late 19th century. Seeing previous jewish states as parts of the same tradition is creating a retroactive continuity which probably does not describe previous events sensibly.
The whole concept of "state" as people generally use the word today is relatively new, born along with nationalism in the 18th century. It only became the dominant way of thinking in the early 20th century.
(For example as late as WWI many Italian soldiers had a very poor understanding of what "Italy" means. Many of them thought it meant the frontline.)
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You can argue that the concept of state is new, and I'd agree. Most modern European states (Italy, Greece, Germany, etc..) weren't formed until the 19th century or later, when empires collapsed and regional states amalgamated.
Zionism has more to do with the desire to live under Jewish rule than any specific political structure. This is not a new concept. The only difference is that this time, they managed to pull it off and it stuck.