AI-generated practice question — model-generated for extra practice, not a previous-year CBSE board question.
The Balkan nationalities argued that they had once been independent nations but were later subjugated by foreign powers, particularly the Ottoman Empire. They used history to prove this past independence and framed their struggles as attempts to "win back their long-lost independence."
Within a nationalist framework, such arguments carried special force because nationalism treated the nation as a natural, eternal unit. If a people could show they had historically existed as a distinct nation, their subjugation became illegitimate and their demand for freedom became morally justified.
Source: Nationalism and Imperialism, Chapter 1
The examiner expects two clear points: (1) the core historical argument — past independence before foreign subjugation — and (2) why it worked within nationalism — because nationalism views nationhood as inherent/eternal, making historical proof of prior independence a powerful justification. Stick to the textbook's exact phrasing ("win back their long-lost independence") to score full marks.