Which figure is most closely linked to the idea of free, unified nation-states as the basis for global cooperation?

Which figure is most closely linked to the idea of free, unified nation-states as the basis for global cooperation?

• A. Immanuel Kant
• B. Giuseppe Mazzini
• C. Jeremy Bentham
• D. Karl Marx

Answer: (B)

National self-determination and the idea that the world works best when organized around free, self-governing nation-states are at the heart of this question. Giuseppe Mazzini argued that a people should be free to form a unified, republican nation-state, and that such free nations, respecting each other’s sovereignty, would be the proper actors in international affairs. He saw the nation-state as the moral and political unit through which liberty, civic virtue, and progress could be realized, and he believed that a world of free, self-ruled nations would cooperate more justly and effectively than a system dominated by empires or coercive power. Kant does envision peaceful relations among states, but his solution is a federation of free states rather than a push for a single nation’s unification, which is why his framework differs from the emphasis on one nation’s free unity as the basis for global cooperation. Bentham centers on utilitarian principles to guide reforms, not on the structure of international order through nation-states. Marx focuses on class analysis and international solidarity beyond national boundaries, not on unifying nations themselves as the foundation for cooperation. So the figure most closely linked to the idea of free, unified nation-states as the basis for global cooperation is Giuseppe Mazzini.

National self-determination and the idea that the world works best when organized around free, self-governing nation-states are at the heart of this question. Giuseppe Mazzini argued that a people should be free to form a unified, republican nation-state, and that such free nations, respecting each other’s sovereignty, would be the proper actors in international affairs. He saw the nation-state as the moral and political unit through which liberty, civic virtue, and progress could be realized, and he believed that a world of free, self-ruled nations would cooperate more justly and effectively than a system dominated by empires or coercive power.

Kant does envision peaceful relations among states, but his solution is a federation of free states rather than a push for a single nation’s unification, which is why his framework differs from the emphasis on one nation’s free unity as the basis for global cooperation. Bentham centers on utilitarian principles to guide reforms, not on the structure of international order through nation-states. Marx focuses on class analysis and international solidarity beyond national boundaries, not on unifying nations themselves as the foundation for cooperation. So the figure most closely linked to the idea of free, unified nation-states as the basis for global cooperation is Giuseppe Mazzini.