ABSTRACT
The term nation-building came into vogue among historically oriented political scientists in the 1950s and 1960s. Nation-building theory was used primarily to describe the processes of national integration and consolidation. The classical theory of nation-building was an endeavor to understand the evolution of Western states. Inevitably, it reflected Western realities. Nevertheless, its proponents maintained that the theory was applicable also to the study of non-Western societies. In Eastern Europe—east of the Elbe—the ethnic understanding of the nation has deep roots, whereas the civic concept has tended to have very few adherents. The cultural and territorial heterogeneity of the East European empires was not a result of their size only. It also reflected the fact that their rulers were far less energetic and systematic nation-builders than were their Western counterparts. As long as internal peace was retained and taxes paid, they were basically uninterested in the inner life of the various linguistic and religious groups of the state.
