ABSTRACT
In 1944 Iceland became a republic after almost five hundred years of Danish colonial rule. Iceland’s fight for independence was led by Icelandic nationalists who were influenced by European Romantic and nationalist thinkers, especially German ones. However, due to fundamentally different historical circumstances, nationalism in Iceland developed along different lines from its German counterpart. While German nationalism was characterized by militarization and aggressive foreign policy, Icelandic nationalism was peaceful and internally oriented.
