“It is nationalism that generates nations, and not the other way around”. These words were written by the eminent social anthropologist Ernest Gellner in his work Nations and Nationalism (1983). Nationalism can be defined as a person or group's loyalty and support for their nation, whatever that may be. This brings to light a very problematic and tortuous topic. Expressed simply as nationalism, this being is highly controversial, many hail it as an auspicious concept, while others belittle it and view it with animosity. But what is more controversial and more complex would be their institution. What effects does its creation have? What factors develop it? And what factors influence it the most? As with the topic of beauty, war or religion, nationalism and its roots are once again the subject of much controversy. Constantly debated, assumptions about the creation of nationalism range from whether it was created solely on historical, religious, social, geographic, and economic factors or on any combination of the stated factors. An example of an argument that holds history as the primary (and perhaps only) source of nationalism is prevalent in Margret Macmillan's work The Uses and Abuses of History (2009), where she states that "history provides much of the fuel for nationalism" and that "the celebration of the nation's great successes – and the shared pain of its defeats – support and promote it". What he fails to mention is that there is much more to the development of nationalism than just history. It is clear to me that Professor Macmillan has not fully grasped the depth, or has simply ignored the other factors of nationalism. Regarding a nation and its nationalism, history has an important impact on its... middle of paper......D=567>."French Revolution (1787-99) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Encyclopedia - Encyclopedia Britannica online. Np, nd Web. March 22, 2012. “Lesson 11: The Origins of the French Revolution.” The Story Guide - Main. Np, nd Web. 10 March 2012. .MacMillan, Margaret. Uses and abuses of history. Toronto: Penguin Canada, 2009. Print.Sebesta, Edward and Euan Hague. "The US Civil War as Theological War: Confederate Christian Nationalism and the League of the South." 22 (2002): 253-271. Print."The Reformation." Site for learning history. Np, nd Web. 17 March 2012. .Gellner, Ernest . Nations and nationalism. 1983. Reprint. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, 2006. Print.