Who is described as the first to reconcile nationalism with liberal internationalism?

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

Answer: (C)

Nationalism and liberal internationalism are about combining a nation's right to self-determination with a commitment to cooperation, rights, and peaceful relations among states. Giuseppe Mazzini stands out because he argued that a nation should achieve self-government and unity through republican institutions while also embracing a broader liberal project: nations respect each other, pursue universal rights, and cooperate within a system of free, law-based states. He tied the moral imperative of national freedom to an international vision where liberal principles guide interactions between nations, making him the earliest thinker to fuse nationalist goals with liberal internationalist ideals. By contrast, Kant laid groundwork for liberal internationalism and a peaceable federation of states, Bentham focused on utilitarian principles, and Marx emphasized internationalism through class struggle rather than a liberal international order of free nations.