The most unchristian impulse of all took effect in the 19th century. The first impulse which came to the fore and gained an ever stronger hold of men’s minds and emotions, was that of nationalism. […] The Christian impulse towards universal humanity was completely overshadowed by the principle of nationalism, because the new way to bring this element of universal humanity to its own had not been found. The anti-Christian impulse makes its appearance first and foremost in the form of nationalism. […] We see a revolt against Christianity in the nationalism of the 19th century, which reached its apex in Woodrow Wilson’s phrase about the self-determination of nations, whereas the one and only reality befitting the present age would be to overcome nationalism, to eliminate it, and for men to be stirred by the impulse of the human universal.
Source: Rudolf Steiner – GA 198 – The Festivals and Their Meaning – II – Easter – THE BLOOD-RELATIONSHIP AND THE CHRIST-RELATIONSHIP – Dornach, 3rd April 1920
Translated by D. S. Osmond, A. P. Shepherd & C. Davy
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