- The Britannica article on Gandhi written by historical biographer BR Nanda, says, "Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (born October 2, 1869, Porbandar, India—died January 30, 1948, Delhi), Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India."
- Nkrumah: "Kwame Nkrumah, (born Sept. 1909, Nkroful, Gold Coast [now Ghana]—died April 27, 1972, Bucharest, Rom.), Ghanaian nationalist leader who led the Gold Coast’s drive for independence from Britain and presided over its emergence as the new nation of Ghana."
- Jomo Kenyatta: "Jomo Kenyatta, original name Kamau Ngengi (born c. 1894, Ichaweri, British East Africa [now in Kenya]—died August 22, 1978, Mombasa, Kenya), African statesman and nationalist, the first prime minister (1963–64) and then the first president (1964–78) of independent Kenya."
- Lumumba: "Patrice Lumumba, in full Patrice Hemery Lumumba (born July 2, 1925, Onalua, Belgian Congo [now the Democratic Republic of the Congo]—died January 1961, Katanga province), African nationalist leader, the first prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (June–September 1960). Forced out of office during a political crisis, he was assassinated a short time later."
- Ho Chi Minh: "Ho Chi Minh, original name Nguyen Sinh Cung, also called Nguyen Tat Thanh, orNguyen Ai Quoc (born May 19, 1890, Hoang Tru, Vietnam, French Indochina—died Sept. 2, 1969, Hanoi, Vietnam), founder of the Indochina Communist Party (1930) and its successor, the Viet-Minh (1941), and president from 1945 to 1969 of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). As the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement for nearly three decades, Ho was one of the prime movers of the post-World War II anticolonial movement in Asia and one of the most influential communist leaders of the 20th century."
- Aung San: "Aung San, (born Feb. 13, 1915, Natmauk, Burma [now Myanmar]—died July 19, 1947, Rangoon [now Yangon]), Burmese nationalist leader and assassinated hero who was instrumental in securing Burma’s independence from Great Britain. Before World War II Aung San was actively anti-British; he then allied with the Japanese during World War II, but switched to the Allies before leading the Burmese drive for autonomy."
- Dadabhai Naoroji: "Dadabhai Naoroji, (born Sept. 4, 1825, Bombay [now Mumbai], India—died June 30, 1917, Bombay), Indian nationalist and critic of British economic policy in India."
- Tilak: "Bal Gangadhar Tilak, byname Lokamanya (born July 23, 1856, Ratnagiri [now in Maharashtra state], India—died August 1, 1920, Bombay [now Mumbai]), scholar, mathematician, philosopher, and ardent nationalist who helped lay the foundation for India’s independence by building his own defiance of British rule into a national movement. He founded (1914) and served as president of the Indian Home Rule League. In 1916 he concluded the Lucknow Pact with Mohammed Ali Jinnah, which provided for Hindu-Muslim unity in the nationalist struggle."
- Malviya: "Madan Mohan Malaviya, in full Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, also called Mahamana (born December 25, 1861, Allahabad, India—died November 12, 1946, Allahabad?), Indian scholar, educational reformer, and a leader of the Indian nationalist movement."
- Savarkar: "Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, byname Vir or Veer (born May 28, 1883, Bhagur, India—died Feb. 26, 1966, Bombay [now Mumbai]), Hindu and Indian nationalist and leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha (“Great Society of Hindus”), a Hindu nationalist organization and political party."
- Lajpat Rai: "Lala Lajpat Rai, (born 1865, Jagraon, India—died November 17, 1928, Lahore [now in Pakistan]), Indian writer and politician, outspoken in his advocacy of a militant anti-British nationalism in the Indian National Congress (Congress Party) and as a leader of the Hindu supremacy movement."
- Ansari: Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, (born December 25, 1880, Ghazipur, India—died May 10, 1936, New Delhi), Indian physician and nationalist who was a member of the Foundation Committee of Jamia Millia Islamia, a prominent Islamic university established in 1920 in Delhi. The institution’s formation, in which Ansari was heavily involved, was based on nationalist rejection of British colonial rule.
Nationalism, ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests. Nationalism is a modern movement. Throughout history people have been attached to their native soil, to the traditions of their parents, and to established territorial authorities; but it was not until the end of the 18th century that nationalism began to be a generally recognized sentiment molding public and private life and one of the great, if not the greatest, single determining factors of modern history. Because of its dynamic vitality and its all-pervading character, nationalism is often thought to be very old; sometimes it is mistakenly regarded as a permanent factor in political behaviour. Actually, the American and French revolutions may be regarded as its first powerful manifestations. After penetrating the new countries of Latin America it spread in the early 19th century to central Europe and from there, toward the middle of the century, to eastern and southeastern Europe. At the beginning of the 20th century nationalism flowered in the ancient lands of Asia and Africa. Thus the 19th century has been called the age of nationalism in Europe, while the 20th century has witnessed the rise and struggle of powerful national movements throughout Asia and Africa.