What was the role of adversity or hardship in the developement of the nation states?

It tends to bolster national feeling and also the requirement of centralisation into a nation to deal with adversity. For example, national identity wasn't really a big deal in France until they had provincial revolts and foreign invasion. It was during its wars that the key elements of the nation formed, from the army, to a national economy, to a national set of laws, to a national mythology. You can pick many other examples where a similar process has happened. Similarly, you can look at countries which haven't had it really bad at any point in their history and where nationalism isn't such a big issue.What was the role of adversity or hardship in the developement of the nation states?
what do you mean by ';nation states'; ?What was the role of adversity or hardship in the developement of the nation states?
To me, whenever I am faced with adversity or hardship, I am being asked to GROW... to rise above my present state of wisdom and knowledge and to search for a new answer to handle the situation. A nation states must be able to come together and find a ';road'; of community agreement that is based on understanding of all... wisdom... giving... and sometimes this is done only after some strive and lose in their domination... It is very hard to get a diverse group of people to agree upon a unified way to structure their culture... Physical courage takes guts... but Moral courage takes more guts... Wisdom is never earned in happy times... only thru adversity and hardship!