Final answer:
Crevecoeur implies that loyalty to a nation is diminished when that nation is oppressive and controlling, as seen through the historical lens of the French Revolution and changes in European political identities.
Step-by-step explanation:
Crevecoeur’s descriptions of the difficulties of everyday European life support his view that people can feel little loyalty to a nation that is oppressive and controlling.
Throughout history, nations have often struggled with internal and external challenges that shape the citizens' sense of loyalty and belonging. The French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, for example, disrupted the established social order across Europe and led to new political identities. The revolutionaries rallied loyalty to the state as a community of people opposed to a monarchy. This rising nationalism helped individuals move away from loyalty to dynasties and instead towards a collective national identity. The shift was not uniform, with countries like Great Britain maintaining a monarchy, whereas others like the United States established new political systems. This backdrop of historical evolution in social structures reflects the varying degrees to which nations could engage the loyalty of their people.
These shifts in societal structure illustrate why Crevecoeur may argue that citizens would struggle to feel patriotic towards countries that treat them unjustly or unequally. National identities became tied to the ideals of justice, representation, and common good; where these were absent, loyalty waned.