Contributor(s): Professor Timothy Snyder | Why do we have nations at all? And why do we have the nations that we have? Scholarly explanations of the rise of nationalism focus on general factors, whereas national histories treat each group as an exception. Timothy Snyder will consider the cases of brothers from important families who chose different nationalities and led rival national movements. Professor Timothy Snyder is Philippe Roman Chair in History and International Affairs at LSE IDEAS for 2013-2014.