Bosanquet's theory of the State has been widely recognised as a masterpiece of British Idealism. However, since he underscored the wholeness dimension of the state, many 20th-century Anglo-American scholars, who espoused individual freedom, criticised his theory as a doctrine of Statism. In contrast with this criticism, this article argues that the following: the commentaries of Vico, Montesquieu, Rousseau and Hegel on the wholeness of the state and the spirit of nation are indeed important for Bosanquet to establish his arguments; however, by utilising the ideas of self-government, the general will, social duty and patriotism, Bosanquet's account of the intellectual connection between the spirit of nation and democratic government, two significant dimensions of modern politics, is in conformity with a liberal democratic spirit. Moreover, through his account of the modern nation state, Bosanquet also developed a civic nation discourse, which can give us some insights into the relationship between nationalism and humanitarianism.