That states should construct false historical narratives that promote social cohesion

Before I begin, it is important to provide definitions, so you know what I am arguing for.

States- Not the 50 U.S. states, but Governments/nations like the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, etc.

"a nation or territory considered as an organized political community under one government."

Construct- Basically create.

Historical Narratives-  History as it is told, I am arguing for states to create their own historical narratives that will create a love for their country.

Social Cohesion- "the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper."

Here is a great explanation by wikiprogress, "A cohesive society works towards the well-being of all its members, fights exclusion and marginalisation, creates a sense of belonging, promotes trust, and offers its members the opportunity of upward mobility."

More here: http://wikiprogress.org/articles/poverty-development/social-cohesion/

I will use two points as my argument:

I provided a definition of social cohesion in my definitions section and here it is: "the willingness of members of a society to cooperate with each other in order to survive and prosper."

This includes willingness to cooperate with the state, and be a content citizen. Social cohesion is what holds society together, it is needed to keep a healthy and prosperous society. If members of society are unwilling to cooperate with each other and the state, then society cannot function well. Humans are social creatures, people always socialize and cooperate, in jobs, at school, while driving, etc. States have their own standards in public schools to teach kids to grow up willing to cooperate with the state. 

"A cohesive society is one where people are protected against life risks, trust their neighbors and the institutions of the state and can work towards a better future for themselves and their families. Fostering social cohesion is about striving for greater inclusiveness, more civic participation and creating opportunities for upward mobility. It is the glue that holds society together."*1

A society with high trust in others and the state will make us better off and happier. 

"For the analysis, social cohesion is built around three key values: social inclusion, social capital and social mobility. Social inclusion refers to the degree to which all citizens can participate on equal footing in the economic, social and political life, including whether people are protected in times of need. Social capital refers to trust between people and in institutions and the sense of belonging to a society. Social mobility refers to equality of opportunity to get ahead."*1

These are all important to create happiness and love for one's society they live in. The sense of living somewhere safe, with high trust in your neighbors is what people have always desired. The United States is one good example, many hate it in their country, and you see many migrating to the U.S. for a better life. Equality and opportunity is what humans want, this is found in social cohesion. 

Nations have had rough histories, there are things that may have happened that many would hate to know that their country did. History has great lessons, and learning about what your country has gone through in the past can help you to love your country. Effectively cooperating with the state requires trust in the state. In order to establish trust, we must teach the citizens of a country good things about their nation. However, nations are not perfect, so telling history as it is would not always be a great idea. In order for citizens to be fully proud of their nation, they must know good things and not bad things about the state. This is where constructing historical narratives come in. Promoting social cohesion is for the greater good of society, if constructed historical narratives do this, it is by every means worth it. If people learn great things about their nation, they will accept the state and the citizens with greater trust. States are very good at hiding things, they have been known to keep secrets from their citizens. Secrets are sometimes necessary to prevent damage to their reputation, which would create harm to society by destroying trust. Constructed historical narratives would create positive views towards the state, which is needed for social cohesion. After all, the state is what provides many benefits and is who we give our money to. Constructing historical narratives works well because it is part of how we view a country, studying what happened and learning good things from it creates a positive view toward the country. 

Overall, Social cohesion is what holds society together and constructed historical narratives can increase trust in the state and our neighbors, promoting social cohesion.