Jingoism
Jingoism is a term describing
chauvinistic patriotism, especially with regard to a warmongering political stance.
The term originated in Britain in the 1870s, at the time of a conflict between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli counseled neutrality in the conflict, to the consternation of many in Britain. The chorus of a song commonly sung in pubs at the time gave birth to the term:
- We don't want to fight
- But, by jingo, if we do,
- We've got the ships,
- We've got the men,
- We've got the money, too.
- Attributed to G.H. MacDermott
During the
19th century in the
United States, this attitude was called
spread-eagleism. "Jingoism" did not enter the U.S. vernacular until the twentieth century.
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