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Jingoism is a term describing chauvinistic patriotism, especially with regard to a hawkish political stance.
The term originated in Britain in the 1870s, at the time the Crimean War 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 (http://www.cyberussr.com/hcunn/q-jingo.html) by G. H. MacDermott and G. W. Hunt 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.
The word "Jingo" is thought to be a corrupted borrowed word from the Basque language "Jianko," meaning "God". Some claimed that the term referred to Jingo of Japan, but this has been entirely dismissed.
During the 19th century in the United States, this attitude was called spread-eagleism. This patriotic belligerence was intensified by the sinking of the Maine and led to the Spanish-American War. "Jingoism" did not enter the U.S. vernacular until the twentieth century.
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