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.
(The song is attributed to G.H. MacDermott.)
During the 1800s in the United States, this attitude was called spread-eagleism. "Jingoism" did not enter the U.S. vernacular until the twentieth century.
External link
- MacDermott song lyrics (http://www.cyberussr.com/hcunn/q-jingo.html)