Noun

Singular patriotism

Plural patriotisms

patriotism (plural patriotisms)

1. Love of country; devotion to the welfare of one's country; the virtues and actions of a patriot; the passion which inspires one to serve one's country.
   • 1803, Thomas Jefferson, Letter to George Clinton, volume ME 10:440:

     In the hour of death we shall have the consolation to see established in the land of our fathers the most wonderful work of wisdom and disinterested patriotism that has ever yet appeared on the globe.

   • 1896 January 2, Leo Wiener, “Patriotism or Peace”, in The Kingdom of God is within You; Christianity and Patriotism Miscellanies, translation of letter to Manson by Count Lev N. Tolstoy:

     Patriotism cannot be good. What produces war is the desire for an exclusive good for one’s own nation – that is called patriotism. And so to abolish war, it is necessary to abolish patriotism, and to abolish patriotism, it is necessary first to become convinced that it is an evil.

   • 1990, Ivana Edwards, “A funeral in Prague”, Massachusetts Review, vol. 31, no. 3, page 317: 

     The most extraordinary positive development in Czechoslovakia since its creation in 1918, the tumultuous outpouring of patriotism and protest was dared by students and intellectuals and soon embraced steel-workers and elderly pensioners.

   • 2006, “Danger and Opportunity in Eastern Europe”, Foreign Affairs, vol. 85, no. 6, Nov/Dec, page 117: 

     Economic protectionism within the older member states has, in fact, increased in the past year. Calls for economic patriotism have given rise to efforts to create national champions designed to protect key strategic industries from foreign competition.

   • 2007 Feb 6, Michael Moynihan, “For First Time, Croke Park Is Ireland^s Common Ground”, Washington Post:

     The idea that Ireland's rugby and soccer fans would have to go to England to follow their teams was intrinsically unpalatable, Kelly said, but he was also motivated by common sense: "That would have been an immense cost to the economy, it would have been a major drain on the fans, but the prestige and image of the country would also have been affected badly." / His pragmatic patriotism paid off.

   • 2008 Jan 27, Pagag Khanna, “Waving Goodbye to Hegemony”, New York Times, page 34:

     In Europe's capital, Brussels, technocrats, strategists and legislators increasingly see their role as being the global balancer between America and China. Jorgo Chatzimarkakis, a German member of the European Parliament, calls it 'European patriotism.' The Europeans play both sides, and if they do it well, they profit handsomely

   • 2008 February 15, Peter Ford, “Spielberg helps spoil China^s hope for a politics-free Olympics”, Christian Science Monitor, page 1:

     "It is not only an international sports event, but also a very important political mission," stated a 2006 opinion article in the People's Daily. "It is not only an Olympic feast for the Chinese people, it can also arouse Chinese patriotism."

   • 2008, Lisa Ingrassia, “Flying High with Craig Ferguson”, vol. 69, Iss. 24, Jun 23, page 71: 

     "I have the intense patriotism of an immigrant," says Ferguson

Synonyms

• (love of country): nationalism (not pejorative); jingoism, chauvinism, superpatriotism, ultranationalism (pejorative)

Derived terms

• matriotism
• patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels

Patriotism is love and devotion to one's country. The word comes from the Greek patris, meaning fatherland. However, patriotism has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography, and philosophy.

Although patriotism is used in certain vernaculars as a synonym for nationalism, nationalism is not necessarily considered an inherent part of patriotism. Among the ancient Greeks, patriotism consisted of notions concerning language, religious traditions, ethics, law, and devotion to the common good, rather than pure identification with a nation-state. Scholar J. Peter Euben writes that for the Greek philosopher Socrates, "patriotism does not require one to agree with everything that his country does and would actually promote analytical questioning in a quest to make the country the best it possibly can be."

In the Hindu epic Ramayana, Lord Rama tells Lakshmana Janani Janma Bhoomischa Swargadapi Gariyasi (Mother and Motherland are greater than heaven), which greatly lays the foundation for consciousness of patriotism for Hindus.

During the 18th century Age of Enlightenment, the notion of patriotism continued to be separate from the notion of nationalism. Instead, patriotism was defined as devotion to humanity and beneficence. For example, providing charity, criticizing slavery, and denouncing excessive penal laws were all considered patriotic. In both ancient and modern visions of patriotism, individual responsibility to fellow citizens is an inherent component of patriotism.

Many contemporary notions of patriotism are influenced by 19th century ideas about nationalism. During the 19th century, "being patriotic" became increasingly conflated with nationalism and even jingoism. However, some notions of contemporary patriotism reject nationalism in favour of a more classic version of the idea of patriotism which includes social responsibility.

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See also:

• Society: Politics: Nationalism (185)

• Larry's Lounge
  home.comcast.net
  Personal site covering patriotic and military topics.
• USA Patriotism
  usa-patriotism.com
  Includes patriotic poems, music, themes, images, tributes, and links to related websites.
• As an American, I Believe...
  angelfire.com
  Statements of belief in America welcomed.