Jacobinism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A political doctrine advocating democratic governance through a strong, centralized state that pursues radical social reform ; enthusiasm for the revolutionary ideals and methods of the French Revolution's most radical faction
2. An ideology promoting popular sovereignty and centralized authority to achieve revolutionary social change ; advocacy of the principles and practices of the French Revolution's radical Jacobin faction
3. A system of radical democratic government with concentrated state power to enact sweeping social transformation ; allegiance to the revolutionary agenda and strategy of France's Jacobin party during the 1790s

Etymology: Jacobinism takes its name from the Jacobins, the radical republican club that met in the former Dominican convent of Saint-Jacques in Paris, which gave it the name "Jacobin" from the Latin "Jacobus" (James). That name, rather than any political programme, is the root of the whole family of words. The suffix "-ism" turns the club's name into a label for its principles and methods. The word was formed in French as "jacobinisme" and passed into English in the same form, so a reader who meets it in a history of the French Revolution is seeing a term built directly on the name of a single meeting place. Used in English, it names the doctrines and tactics associated with the Jacobins: centralised authority, strict republican virtue, and a willingness to use terror to defend the revolution. Because the club's name became a general label, the noun could be applied to any movement judged to share those traits.

Synonyms: radicalism, extremism

Antonyms: conservatism, moderation