Chauvinism is thoughts and ideas that preach the rule of one nation and disregard for others, the recognition of one's nationality above all others. This aggressive ideology has nothing to do with patriotism. The most terrible manifestation of chauvinism was fascism, which resulted in the death of tens of millions of people.
This word is of French origin, derived from the name of Chauvin. That was the name of a soldier in the army of Napoleon, who was an ardent supporter of Bonapartism. Nicola Chauvin remained loyal to his emperor, despite persecution, poverty, and insults. He idolized Napoleon and was ready to fight for him with the whole world. Chauvin was so distinguished by his patriotic attitude and love for the emperor that he became the prototype of the hero in the play "Soldier-Farmer" and in the comedy "Three-color cockade", thanks to which his name became a household name. Thus, the name of an ordinary soldier became a term widely used not only in French, but also in many other languages.
Chauvinism in the modern sense is an ideology of aggressive nationalism, a policy of national exclusivity and superiority. Chauvinists, elevating their nation, allow themselves to humiliate representatives of other nationalities, their hatred for strangers comes to the fore, and not love for their own. The ideologists of chauvinism, in contrast to the adherents of nationalism, who recognize the equality of any peoples, always endow their own nation with special rights.
Chauvinistic politics is especially widespread in underdeveloped countries and regions where peoples absolutize their national interests and sentiments. The absence of a political and general culture makes such chauvinists very dangerous participants in social and political life. Chauvinism is most dangerous when it becomes the official ideology of the ruling party or even state policy, an example of which is Germany in the 30s and 40s.
The term can also be used to refer to the theory of gender superiority. These are social stereotypes, beliefs that assert that one sex is better than the other, and thereby justify the inequality of men and women. Recently, these views are more often referred to as sexism. Male chauvinism is the most common form of sexism. It is based on the following principles: a man is always right only after being born a man; a man is more important and smarter than a woman, since male logic is based on reason; a man's word is a law for a woman. Male chauvinism is especially widespread in the East, where a woman never had equal rights with a man.
