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Bonapartism

British  
/ ˈbəʊnəpɑːˌtɪzəm /

noun

  1. a political system resembling the rules of the Bonapartes, esp Napoleon I and Napoleon III: centralized government by a military dictator, who enjoys popular support given expression in plebiscites

  2. (esp in France) support for the government or dynasty of Napoleon Bonaparte

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • Bonapartist noun

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Say what you will about the tenets of Bonapartism, but at least it’s an ethos.

From Slate • Aug. 20, 2012

Louis, genuine Bonapartism was the destiny of the first half of the century.

From Time Magazine Archive

Carried into office on a flood tide of Bonapartism, he soon made it clear that his resemblance to Napoleon was merely nominal.

From Time Magazine Archive

By last summer, says Washington Sinologist Ralph Powell, the Lin faction's grip on the country was so comprehensive that it seemed "China was on the verge of what in Marxist terms is known as Bonapartism."

From Time Magazine Archive

A hate of the Jesuits, a mingling of liberalism, touched with Bonapartism, and the war of newspapers furnished the theme.

From The History of the Nineteenth Century in Caricature by Cooper, Frederic Taber