Bourbonism

American  

[boor-buh-niz-uhm, bur-] / ˈbʊər bəˌnɪz əm, ˈbɜr- /

noun

1. adherence to the ideas and system of government practiced by the Bourbons.

2. extreme conservatism, especially in politics.

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Bourbonism British  

/ ˈbʊəbəˌnɪzəm /

noun

1. support for the rule of the Bourbons, the European royal line that ruled in France from 1589 to 1793 and 1815–48, and in Spain (1700–1808; 1813–1931) and Naples and Sicily (1734–1806; 1815–1860)

2. extreme political and social conservatism

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Other Word Forms

• Bourbonian adjective
• Bourbonic adjective
• Bourbonist noun

Etymology

Origin of Bourbonism

An Americanism dating back to 1875–80; Bourbon + -ism

Example Sentences

The high tide of reaction was reached in 1935, when the most charitable liberal observation was the New Republic's: that that year's convention was a "perfect example of Bourbonism in full flower."

From Time Magazine Archive

To them Lippmann as an opponent of the New Deal is a man convicted of treason to progressive social ideals, a turncoat, seduced not by cash but by the meretricious appeals of Bourbonism.

From Time Magazine Archive

But ahead lies the danger of the fifth stage: the coming of a dictator still fired by some revolutionary zeal, and beyond that, the possibility, of a Bourbonism restored.

From Time Magazine Archive

Pennsylvania sent ex-Senator Bigler and Judge George W. Woodward, whose ability was equaled by his rank Bourbonism.

From Twenty Years of Congress, Volume 2 From Lincoln to Garfield, with a Review of the Events Which Led to the Political Revolution of 1860 by Blaine, James Gillespie

The audience was too loyal to Bourbonism to accept these sentiments; there were loud murmurs; and Brutus had to be withdrawn.

From The French Revolution A Short History by Johnston, R. M. (Robert Matteson)