irredentism

American  

[ir-i-den-tiz-uhm] / ˌɪr ɪˈdɛn tɪz əm /

noun

1. (usually initial capital letter) an Italian association that became prominent in 1878, advocating the incorporation into Italy of certain neighboring regions having a primarily Italian population.

   After World War II, Irredentism faded away in Italian politics.

2. the acquisition or annexation of a region previously included in another country because of cultural, historical, ethnic, racial, or other ties, or advocacy for such an acquisition.

   Few countries are explicitly mandating irredentism, but having ethnic communities divided by borders created by colonialists is hugely troublesome.

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Etymology

Origin of irredentism

First recorded in 1880–85; irredent(ism) ( def. ) + -ist ( def. )

Example Sentences

This will not be easy, judging by past efforts to control irredentism.

From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2021

Among conflict-generating “isms” the most relevant one today, however, may be irredentism.

From Washington Post • Dec. 14, 2021

After the statue was unveiled, the Croats summoned Italy’s ambassador in Zagreb and condemned it as celebrating irredentism, the turn-of-the-20th-century Italian movement to reclaim “unredeemed” lands.

From New York Times • Nov. 16, 2019

Yeltsin can help avert such a horror by reassuring Russia's neighbors both inside and outside the old U.S.S.R. that independence won't unleash the forces of tribalism and irredentism.

From Time Magazine Archive

Turkish irredentism may be directed towards material or moral reforms according to circumstances.

From Turkey: a Past and a Future by Toynbee, Arnold Joseph