statism meaning (derogatory): definition

statism

noun

US /ˈsteɪdɪzm/ · UK /ˈsteɪtɪzm/

Etymology From stat(e) + -ism. Doublet of etatism. First attested in c. 1600.

Derogatory, Obsolete Synonym of secularism: subservience of religious issues to political officials and expediency.

Religion turned into Statisme, will soone prooue Atheisme.1609, William Barlow, An Answer to a Catholike English-man, page 370:

Obsolete Synonym of statecraft or statesmanship.

My great Cousin hauing euermore From my greene yeares accepted my aduise In points of statisme...1608, J. F. Le Petit, translated by Edward Grimeston, General History of the Netherlands, page 1113:

Archaic Synonym of government or governance.

[The Ten Commandments] have formed the basis of every system of statism adopted by the civilized communities of the earth.1839, John Hobart Caunter, Poetry of the Pentateuch, page 189:

Derogatory, Often The belief that most or all political power should be centralized in national governments.

Political philosophy

Near-synonyms: big government, dirigisme
Bismarck... believes in State insurance in State activities, in place of individual action. But this is not Socialism. It is Statism.1890, W.D.P. Bliss, What is Christian Socialism?, page 21:

3 more examples

Republican Senator Charles L. McNary concluded his Vice-Presidential campaign tonight with the charge the New Deal is ‘taking deeper and deeper refuge in paternalism and statism’.1940 November 5, The Sun, Baltimore, p. 5
As the economic derivative of libertarianism, laissez-faire capitalism is an economics of life, of rationality. […] And, like libertarianism, it is the only viable solution to the catastrophe of statism in the modern age.1971 January 10, Stan Lehr, Louis Rossetto, “The New Right Credo–Libertarianism”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
[…]; social welfare policies reward parasitical living rather than risk-taking; a truly atavistic, sick attachment to the compulsion and non-meritocratic elitism of statism as a way of life; […] have all retarded and will continue to retard Europeans.1996, Louis Rossetto, “19th Century Nostrums are not Solutions to 21st Century Problems”, in Mute, volume 1, number 4, →ISSN:

Derogatory, Often The belief that most or nearly all political power should be decentralized to provincial governments.

Political philosophy

The joint note of Austria and Prussia... appears thus to have worked more good than moderation and good sense generally achieve over faction and petty-Statism.1854 July 1, The Times, London, p. 9
To him... we owe that sentiment of nationalism prevailing over statism... without which the Union would have parted.1875, A.H. Bullock, Intellectual Leadership Illustrated in American History, page 37:

Derogatory, Often The belief that the state is a legitimate social institution.

Political philosophy