Revanchism

(From OFr. revenche to take vengeance). Policies directed toward the recovery of lost territory, constitution, or power. Those who follow the politics of r. resort to any means, including the most radical and violent, to achieve their objectives. In foreign policy, policies of r. engender wars that lead to national tragedy for the people, as happened in Germany following the First World War or Yugoslavia following the breakup of the Tito regime. In domestic politics, r. leads to counterrevolutions, coups d’états, even civil wars. R. is characteristic of extremist forces that try to recover through violence positions they have lost. R. is dangerous because it can mobilize broad strata of the population under the banner of patriotism and the defense of national interest. It is capable of creating real threats to democracy, peace and international security.