Defeatism is acceptance and content with defeat without struggle. In everyday use, defeatism has negative connotation, and is often linked to treason and pessimism. The term is commonly used in the context of war: a soldier can be a defeatist if he or she refuses to fight because he or she thinks that the fight will be lost for sure or that it is not worth fighting for some other reason. The term can also be used in other fields, like politics, sports, psychology and philosophy. The term originates from France during World War I.
Political defeatism
Some governments charged dissidents with "defeatism" for opposing the war or other government policies. For example:
- Luigi Fabbri , (1877 - 1935), an Italian militant anarchist, was charged with defeatism during the World War I.
- Elizabeth von Thadden (1890 - 1944), a teacher and an anti-Hitler activist from Morag, was sentenced to death for defeatism and attempted treason.
- Daniil Kharms (1905 - 1942), a Russian writer, was charged with defeatism and jailed during the Siege of Leningrad. He starved to death in prison.
