Anglophobia (from
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
Anglus "English" +
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
φόβος -phobos, "fear") means hatred or fear of England or the English people.
The term is sometimes used to refer to general
Anti-British sentimentAnti-British sentiment is a prejudice against the British people, or of the United Kingdom, or both. It has diverse causes and forms.-Canada and the Province of Québec:...
.
In his essay "
Notes on Nationalism", written in May 1945 and published in the first issue of the intellectual magazine
PolemicPolemics is the practice of disputing or controverting significant, broad-reaching topics of magnitude such as religious, philosophical, political, or scientific matters...
(October 1945),
George OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist...
wrote, 'Welsh, Irish and Scottish nationalism have points of difference but are alike in their anti-English orientation.'.
A 2005 study by Hussain and Millar of the Department of Politics at the
University of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities...
examined the prevalence of Anglophobia in relation to
IslamophobiaIslamophobia is a neologism that refers to prejudice or discrimination against Islam or Muslims. The term seems to date back to the late 1980s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States...
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
Anglophobia (from
LatinLatin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Through the Roman conquest, Latin spread throughout the Mediterranean and a large part of Europe...
Anglus "English" +
GreekGreek , an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, is the language of the Greeks. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. In its ancient form, it is the language of classical...
φόβος -phobos, "fear") means hatred or fear of England or the English people.
The term is sometimes used to refer to general
Anti-British sentimentAnti-British sentiment is a prejudice against the British people, or of the United Kingdom, or both. It has diverse causes and forms.-Canada and the Province of Québec:...
.
Within the United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
In his essay "
Notes on Nationalism", written in May 1945 and published in the first issue of the intellectual magazine
PolemicPolemics is the practice of disputing or controverting significant, broad-reaching topics of magnitude such as religious, philosophical, political, or scientific matters...
(October 1945),
George OrwellEric Arthur Blair , better known by his pen name George Orwell, was an English novelist and journalist...
wrote, 'Welsh, Irish and Scottish nationalism have points of difference but are alike in their anti-English orientation.'.
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
A 2005 study by Hussain and Millar of the Department of Politics at the
University of GlasgowThe University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities...
examined the prevalence of Anglophobia in relation to
IslamophobiaIslamophobia is a neologism that refers to prejudice or discrimination against Islam or Muslims. The term seems to date back to the late 1980s, but came into common usage after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States...
in
ScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. One finding of the report suggested that national ‘phobias’ have common roots independent of the nations they are directed toward. The study states that:
Scottish identity comes close to rivalling low levels of education as an influence towards Anglophobia. Beyond that, having an English friend reduces Anglophobia by about as much as having a Muslim friend reduces Islamophobia. And lack of knowledge about Islam probably indicates a broader rejection of the ‘other’, for it has as much impact on Anglophobia as on Islamophobia.
Hussain and Millar's study found that Anglophobia was slightly less prevalent than Islamophobia, but that while Anglophobia was correlated with Scottish identity, this was not a significant factor in Islamophobia. However, the study goes on to say: "Few of the English (only 16 percent) see conflict between Scots and English as even 'fairly serious'".
In 1999 an Inspector and race relations officer with Lothian and Borders Police said that a correlation had been noticed between the establishment of the Scottish Parliament and anti-English incidents. However, Hussain and Millar's research suggested that Anglophobia had fallen slightly since the introduction of devolution.
One person was assaulted, allegedly for having an English accent while in Scotland. Similar cases have been connected with major football matches and tournaments, particularly international tournaments where the English and Scottish football teams often compete with each other.
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union...
Anglophobia has existed in Wales to some extent since the establishment of England, and vice versa. The Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 also known as the "Acts of Union", passed by the
Parliament of EnglandThe Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. The English Parliament traces its origins to the Anglo-Saxon Witenagemot. In 1066, William of Normandy brought a feudal system, by which he sought advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
, annexed Wales to the
Kingdom of EnglandThe Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state and island country to the northwest of continental Europe. At its zenith, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands—what is today the legal unit of...
, and replaced the
Welsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic spoken natively in Wales, in England by some along the Welsh border and in the Welsh immigrant colony in the Chubut Valley in Argentine Patagonia....
and
Welsh lawWelsh law, the law of Wales, was traditionally first codified by Hywel Dda during the period between 942 and 950 when he was king of most of Wales. In Welsh it is usually called Cyfraith Hywel, the Law of Hywel...
with the
English languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that developed in England during the Anglo-Saxon era. As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the British Empire during the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, and of the United States since the mid 20th century,...
and
English lawEnglish law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countriesand the United States...
. In particular, Section 20 of the 1535 Act made English the only language of the law courts and stated that those who used Welsh would not be appointed to any public office in Wales. An effect of this language clause was to lay the foundation for creating a thoroughly Anglicised ruling class of
landed gentryLanded gentry is a traditional British social class consisting of "gentlemen" in the original sense; that is, those who owned land in the form of country estates to such an extent that they were not required to actively work, except in an administrative capacity on their own lands...
in Wales, which would have many consequences. Throughout the centuries with the suppression of the Welsh language in almost every public sphere, including in schools with the use of the
Welsh NotThe Welsh Not or Welsh Note was a piece of wood, inscribed with the letters "WN", that was hung round the necks of children who spoke Welsh in some schools in the 19th century. The "not" was given to any child overheard speaking Welsh, who would pass it to a different child if overheard speaking...
, the Welsh speaking population was gradually Anglicised and reduced to a linguistic minority of roughly 20 percent of the total population of Wales today.
Concerns over the decline of the Welsh language and its historical proscription, and in recent years the cultural impact of English immigration, have contributed to anti-English sentiment in Wales. From 1979-1994, the Welsh militant group
Meibion GlyndŵrMeibion Glyndŵr was a Welsh nationalist movement violently opposed to the loss of Welsh culture and language. They were formed in response to the housing crisis precipitated by large numbers of second homes being bought by the English which had pushed up house prices beyond the means of many locals...
, motivated by cultural and economic concerns, firebombed 300 English-owned second homes in Wales and attempted arson against several estate agents in Wales and England, and against the offices of the
Conservative PartyThe Conservative and Unionist Party, more commonly known as the Conservatives, the Conservative Party, or Tory Party is a conservative political party in the United Kingdom...
in London.
In 2000, the Chairman of
SwanseaSwansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
Bay Race Equality Council said that "Devolution has brought a definite increase in anti-English behaviour" citing three women who believed that they were being discriminated against in their careers because they could not speak Welsh. Author
Simon BrooksDr Simon Brooks is a former editor of the Welsh language current affairs magazine Barn , as well as founding co-editor of the Welsh language cultural magazine Tu Chwith . A collection of his journalism in Barn was published in 2009...
recommended that English-owned homes in Wales be "peacefully occupied". In 2001 Dafydd Elis-Thomas, a former leader of Plaid Cymru, said that there was an anti-English strand to Welsh nationalism.
Outside the United Kingdom
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
In August 2008 a pipefitter based in
DublinDublin is the largest city and capital of Ireland. It is officially known in Irish as Baile Átha Cliath or Áth Cliath ; the English name comes from the Irish Dubh Linn meaning "black pool". It is located near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the...
was awarded €20,000 for the racial abuse and discrimination he received at his workplace.
FranceFrance , officially the French Republic , is a country located in Western Europe, with several overseas islands and territories located on other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean...
After the Norman conquest in 1066,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language globally spoken by about 65 million people as a first language , by 50 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France,...
replaced English as the official language of England. However, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the
PlantagenetThe House of Plantagenet , or First House of Anjou, was a royal house founded by Henry II of England, son of Geoffrey V of Anjou. The Plantagenet kings first ruled the Kingdom of England in the 12th century. Their male line originated in Gâtinais, while their direct ancestors had ruled the County...
kings of England lost most of their possessions in France, began to consider England to be their primary domain, and turned to the English language. King
Edward IEdward I , also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial...
, when issuing writs for summoning parliament in 1295, claimed that the King of France planned to invade England and extinguish the English language, "a truly detestable plan which may God avert". In 1338,
Philip VI of FrancePhilip VI , known as the Fortunate and of Valois, was the King of France from 1328 to his death. He was also Count of Anjou, Maine, and Valois from 1325 to 1328...
authored the
Ordinance of NormandyThe Ordinance of Normandy is the name given to a paper authored by Philip VI of France on 23 March 1338. It called for a second Norman conquest of England, with an invading army led by the Duke of Normandy, and England was to be divided between the Duke of Normandy and his nobles as a fief for the...
, which again called for the destruction and elimination of the English nation and language. The so-called Hundred Years War (1337-1453) between England and France changed societies on both sides of the
ChannelThe English Channel is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest, to only in the Strait of Dover...
.
The English and French were engaged in numerous wars in the following centuries. England's ongoing conflict with Scotland provided France with an opportunity to destabilise England, and there was a firm friendship (known as the
Auld AllianceThe Auld Alliance refers to a series of treaties, offensive and defensive in nature, between Scotland and France , aimed specifically against England. The first such agreement was signed in Paris on 23 October 1295 – subsequently ratified at Dunfermline the following February – during the reign...
) between France and Scotland from the late-thirteenth century to the mid-sixteenth century. The alliance eventually foundered because of growing
ProtestantismProtestantism is a branch within Christianity, containing many denominations with some differing practices and doctrines, that principally originated in the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It is considered to be one of the major divisions within Christianity, together with the Roman...
in Scotland. Opposition to Protestantism became a major feature of later French Anglophobia (and conversely, fear of
CatholicismCatholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole...
was a hallmark of
FrancophobiaFrancophobia, or Gallophobia, as well as Francophobe, are terms that refer to a dislike toward the government, culture, history, or people of France or the Francophonie. Its antonym is francophilia...
). Antipathy and intermittent hostilities between France and Britain, as distinct from England, continued during later centuries. The two countries frequently made stereotypical jokes about each other.
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
The Irish-American community in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
has historically shown antipathy towards the English in particular. The film industry is widely perceived to give villains an English nationality.
Lyndon LaRoucheLyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. is an American economist, political activist, and the founder of several political organizations known collectively as the LaRouche movement. He has been a perennial candidate for President of the United States, having run in eight elections since 1976, once as a...
, a
perennial candidateA perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is either infrequent or non-existent. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run not with any serious...
for U.S. President and a
movement leaderThe LaRouche movement is an international political and cultural movement that promotes Lyndon LaRouche and his ideas. The movement includes the following:* political parties and candidates in the United States and around the world;...
known for theories of conspiracies, has been called the "most illustrious" Anglophobe in American politics.
See also
- Englishry
Englishry, or Englescherie, is a legal name given, in the reign of William the Conqueror, to the presentment of the fact that a person slain was an Englishman. If an unknown man was found slain, he was presumed to be a Norman, and the hundred was fined accordingly, unless it could be proved that he...
- West Lothian question
The West Lothian Question was first posed on 14 November 1977 by Tam Dalyell, Labour Member of Parliament for the Scottish constituency of West Lothian, during a British House of Commons debate over Scottish and Welsh devolution :For how long will English constituencies and English Honourable...
- English nationalism
English nationalism refers to a nationalist outlook or political stance applied to England. In a general sense, it comprises political and social movements and sentiment inspired by a love for English culture, language and history, and a sense of pride in England and the English people. In addition...
- Perfidious Albion
"Perfidious Albion" is a hostile epithet for England or the United Kingdom: perfidious signifies one who does not keep his faith or word, while Albion is the Ancient Greek name for Britain.- Origins: the struggle between France and England :...
- List of phobias
- Anglophilia
An Anglophile is a person who is fond of English culture and England in general. Its antonym is Anglophobe.According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word comes from French, and ultimately from Latin Anglus "British"/"English" + Ancient Greek φίλος - philos, "friend")...
- The Evil Empire: 101 Ways That England Ruined the World
The Evil Empire: 101 Ways That England Ruined the World is a non-fiction history book, written by Steven A. Grasse, the chief executive officer of Philadelphia marketing agency Gyro. It was first published in April 2007 by Quirk Books. In it, the author argues that many of the world's problems...