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Full Idea
Popular imperialism is the cosmopolitanism of the poor, the lever by which the small and impotent come to believe that their acts have world historical meaning.
Gist of Idea
Popular imperialism gives the poor the belief that their acts have world historical meaning
Source
Adam Gopnik (A Thousand Small Sanities [2019], 2)
Book Ref
Gopnik,Adam: 'A Thousand Small Sanities' [riverrun 2019], p.96
A Reaction
It is not only the poor who like imperialism. The focus of this popular attitude is the armed forces, and especially the army, where personal bravery is most obvious. The army gets strong support, no matter how dubious are its activities.