The Stubborn Origin of the Word BoycottHow an Irish community invented a powerful protest
From the show
History of PhrasesA 19th-century land agent's refusal to lower rents sparked a revolutionary tactic of economic isolation. When the community completely ostracized Captain Charles Boycott during the 1880 Irish Land War, they created a highly effective form of nonviolent resistance. His stubbornness unintentionally cemented his name in history as the ultimate symbol of collective action.
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