I.

Introduction

Boycott, refusal of a group to trade or associate with another group, an individual, an organization, or a nation. The purpose of a boycott is to bring about some change desired by its initiators. Although the most frequent use of the boycott is in labor disputes, it has also been used as a weapon in consumer affairs, social problems, personal relations, and international affairs. Boycott initiators often attempt to enlist the support of friendly or neutral sections of the population, as, for example, when democratic groups in various countries refused to purchase goods from National Socialist Germany before World War II.

The term boycott first appeared in the late 19th century, after Irish tenants objected to the oppressive rent-collection policies of a British land agent, Captain Charles Boycott. The angry tenants refused to work the lands and isolated him both economically and socially.