ISBN:
9780190058418
Language:
English
Pages:
xiii, 241 Seiten
,
Illustrationen
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als Duong, Kevin The virtues of violence
DDC:
303.60944
Keywords:
Political violence History
;
Social conflict History
;
Democracy Social aspects
;
World War, 1914-1918
;
Algeria History French Expedition, 1830
;
Paris (France) History Commune, 1871
;
France History Revolution, 1789-1799
;
Frankreich
;
Sozialer Konflikt
;
Politik
;
Gewalt
;
Geschichte
Abstract:
"This book uncovers an unfamiliar vision of political violence that nonetheless prevailed in modern French thought: that through "redemptive violence" the people would not rend but regenerate society. It hones in on invocations of popular redemptive violence across four historical moments in France specifically: the French Revolution, Algeria's colonization, the Paris Commune, and the eve of the first World War. In each of these cases, the book reveals how French thinkers experienced democratization as social disintegration. Yet before such danger, they also proclaimed that virtuous violence by the people could repair the social fabric. The path leading from an anarchic multitude to an organized democratic society required, not violence's prohibition, but its virtuous expression by the people. Understanding this counterintuitive vision of violence in French thought offers a new vantage point on the meaning of modern democracy. It alerts readers to how struggles for democracy do not merely seek justice or a new legal regime but also liberating visions of the social bond. Political violence; democracy; revolution; France; popular sovereignty; terror; democratic theory; political theory; republicanism; French republicanism"--
Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index
