Description
Book SynopsisAn intellectual biography of the renowned and influential observer of the era of tyranniesElie Halevy (1870-1937) was one of the most respected and influential intellectuals of the French Third Republic. In this densely contextualized biography, K. Steven Vincent describes how Halevy, best remembered as the historian of British Utilitarianism and nineteenth-century English history, was also a persistent, acute, and increasingly anxious observer of society in a period defined by industrialization and imperialism and by what Halevy famously called the era of tyrannies.Vincent distinguishes three broad phases in the development of Halevy's thought. In the first, Halevy brought his version of neo-Kantianism to debates with sociologists and philosophers and to his study of English Utilitarianism. He forged ties with Xavier Leon, Leon Brunschvicg, and Alain (Emile-Auguste Chartier), life-long intellectual interlocutors. Together they founded the Revue de metaphysique et de morale, a continui
Trade Review"[An] outstanding achievement...[Vincent's book] will now be a key point of departure for anyone who wants to understand the intellectual culture of French liberalism in the Third Republic and, indeed, for anyone in search of the roots of the liberal revival initiated by Halévy’s friend and disciple Raymond Aron." * Journal of Modern History *
"Incorporating cutting-edge scholarship to produce sophisticated and balanced analytical summaries of Élie Halévy's work, K. Steven Vincent has written a masterful intellectual biography that should appeal to historians, political theorists, and philosophers alike." * Helena Rosenblatt, Graduate Center-CUNY *
"K. Steven Vincent excels at intellectual biography and, in this latest book, deploys all available sources to get at the roots and substance of Élie Halévy's thinking. The result is a deftly organized, lucidly written, comprehensive, and meticulous exposition of Halévy's considerable and varied opus that successfully captures his complexity and depth." * Susan Ashley, Colorado College *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Part I. Neo-Kantianism and British Radicalism
Chapter 1. The Early Years
Chapter 2. Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale
Chapter 3. British Utilitarianism (1896-1904)
Part II. French Politics, European Socialism, and British History
Chapter 4. The Dreyfus Affair (1897-1901)
Chapter 5. L'École Libre des Sciences Politiques and Socialism (1902-1914)
Chapter 6. British Affairs: Empire, Methodism, and English Socialists (1905-1914)
Part III. World War I and the State of Europe in the Era of Tyrannies
Chapter 7. World War I (1914-1918)
Chapter 8. Post War (1918-1924)
Chapter 9. "The World Crisis" Reconsidered (1924-1932)
Chapter 10. The Era of Tyrannies (1932-1937)
Conclusion
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
