Description
Book SynopsisArguing that the French have cherished and demonized Jacobinism at the same time—their hearts following Robespierre, but their heads turning toward Benjamin Constant—Rosanvallon traces the long history of resistance to Jacobinism, including the creation of associations and unions and the implementation of elements of decentralization.
Trade ReviewIn this unique synthesis of political theory and social history, Pierre Rosanvallon gives us a masterful interpretation of the French political experience from the Revolution to the present. He explores the tension between the Jacobin tradition, with its deep suspicion of civil society as partial and divisive, and the emergence in modern France of a robust associational life. More than a brilliant analysis of French politics and society, this book is a rich meditation on the theory and practice of democracy, past and present. -- Michael J. Sandel, author of
Democracy's Discontent and
Public PhilosophyPierre Rosanvallon [is] one of the most important writers of history in France today...His ideas have a clarity and a power similar to Furet's. -- David A. Bell * New Republic *
Rosanvallon brilliantly demystifies the "illiberal mentalité" of men like Maximilien Robespierre, the "Incorruptible." Democracy emerges as complicated, valuable, and fragile. -- L. A. Rollo * Choice *
