The Regrettable Century
The old forms of the Left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We're making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a Dialectical Pessimism and develop a salvage project capable of sparking a new workers' movement for socialism. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you.
“The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned. I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.”
-- Antonio Gramsci
The Regrettable Century
Vive la révolution, Vive L'Empereur: The Mixed Legacy of Napoleon (Part I)
This week we had our long time comrade and resident France expert, Matthew, back on the show to talk about the mixed legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte. Was Napoleon a force for progress or the death of the revolution?
The answer is yes.
Revolutionary Figures: Napoleon Bonaparte
https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/ageofrevolution/revolutionary-figures/napoleon-bonaparte/#
Napoleon: Hegelian Hero
https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/napoleon-hegelian-hero/
Hegel and Napoleon: On Heroes and the Sublime in History
https://minervawisdom.com/2020/04/13/hegel-and-napoleon-on-heroes-and-the-sublime-in-history/
Music: Chant du départ, the anthem of the first French Empire.