French Political Thought from Montesquieu to Tocqueville: Liberty in a Levelled Society? (Ideas in Context, Series Number 89)

This study makes a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important and enduring strands of modern political thought. Annelien de Dijn argues that Montesquieu's aristocratic liberalism - his conviction that the preservation of freedom in a monarchy required the existence of an aristocratic 'corps interm?diaire' - had a continued impact on post-revolutionary France. Revisionist historians from Furet to Rosanvallon have emphasised the impact of revolutionary republicanism on post-revolutionary France, with its monist conception of politics and its focus on popular sovereignty. Dr de Dijn, however, highlights the persistence of a pluralist liberalism that was rooted in the Old Regime, and which saw democracy and equality as inherent threats to liberty. She thus provides an alternative context in which to read the work of Alexis de Tocqueville, who is revealed as the heir not just of Restoration liberals, but also of the Royalists and their hero, Montesquieu. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction......Page 11 CLASSICAL REPUBLICANISM IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY FRANCE......Page 21 THE FEUDAL IDEAL: HENRI DE BOULAINVILLIERS......Page 24 THE LIMITED MONARCHY: MONTESQUIEU’S ESPRIT DES LOIS......Page 30 ARISTOCRATIC LIBERALISM AFTER 1748......Page 43 CHAPTER 2 Liberty and inequality: the royalist discourse......Page 50 LIBERTY AND INEQUALITY: THE ROYALISTS’ CONCEPTION OF FREEDOM......Page 51 LIBERTY AND PRIMOGENITURE: THE ROYALISTS’ SOCIAL IDEAL......Page 59 THE DANGER OF DESPOTISM: THE ROYALISTS’ CRITICISM OF FRENCH SOCIETY......Page 67 CONCLUSION......Page 76 THE ANACHRONISM OF ARISTOCRATIC LIBERALISM......Page 78 A SOCIETY OF EQUALS......Page 84 A COMMERCIAL SOCIETY: THE LIBERAL CRITICISM OF THE ROYALISTS’ SOCIAL IDEAL......Page 90 CONCLUSION......Page 98 LAISSEZ-FAIRE LIBERALISM: CHARLES DUNOYER......Page 99 THE NEO-REPUBLICAN SOLUTION: BENJAMIN CONSTANT......Page 105 ARISTOCRATIC LIBERALISM REVISITED: PROSPER DE BARANTE......Page 111 THE DEBATE ABOUT THE BICAMERAL SYSTEM......Page 121 THE DEBATE ABOUT DECENTRALIZATION......Page 125 THE DEBATE ABOUT PRESS FREEDOM......Page 133 CONCLUSION......Page 137 THE JULY REVOLUTION AND ORLEANIST LIBERALISM......Page 139 ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE: THE DEMOCRATIE OF 1835......Page 145 ARISTOCRATIC LIBERALISM IN THE DEMOCRATIE OF 1840......Page 153 TOCQUEVILLE’S PESSIMISM......Page 163 CHAPTER 7 The French predicament: aristocratic liberalism in the Second Empire......Page 165 THE FRENCH PREDICAMENT......Page 166 THE ENGLISH EXAMPLE: CHARLES DE MONTALEMBERT......Page 174 THE DEBATE ABOUT DECENTRALIZATION: ODILON BARROT AND VICTOR DE BROGLIE......Page 183 CHARLES DUPONT-WHITE’S CRITICISM......Page 188 Epilogue......Page 195 PRIMARY SOURCES......Page 205 SECONDARY SOURCES......Page 210 Index......Page 220 IDEAS IN CONTEXT......Page 223 This study makes a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important and enduring strands of modern political thought. Annelien de Dijn argues that Montesquieu's aristocratic liberalism - his conviction that the preservation of freedom in a monarchy required the existence of an aristocratic 'corps intermédiaire' - had a continued impact on post-revolutionary France. Revisionist historians from Furet to Rosanvallon have emphasised the impact of revolutionary republicanism on post-revolutionary France, with its monist conception of politics and its focus on popular sovereignty. Dr de Dijn, however, highlights the persistence of a pluralist liberalism that was rooted in the Old Regime, and which saw democracy and equality as inherent threats to liberty. She thus provides an alternative context in which to read the work of Alexis de Tocqueville, who is revealed as the heir not just of Restoration liberals, but also of the Royalists and their hero, Montesquieu This study makes a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important and enduring strands of modern political thought. Annelien de Dijn argues that Montesquieu's aristocratic liberalism - his conviction that the preservation of freedom in a monarchy required the existence of an aristocratic 'corps intermédiaire' - had a continued impact on post-revolutionary France. Revisionist historians from Furet to Rosanvallon have emphasised the impact of revolutionary republicanism on post-revolutionary France, with its monist conception of politics and its focus on popular sovereignty. Dr de Dijn, however, highlights the persistence of a pluralist liberalism that was rooted in the Old Regime, and which saw democracy and equality as inherent threats to liberty. She thus provides a new context in which to read the work of Alexis de Tocqueville, who is revealed as the heir not just of Restoration liberals, but also of the Royalists and their hero, Montesquieu. Annelien de Dijn argues that Montesquieu's aristocratic liberalism has had a continued impact on post-revolutionary France. Highlighting the persistence of a pluralist liberalism that was rooted in the old regime, de Dijn provides a new context in which to read the works of Montesquieu and Alexis de Tocqueville This study makes a major contribution to our understanding of one of the most important strands of modern political thought. Dr de Dijn provides a new context for the thought of Tocqueville, depicted as the heir not just of Restoration liberals, but also of the Royalists and their hero Montesquieu. A major contribution to the understanding of one of the most important strands of modern political thought Annelien De Dijn. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 195-209) And Index.