Lies, Passions, and Illusions : The Democratic Imagination in the Twentieth Century

François Furet needs little introduction. Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, he was a maverick for his time, shining a critical light on the entrenched Marxist interpretations that prevailed during the mid-twentieth century. Shortly after his death in 1997, the New York Review of Books called him “one of the most influential men in contemporary France.” Lies, Passions, and Illusions is a fitting capstone to this celebrated author’s oeuvre: a late-career conversation with philosopher Paul Ricoeur on the twentieth century writ large, a century of violence and turmoil, of unprecedented wealth and progress, in which history advanced, for better or worse, in quantum leaps. This conversation would be, sadly, Furet’s last—he died while Ricoeur was completing his edits. Ricoeur did not want to publish his half without Furet’s approval, so what remains is Furet’s alone, an astonishingly cohesive meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century. With strokes at once broad and incisive, he examines the many different trajectories that nations of the West have followed over the past hundred years. It is a dialogue with history as it happened but also as a form of thought. It is a dialogue with his critics, with himself, and with those major thinkers—from Tocqueville to Hannah Arendt—whose ideas have shaped our understanding of the tragic dramas and upheavals of the modern era. It is a testament to the crucial role of the historian, a reflection on how history is made and lived, and how the imagination is a catalyst for political change. Whether new to Furet or deeply familiar with his work, readers will find thought-provoking assessments on every page, a deeply moving look back at one of the most tumultuous periods of history and how we might learn and look forward from it. François Furet needs little introduction. Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, he was a maverick for his time, shining a critical light on the entrenched Marxist interpretations that prevailed during the mid-twentieth century. Shortly after his death in 1997, the __New York Review of Books__ called him “one of the most influential men in contemporary France.” __Lies, Passions, and Illusions__ is a fitting capstone to this celebrated author’s oeuvre: a late-career conversation with philosopher Paul Ricoeur on the twentieth century writ large, a century of violence and turmoil, of unprecedented wealth and progress, in which history advanced, for better or worse, in quantum leaps. This conversation would be, sadly, Furet’s last—he died while Ricoeur was completing his edits. Ricoeur did not want to publish his half without Furet’s approval, so what remains is Furet’s alone, an astonishingly cohesive meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century. With strokes at once broad and incisive, he examines the many different trajectories that nations of the West have followed over the past hundred years. It is a dialogue with history as it happened but also as a form of thought. It is a dialogue with his critics, with himself, and with those major thinkers—from Tocqueville to Hannah Arendt—whose ideas have shaped our understanding of the tragic dramas and upheavals of the modern era. It is a testament to the crucial role of the historian, a reflection on how history is made and lived, and how the imagination is a catalyst for political change. Whether new to Furet or deeply familiar with his work, readers will find thought-provoking assessments on every page, a deeply moving look back at one of the most tumultuous periods of history and how we might learn and look forward from it. A critical history of 20th century political movement by the Hannah Arendt Prize-winning author of Interpreting the French Revolution . Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, François Furet was hailed as “one of the most influential men in contemporary France” by the New York Review of Books . In Lies, Passions, and Illusions , Furet’s presents a cohesive, late-career meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century, drawn from a wide-ranging conversation between Furet and philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Published posthumously, it is Furet’s final statement on history and politics. With strokes at once broad and incisive, Furet examines the many different trajectories that nations of the West have followed over the past hundred years. It is a dialogue with history as it happened but also as a form of thought. It is a dialogue with his critics, with himself, and with those major thinkers—from Tocqueville to Hannah Arendt—whose ideas have shaped our understanding of the tragic dramas and upheavals of the modern era. It is a testament to the crucial role of the historian, a reflection on how history is made and lived, and how the imagination is a catalyst for political change. A critical history of 20th century political movement by the Hannah Arendt Prize-winning author of Interpreting the French Revolution. Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, Francois Furet was hailed as "one of the most influential men in contemporary France" by the New York Review of Books. In Lies, Passions, and Illusions, Furet's presents a cohesive, late-career meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century, drawn from a wide-ranging conversation between Furet and philosopher Paul Ricoeur. Published posthumously, it is Furet's final statement on history and politics. With strokes at once broad and incisive, Furet examines the many different trajectories that nations of the West have followed over the past hundred years. It is a dialogue with history as it happened but also as a form of thought. It is a dialogue with his critics, with himself, and with those major thinkers'from Tocqueville to Hannah Arendt'whose ideas have shaped our understanding of the tragic dramas and upheavals of the modern era. It is a testament to the crucial role of the historian, a reflection on how history is made and lived, and how the imagination is a catalyst for political change Widely considered one of the leading historians of the French Revolution, Franc̦ois Furet was a maverick for his time, shining a critical light on the entrenched Marxist interpretations that prevailed during the mid-twentieth century. Lies, Passion, and Illusions is a fitting capstone to this celebrated author's oeuvre: a late-career conversation with the philosopher Paul Ricoeur on the twentieth century writ large. This conversation would be, sadly, Furet's last - he died while Ricoeur was completing his edits. Ricoeur did not want to publish his half without Furet's approval, so what remains is Furet's alone, an astonishingly cohesive meditation on the political passions of the twentieth century, a century of violence and turmoil, of unprecendented welath and progress, in which history advanced, for better or worse, in quantum leaps. Whether new to Furet or deeply familiar with his work, readers will find thought-provoking assessments on every page, a deeply moving look back at one of the most tumultuous periods of history and how we might learn and look forward from it. -- from dust jacket Contents 6 Translator’s Note 8 Introduction. François Furet and Paul Ricoeur: A Dialogue Interrupted by Christophe Prochasson 10 Ideas and Emotions 38 The End of a World? 46 On the Nation: The Universal and the Particular 50 The Socialist Movement, the Nation, and the War 59 The Past and the Future of the Revolution 68 The Historian’s Pursuit 76 The Seductions of Bolshevism 82 Critique of Totalitarianism 86 Learning from the Past 112 Notes 120 Lies, passions, and illusions The end of a world? On the nation: the universal and the particular The socialist movement, the nation, and the war The past and the future of the revolution The historian's pursuit The seductions of Bolshevism Critique of totalitarianism History lessons for the future?