Phantom Terror : Political Paranoia and the Creation of the Modern State, 1789-1848

For the ruling and propertied classes of the late eighteenth century, the years following the French Revolution were characterized by intense anxiety. Monarchs and their courtiers lived in constant fear of rebellion, convinced that their power—and their heads—were at risk. Driven by paranoia, they chose to fight back against every threat and insurgency, whether real or merely perceived, repressing their populaces through surveillance networks and violent, secretive police action. Europe, and the world, had entered a new era.In __Phantom Terror__, award-winning historian Adam Zamoyski argues that the stringent measures designed to prevent unrest had disastrous and far-reaching consequences, inciting the very rebellions they had hoped to quash. The newly established culture of state control halted economic development in Austria and birthed a rebellious youth culture in Russia that would require even harsher methods to suppress. By the end of the era, the first stirrings of terrorist movements had become evident across the continent, making the previously unfounded fears of European monarchs a reality.__Phantom Terror__ explores this troubled, fascinating period, when politicians and cultural leaders from Edmund Burke to Mary Shelley were forced to choose sides and either support or resist the counterrevolutionary spirit embodied in the newly-omnipotent central states. The turbulent political situation that coalesced during this era would lead directly to the revolutions of 1848 and to the collapse of order in World War I. We still live with the legacy of this era of paranoia, which prefigured not only the modern totalitarian state but also the now preeminent contest between society’s haves and have nots.These tempestuous years of suspicion and suppression were the crux upon which the rest of European history would turn. In this magisterial history, Zamoyski chronicles the moment when desperate monarchs took the world down the path of revolution, terror, and world war. For the ruling and propertied classes of the late eighteenth century, the years following the French Revolution were characterized by intense anxiety. Monarchs and their courtiers lived in constant fear of rebellion, convinced that their power-and their heads-were at risk. Driven by paranoia, they chose to fight back against every threat and insurgency, whether real or merely perceived, repressing their populaces through surveillance networks and violent, secretive police action. Europe, and the world, had entered a new era. In Phantom Terror , award-winning historian Adam Zamoyski argues that the stringent measures designed to prevent unrest had disastrous and far-reaching consequences, inciting the very rebellions they had hoped to quash. The newly established culture of state control halted economic development in Austria and birthed a rebellious youth culture in Russia that would require even harsher methods to suppress. By the end of the era, the first stirrings of terrorist movements had become evident across the continent, making the previously unfounded fears of European monarchs a reality. Phantom Terror explores this troubled, fascinating period, when politicians and cultural leaders from Edmund Burke to Mary Shelley were forced to choose sides and either support or resist the counterrevolutionary spirit embodied in the newly-omnipotent central states. The turbulent political situation that coalesced during this era would lead directly to the revolutions of 1848 and to the collapse of order in World War I. We still live with the legacy of this era of paranoia, which prefigured not only the modern totalitarian state but also the now preeminent contest between society's haves and have nots. These tempestuous years of suspicion and suppression were the crux upon which the rest of European history would turn. In this magisterial history, Zamoyski chronicles the moment when desperate monarchs took the world down the path of revolution, terror, and world war. The French Revolution And The Blood-curdling Violence It Engendered Terrified The Ruling And Propertied Classes Of Europe. Unable To Grasp How Such Horrors Could Have Come About, Many Concluded That It Was The Result Of A Devilish Conspiracy Hatched By Freemasons Inspired By The Ideas Of The Enlightenment With The Aim Of Overthrowing The Entire Social Order, Along With The Legal And Religious Principles It Stood On. Others Traced It Back To The Reformation Or The Knights Templar And Ascribed Even More Sinister Aims To It. Faced By This Apparently Occult Threat, They Resorted To Repression On An Unprecedented Scale, Expanding Police And Spy Networks In The Process. This Compelling History, Occasionally Chilling And Often Hilarious, Tells How The Modern State Evolved Through The Expansion Of Its Organs Of Control, And Holds Urgent Lessons For Today. 1. Exorcism -- 2. Fear -- 3. Contagion -- 4. War On Terror -- 5. Government By Alarm -- 6. Order -- 7. Peace -- 8. A Hundred Days -- 9. Intelligence -- 10. British Bogies -- 11. Moral Order -- 12. Mysticism -- 13. Teutomania -- 14. Suicide Terrorists -- 15. Corrosion -- 16. The Empire Of Evil -- 17. Synagogues Of Satan -- 18. Comité Directeur -- 19. The Duke Of Texas -- 20. The Apostolate -- 21. Mutiny -- 22. Cleansing -- 23. Counter-revolution -- 24. Jupiter Tonans -- 25. Scandals -- 26. Sewers -- 27. The China Of Europe -- 28. A Mistake -- 29. Polonism -- 30. Satan On The Loose. Adam Zamoyski. Originally Published : Great Britain : William Collins, 2014. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 519-540) And Index. Title Page......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Europe in 1789......Page 9 Europe in 1815......Page 11 Preface......Page 13 1. Exorcism......Page 16 2. Fear......Page 24 3. Contagion......Page 35 4. War on Terror......Page 49 5. Government by Alarm......Page 60 6. Order......Page 72 7. Peace......Page 89 8. A Hundred Days......Page 99 9. Intelligence......Page 112 10. British Bogies......Page 121 11. Moral Order......Page 136 12. Mysticism......Page 152 13. Teutomania......Page 164 14. Suicide Terrorists......Page 177 15. Corrosion......Page 186 16. The Empire of Evil......Page 198 17. Synagogues of Satan......Page 209 18. Comité Directeur......Page 223 19. The Duke of Texas......Page 236 20. The Apostolate......Page 248 21. Mutiny......Page 261 22. Cleansing......Page 274 23. Counter-Revolution......Page 289 24. Jupiter Tonans......Page 302 25. Scandals......Page 313 26. Sewers......Page 323 27. The China of Europe......Page 337 28. A Mistake......Page 350 29. Polonism......Page 362 30. Satan on the Loose......Page 375 Aftermath......Page 387 Notes......Page 389 Sources......Page 403 Index......Page 423