In Defence Of The Terror: Liberty Or Death In T... -

The book includes a long foreword by Slavoj Žižek. Some reviewers find his introduction ill-suited or more of a "movie review" than a historical guide, though others find it valuable for framing the "objective violence" of systems.

The book is best suited for readers already familiar with the French Revolution who are interested in political philosophy or the anthropology of violence. You can find more perspectives on The Guardian and Marx & Philosophy. Reviewed by Patrick King - Marx & Philosophy Society In Defence of the Terror: Liberty or Death in t...

Wahnich makes a sharp distinction between the 18th-century "Terror" (a state-led process for sovereignty) and contemporary "terrorism," which she argues aims at neither liberty nor equality. The book includes a long foreword by Slavoj Žižek

Wahnich suggests the Terror was established to prevent massacres by the populace (like the September Massacres) by transferring the "right of vengeance" to the state. In Danton's words, the state had to "be terrible so as to spare the people the need to be so". You can find more perspectives on The Guardian

The book focuses on the emotions of the revolution —dread, fury, and sacred enthusiasm—arguing that these feelings were the driving force behind political decisions.

Sophie Wahnich's is a provocative, succinct essay that challenges modern "moralising" views of the Reign of Terror. Rather than seeing it as a descent into madness, Wahnich argues it was a rational institutional response designed to control and curb anarchic popular violence. Core Arguments & Themes