(Photo illustration by The Bulwark / Photos: Getty) We must address political violence again. As Charles Dickens wrote, the horrors of the French Revolution—symbolized by the guillotine—were not justified but became inevitable due to a dysfunctional and disordered society.
Dickens described the origins of the French Revolution, viewing the guillotine as an abomination. Yet he acknowledged that French society had deteriorated to such an extent that this horror was unavoidable. He wrote:
"All the devouring and insatiate Monsters imagined since imagination could record itself, are fused in the one realisation, Guillotine. And yet there is not in France, with its rich variety of soil and climate, a blade, a leaf, a root, a sprig, a peppercorn, which will grow to maturity under conditions more certain than those that have produced this horror."
This passage remains a powerful reflection on how extreme societal breakdown can lead to violence, even when such outcomes are morally indefensible.
Related articles
Democracies Adopt Authoritarian Speech Restrictions in Global Free Speech Crisis
Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff are co-authors of The Future of Free Speech, a new book examining what they describe as a global "free speech recessi...
Trump Unveils New Nickname 'Dumocrats' for Democrats in Latest Verbal Gaffe
From the visibly declining president that brought you incredibly stupid terms such as “Tpublicans” and “Panicans” comes a new nickname for Donald Trum...
How Republican Redistricting Unintentionally Strengthened Black Voter Organizers
Joshua Doss joins Sam Stein to discuss why Black voters are abandoning the Democratic Party, how Republican redistricting may have accidentally handed...
Supreme Court Blocks Restrictions on Abortion Pill Access via Mail and Telehealth
In a fast-moving case that threatened to decimate access to abortion pills nationwide, the Supreme Court has hit pause on a federal appeals court’s at...
Virginia Joins National Popular Vote Compact: A Step Closer to Electing the President by Popular Vote
Something big happened in Virginia last month that you probably missed. On April 13, Gov. Abigail Spanberger signed a bill making Virginia the 18th st...
CIA Whistleblower Claims COVID Origins Assessment Altered Under Fauci Pressure
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi dive right in to the latest news: A CIA whistleblower is alleging that his agency revised its assessment of COVID-...
Expert Analysis: Threats to Liberal Democracy in the U.S. and Countermeasures Discussed at Unitelma Sapienza
Earlier this week, I did a talk at Unitelma Sapienza University in Rome on "Threats to Liberal Democracy in the United States - And How to Counter The...
China's Rising Perception of U.S. Decline Under Trump and Biden: Analysts Weigh In
The Chinese have long envied America's power, influence, and market share. But after Trump's failed trade war, his attacks on allies, and the embarras...