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Conservative Socialism - The Decline of Radicalism and the Triumph of the Left in France (Hardcover)
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Conservative Socialism - The Decline of Radicalism and the Triumph of the Left in France (Hardcover)
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This work on the decline of French radicalism was conceived after
the fall of the Berlin Wall as an essay on the decline and decay of
the revolutionary idea in European politics. The theme provided an
organizing principle for Roger Kaplan's analysis of the evolution
of the French left in the wake of events for which it was
politically and intellectually unprepared. Kaplan provides a basis
for understanding the performance of a French socialist regime in
power, one more uncertain of its mission than at any other time in
its history. The paradox of French radicalism is that when it was
out of office, it was quite certain about its mission. When it
attained power, it lost its sense of mission, and hence its
confidence as to the proper uses of power.
"Conservative Socialism" for Kaplan is not simply an invention of
the Mitterand Era, but an ideology rooted in French history.
Unwilling or unable to embrace the social democratic idea of the
"third way," French socialism became a force to conserve
particularism in French culture and nationalism in its foreign
policies. While socialism had long become a force to inhibit the
rise of capitalism and freedom in France, the decline of its
radicalism was inevitable. This is because in a country as
conservative as France it was necessary for socialists and their
assorted allies, to project a conservative image to be trusted. In
France, the Left has abandoned the idea of radicalism so as to
exercise power.
Kaplan's unique and imaginative reading of French political
history will have a profound effect on how that nation is perceived
in this new epoch of the European Union. He argues persuasively and
fairly that the French Left is alive if not well. The Left rose to
power in France despite its policy failures, embarrassments,
because it transcended the "end" to which its political dogma would
have consigned it. Conservative Socialism will have a stunning
impact on how political theorists view political developments in
France and Europe.
Roger F.S. Kaplan is a journalist and magazine editor currently
writing on political and literary subjects for a variety of
publications, including the "Atlantic Monthly," the "New Republic,"
and "Commentary." He has served in the policy office of the Board
of International Broadcasting (the editorial writing bureau
attached to the Voice of America, 1999-2000) as director of
publications for Freedom House (1992-1997) where he edited "Freedom
Review." and as a consultant for the International Council for
Human Rights Policy in Geneva.
"Roger Kaplan is one of our keenest observers of French politics
and deserves to be better known. His book is a meticulous study of
the French left during the Mitterrand years, but it is also a
contribution to our understanding of how Europeans in general are
coping--ideologically and practically--with the post-Cold War
world. Though a work of history, this is a vital and timely book
for anyone concerned with contemporary politics."--Mark Lilla,
University of Chicago
"Roger Kaplan's book, "Conservative Socialism" is one of the best
analysis I ever read about the evolution of the French left and
even the European Left since 1980."--Jean-Francois Revel
"Roger Kaplan offers a penetrating, incisive, and extremely well
informed look into the arcane complexities of French Socialism,
which has been struggling to unite an ideology rooted in the French
revolutionary tradition with the issues posed by guiding a country
with a large-scale capitalist economy. Kaplan knows France from the
inside, and his book is a fascinating read for anyone concerned
with the social-political history of the last
half-century."--Joseph Frank
General
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