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Document Details : Title: Bertrand de Jouvenel and the Revolt Against the State in Post-War America Author(s): DE DIJN, Annelien Journal: Ethical Perspectives Volume: 17 Issue: 3 Date: 2010 Pages: 371-388 DOI: 10.2143/EP.17.3.2053888 Abstract : This paper focuses on the reception of Bertrand de Jouvenel’s Du Pouvoir in post-war America. I show how Jouvenel drew on a firmly established tradition of ‘aristocratic liberalism’ in French political thought, which in turn allowed him to develop a pessimistic outlook on modern Western political culture as inherently conducive to totalitarianism. This profound pessimism allowed Du Pouvoir, which fell relatively flat in France itself, to become a critical success in the Anglophone world. Jouvenel’s jeremiad resonated in particular with Cold War warriors such as Friedrich Hayek. |
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