the radical revolution：激进的革命

《the radical revolution：激进的革命》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在应用文档-天天文库。

1、TheRadicalRevolutionForyearspeoplehavearguedthatFrancehadtherealrevolutionandthatourswasmildbycomparison.ButnowapowerfulnewbooksaystheAmericanRevolutionwasthemostsweepinginallhistory.Italoneestablishedapurecommercialculture—aculturethatmakesAmericatheuniversa

2、lsocietywearetoday. AnInterviewwithGordonWoodbyFredricSmoler TheFrenchRevolutionfollowedAmericanindependencebysixyears,butitwasthelatereventthatwentintothebooksas“theGreatRevolution”andbecametherevolutionaryarchetype.Itisnotonlythecontrastoftheconspicuousl

3、ygreaterpoliticalviolenceoftheFrenchRevolutionthathasledhistorianstoplaydownthecomparativeradicalismofitsAmericancounterpartbutthefactthattheFrenchRevolutionswiftlybecamethemodelforradicalpoliticaltransformation.Formorethanacenturysuccessfulrevolutionaries

4、nosoonertookpowerthantheydesignedtricolorsandlocatedthemselvestothe“left”or“right,”termsthatoriginallydenotedwherethedelegatessatintheFrenchConvention;theFrenchtaughtsucceedinggenerationstherevolutionarydrill.UntiltheRussianRevolutiondisplacedit,theFrenchRev

5、olutionformedthedominantmodernpoliticalmyth,thedistortingmirrorinwhichposteritylocateditsdreamsanddreads.TheAmericanRevolution,ontheotherhand,wasdistinguishedbyitsallegedconservatism;historianshavegenerallyheldthatwedidn’tkillenoughpeople,engenderenoughprot

6、o-Bolsheviks,orproduceasufficientsocialupheavaltoachievetruerevolutionarysignificance—afailurelamentedinsomequartersandcelebratedinothers.Therevolutionariesnotonlydestroyedtheoldtiesbutwereunabletoestablishthekindofnewtiestheywouldhaveliked.Theywoundupwithav

7、erydifferentsocietyfromtheonetheyanticipated.GordonWood’simpressivenewbookTheRadicalismoftheAmericanRevolutiontakessharpissuewiththisconsensus.Americansocietyisgenerallythoughttoembodyculturalextremesofbothegalitarianidealismandmaterialistvulgarity.Professo

8、rWoodthinksthattheseculturalcharacteristicsarethedirect—andthoroughlyunintended—consequenceoftheRevolution,whichmadeusforgoodandillthemostdemocraticcultureontheplanet.Thusourrevolution