Sorel Georges. Reflections on violence

Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1999. — 348 p. — ISBN10: 0521559103; ISBN13: 978-0521559102.Georges Sorel's Reflections on Violence is one of the most controversial books of the twentieth century: J. B. Priestley argued that if one could grasp why a retired civil servant had written such a book then the modern age could be understood. It heralded the political turmoil of the decades that were to follow its publication and provided inspiration for Marxists and Fascists alike. Developing the ideas of violence, myth and the general strike, Sorel celebrates the heroic action of the proletariat as a means of saving the modern world from decadence and of re-invigorating the capitalist spirit of a timid bourgeoisie. This edition of Sorel's classic text is accompanied by an editor's introduction by Jeremy Jennings, a leading scholar of political thought, both setting the work in its context and explaining its major themes. A chronology of Sorel's life and a list of further reading are included.Reflections on Violence: IntroductionClass Struggle and Violence
The Decadence of the Bourgeoisie and Violence
Prejudices against Violence
The Proletarian Strike
The Political General Strike
The Ethics of Violence
The Ethics of the ProducersAppendixesUnity and multiplicity
Apology for violence
In defence of Lenin