Modernism and totalitarianism : rethinking the intellectual sources of Nazism and Stalinism, 1945 to the present / Richard Shorten.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Shorten, Richard, 1977-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.

National socialism--Philosophy.

National socialism.

Communism--Soviet Union--Philosophy.

Communism.

Totalitarianism--Philosophy.

Totalitarianism.

Civilization, Modern--20th century.

Civilization, Modern.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945--Political and social views.

Hitler, Adolf.

Stalin, Joseph, 1878-1953--Political and social views.

Stalin, Joseph.

Stalin, Joseph, 1878-1953.

Political and social views.

Politics and culture.

History.

Philosophy.

Germany--Intellectual life--20th century.

Germany.

Intellectual life.

Soviet Union--Intellectual life.

Soviet Union.

Politics and culture--Germany--History--20th century.

Politics and culture--Soviet Union--History.

Physical Description:

xvii, 321 pages ; 20 cm

Place of Publication:

Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan, 2012.

Summary:

What is totalitarianism? In what ways was it modern? Modernism and Totalitarianism argues that conventional theories of totalitarianism are too focused on the state and fail to take note of its ideological trajectory. The book analyses this trajectory, shared by Nazism and Stalinism, the two instances of totalitarianism in its 'classical' form. The ideological trajectory was formed in the interaction of three currents of modernist thought: utopianism, scientism, and revolutionary violence. Developing first of all in the nineteenth century, and in reaction to the Enlightenment mainstream, each of these three currents contributed to the idea of the totalitarian New Man. The book considers a broad range of theoretical positions, including those associated with Cold War liberalism, critical theory, and recent anti-totalitarian thought in France, in order to develop these arguments. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part I Totalitarianism - What, When, How?

1 The Problem of the Modern 23

Unpacking totalitarian modernism 26

Two models of totalitarianism: structural and genocidal 44

The conceptual limits of political religion theory 60

2 The Problem of Intellectual Antecedents 73

Antecedents as affinities 79

Antecedents as influences 97

Part II Three Totalitarian Currents

3 Utopianism 109

The view from Cold War liberalism 110

Communist utopianism 123

Nazism and utopianism 133

4 Scientism 150

Critical theory and the pathologies of reason 151

Nazi science? 167

Marxism, Stalinism, and scientism 179

5 Revolutionary Violence 190

The revolutionary passion in French anti-totalitarian thought 192

The leftist orientation 209

The rightist orientation 224.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 287-311) and index.

ISBN:

9780230252066

0230252060

9780230252073

0230252079

OCLC:

798615423

Publisher Number:

99951371994