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Heathen Imperialism
"Western Civilisation needs a complete overhaul or it
will fall apart one day or another. It has realised
the most complete perversion of any rational order of
things. Reign of matter, of gold, of machine, of
number, it no longer possesses breath, or libetry, or
light. The West has lost the sense of command and
obedience. It has lost the sense of Action and of
Contemplation. It has lost the sense of hierarchy, of
spiritual power, of mangods (...)
Are liberation and renewal still possible in this
crepuscular world? Is Europe capable today of the
level of awareness necessary for such a task? Let us
not be mistaken: it is only after having understood
the magnitude of the task that we will be able to act.
The threatening reality of a destructive spiritual
process, whose roots originate almost in the ground of
prehistory, whose culmination phases coincide with
those which contemporary men exalt as their essential
civilisational values, and whose influences now
manifest themselves in all fields of thought and
action, must be acknowledged. This is not a matter of
compromises or adaptations. The power of a new Middle
Ages is needed - a revolt, interior aswel as exterior,
of a barbaric purity. Philosophy, "culture", everyday
politics: nothing of all this. It is not a matter of
turning on the other side of this bed of agony. It is
a matter of finally waking up, and getting up."
147 pages
Original Italian title: Imperialismo Pagano
German version: Heidnischer Imperialismus
will fall apart one day or another. It has realised
the most complete perversion of any rational order of
things. Reign of matter, of gold, of machine, of
number, it no longer possesses breath, or libetry, or
light. The West has lost the sense of command and
obedience. It has lost the sense of Action and of
Contemplation. It has lost the sense of hierarchy, of
spiritual power, of mangods (...)
Are liberation and renewal still possible in this
crepuscular world? Is Europe capable today of the
level of awareness necessary for such a task? Let us
not be mistaken: it is only after having understood
the magnitude of the task that we will be able to act.
The threatening reality of a destructive spiritual
process, whose roots originate almost in the ground of
prehistory, whose culmination phases coincide with
those which contemporary men exalt as their essential
civilisational values, and whose influences now
manifest themselves in all fields of thought and
action, must be acknowledged. This is not a matter of
compromises or adaptations. The power of a new Middle
Ages is needed - a revolt, interior aswel as exterior,
of a barbaric purity. Philosophy, "culture", everyday
politics: nothing of all this. It is not a matter of
turning on the other side of this bed of agony. It is
a matter of finally waking up, and getting up."
147 pages
Original Italian title: Imperialismo Pagano
German version: Heidnischer Imperialismus
147 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1928
51 people are currently reading
619 people want to read
About the author
Julius Evola
211 books1,017 followersJulius Evola (19 May 1898 – 11 June 1974), born Giulio Cesare Andrea Evola, was an Italian philosopher and esoteric scholar. Born in Rome to a family of the Sicilian landed gentry, Evola was raised a strict Catholic. Despite this, his life was characterised by 'an anti-bourgeois approach' hostile to both 'the dominant tradition of the West—Christianity and Catholicism—and to contemporary civilization—the 'modern world' of democracy and materialism'.
By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.
The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics (including The Hermetic Tradition, The Doctrine of Awakening and Eros and the Mysteries of Love), his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.
By turns 'engineering student, artillery officer, Dadaist poet and painter, journalist, alpinist, scholar, linguist, Orientalist, and political commentator', he has been described as a 'rare example of universality in an age of specialization'. Yet behind it all lay a singular emphasis on, and pursuit of, a 'direct relationship to the Absolute'. For Evola, 'the center of all things was not man, but rather the Transcendent.' This metaphysical conviction can be seen to have determined both Evola's stance on socio-political issues, and his antipathetic attitude towards 'all professional, sentimental and family routines'.
The author of many books on esoteric, political and religious topics (including The Hermetic Tradition, The Doctrine of Awakening and Eros and the Mysteries of Love), his best-known work remains Revolt Against the Modern World, a trenchant critique of modern civilisation that has been described as 'the gateway to his thought'. Since his death, also in Rome, his writings have influenced right-wing, reactionary and conservative political thought not only in his native Italy, but throughout continental Europe and, increasingly, the English-speaking world. Nevertheless, he should not be considered primarily as a political thinker, but rather as an exponent of the wider Traditionalist School that encompasses the work of such individuals as René Guénon, Titus Burckhardt and Frithjof Schuon.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 25, 2019
While reading this book I realized I've never fucked a Jewish girl. That's something for you to think about.
August 22, 2025
I found this rather disappointing. It is not as interesting or as coherent as “Revolt Against the Modern World”, which I think is a better introduction to Evola’s thought. There is the same blend of thought provoking insight alternating with mind boggling lunacy, which (mostly) makes for an entertaining read. The worst and most tedious aspect is the repetitious and boringly reflexive anti Semitism. Of course, prior to the second world war many people – I think of T S Eliot, for example – were casually anti Semitic in their writing in a way which became impossible a few years later. But that isn’t really an excuse.
The insight that really made me think Evola is on to something is when he discusses the divine right of kings, which he sees as an authentic expression of the way things were and ought to be, displaced by the coming of Christianity which separated the sacred from the regal. Disagreement about the Divine Right of Kings was of course at the heart of the English Civil War – less than four hundred years ago – and I believe it is still a live issue today. The coronation of the current King was very much a sacred act, and if England descends again into Civil War – which is a greater possibility now than at any time since the seventeenth century – the outcome will probably be decided by the army, and their choice of sides will ultimately come down to how they interpret their oath to the King. Some may decide the King has broken his own oath, others may decide they are still bound to obey him, but either way, it is no insignificant factor. Thirty years ago, when I was an army officer, I discussed in the Mess -as a mind game – what we would do if a Government arose with a disputed legitimacy which commanded us to perform actions with which we strongly disagreed. We all agreed that whether we obeyed, resigned or rebelled, what would ultimately decide our actions would be the personal nature of the oath we had sworn to the monarch, and how the monarch acted personally in commanding our obedience. Because, as Shakespeare said,
“There is such a divinity that doth hedge a King”
Evola’s point is that in pre Christian times kings always claimed they had divine authority – the “Mandate of Heaven”, as the Chinese Emperors put it. But with Christianity the sacred authority of the king became dependent on and conditional upon the Church (hence the Holy Roman Emperor kneeling to Pope Gregory VII in the snow at Canossa, a ritual humiliation inconceivable for a pagan ruler). Evola, of course, very much deprecates what he sees as the Church being too big for its boots. He doesn’t want Christianity at all, although he would have approved of the Vicar of Bray, who sang – according to legend:
To teach my flock I did insist, Kings are by God appointed
And damned are they that dare resist, or touch the Lord’s Anointed
But there was opposition to that view, and it didn’t end well for that particular King (Charles I, but of course you knew that).
On a different note, Evola is refreshingly rude about Rabindranath Tagore, whom I always thought was over rated. He calls him an “insipid puppet” and says:
“Judging the East by such a figure is like judging Italy not by Dante or Machiavelli, but some Neapolitan songster.”
The insight that really made me think Evola is on to something is when he discusses the divine right of kings, which he sees as an authentic expression of the way things were and ought to be, displaced by the coming of Christianity which separated the sacred from the regal. Disagreement about the Divine Right of Kings was of course at the heart of the English Civil War – less than four hundred years ago – and I believe it is still a live issue today. The coronation of the current King was very much a sacred act, and if England descends again into Civil War – which is a greater possibility now than at any time since the seventeenth century – the outcome will probably be decided by the army, and their choice of sides will ultimately come down to how they interpret their oath to the King. Some may decide the King has broken his own oath, others may decide they are still bound to obey him, but either way, it is no insignificant factor. Thirty years ago, when I was an army officer, I discussed in the Mess -as a mind game – what we would do if a Government arose with a disputed legitimacy which commanded us to perform actions with which we strongly disagreed. We all agreed that whether we obeyed, resigned or rebelled, what would ultimately decide our actions would be the personal nature of the oath we had sworn to the monarch, and how the monarch acted personally in commanding our obedience. Because, as Shakespeare said,
“There is such a divinity that doth hedge a King”
Evola’s point is that in pre Christian times kings always claimed they had divine authority – the “Mandate of Heaven”, as the Chinese Emperors put it. But with Christianity the sacred authority of the king became dependent on and conditional upon the Church (hence the Holy Roman Emperor kneeling to Pope Gregory VII in the snow at Canossa, a ritual humiliation inconceivable for a pagan ruler). Evola, of course, very much deprecates what he sees as the Church being too big for its boots. He doesn’t want Christianity at all, although he would have approved of the Vicar of Bray, who sang – according to legend:
To teach my flock I did insist, Kings are by God appointed
And damned are they that dare resist, or touch the Lord’s Anointed
But there was opposition to that view, and it didn’t end well for that particular King (Charles I, but of course you knew that).
On a different note, Evola is refreshingly rude about Rabindranath Tagore, whom I always thought was over rated. He calls him an “insipid puppet” and says:
“Judging the East by such a figure is like judging Italy not by Dante or Machiavelli, but some Neapolitan songster.”
April 12, 2010
"Heathen Imperialism" is one of Julius Evola's earliest works and this is apparent if you have read any of his later work. It is apparent in that Evola still has hope that the West might be salvageable as a true European and Aryan spiritual entity, not a materialistic and collectivist mass of the lowest common denominator. In "Heathen Imperialism", Baron Evola makes a diagnosis as to why Europa is sick as well as the symptoms of this sickness. Unfortunately, the Europe of today is much worse (naturally considering NS/Fascism lost the war) than Julius Evola could have imagined. One of the main points that Evola was trying to push in "Heathen Imperialism" was that Europe needed a Neo-Pagan anti-Christian fascist revolution that lacked socialism/collectivism (which Europe unfortunately adopted which was beneath them) and that was more in tune with the aristocratic hierarchy of the Germanic peoples of the past.
I highly recommend checking this work out if you are even remotely interested. Unfortunately, the only edition of "Heathen Imperialism" that exists is a fairly poor production (the spine doesn't even have the title of the work) and it is also a pain in the ass to find. Find it if you can!
I highly recommend checking this work out if you are even remotely interested. Unfortunately, the only edition of "Heathen Imperialism" that exists is a fairly poor production (the spine doesn't even have the title of the work) and it is also a pain in the ass to find. Find it if you can!
August 12, 2012
An excellent book that can serve as a primer/introduction to Evolas thought. On par with his masterwork Revolt Against the Modern World: Politics, Religion, and Social Order in the Kali Yuga. Every page had essential thoughts and phrases which I will get back to continually for years to come.
January 21, 2025
What am I meant to even say about this book?
Why is it astonishing? Why does it herald a future? Why is it semi-divine?
I will have to quote it to show you. Explaining would be insufficient.
"How beautiful, how pure are these free forces not yet tainted by spirit!" wrote Nietzsche in his youth after an ascent during a storm. We do not say "not yet" but "no longer tainted by spirit," by spirit meaning the unreal: the shell of feelings, hopes, doctrines, faiths, and "values," sensations, words, pleasures, and emotions of men. But the meaning is the same. The world must be cleansed, returned to the pre-Christian state: a free, supersaturated, essential state: where nature is not yet nature, nor spirit spirit, where there are no "things" and no "forms," but powers; where life is a heroic adventure at every moment, made of acts, symbols, commands, magical and ritual gestures, in great waves of "sound," light, and terror.
This is our truth, and this is the threshold of the great liberation: the cessation of faith, the liberation of the world from God. No "heaven" will weigh down on the earth, no "providence," no "reason," no "good" and "evil," phantoms of the deluded, pale escapes of pale souls. Finally, those who believe they are men and do not know they are sleeping gods will be left to themselves: everything around them will become free, everything will breathe at last. The weak will collapse. The strong will assert themselves and awaken. Then the "Holy Race of the Kingless" of ancient Gnostic oracles will arise, the race of "those who are," the Unbound, the Unburdened, the Redeemed and Blessed Justifiers of the world, Masters of necessity and suffering.
This is our truth. This is the "myth" we pagans oppose to the Galilean superstition and affirm today as central to the values of our race for the restoration of the Empire in the West."
It cannot be put better.
Why is it astonishing? Why does it herald a future? Why is it semi-divine?
I will have to quote it to show you. Explaining would be insufficient.
"How beautiful, how pure are these free forces not yet tainted by spirit!" wrote Nietzsche in his youth after an ascent during a storm. We do not say "not yet" but "no longer tainted by spirit," by spirit meaning the unreal: the shell of feelings, hopes, doctrines, faiths, and "values," sensations, words, pleasures, and emotions of men. But the meaning is the same. The world must be cleansed, returned to the pre-Christian state: a free, supersaturated, essential state: where nature is not yet nature, nor spirit spirit, where there are no "things" and no "forms," but powers; where life is a heroic adventure at every moment, made of acts, symbols, commands, magical and ritual gestures, in great waves of "sound," light, and terror.
This is our truth, and this is the threshold of the great liberation: the cessation of faith, the liberation of the world from God. No "heaven" will weigh down on the earth, no "providence," no "reason," no "good" and "evil," phantoms of the deluded, pale escapes of pale souls. Finally, those who believe they are men and do not know they are sleeping gods will be left to themselves: everything around them will become free, everything will breathe at last. The weak will collapse. The strong will assert themselves and awaken. Then the "Holy Race of the Kingless" of ancient Gnostic oracles will arise, the race of "those who are," the Unbound, the Unburdened, the Redeemed and Blessed Justifiers of the world, Masters of necessity and suffering.
This is our truth. This is the "myth" we pagans oppose to the Galilean superstition and affirm today as central to the values of our race for the restoration of the Empire in the West."
It cannot be put better.
February 7, 2013
The version I read is a French translation of the Italian edition (it seems the content differs greatly from the German edition, and only the chapter titles are the same). As a warning you have to be aware that Evola opposed to its reissue during his lifetime.
The book is really a mixed bag. The first few chapters are hard to read because they are badly written, the worst being the chapter 2 where Evola articulates wrongly the relationship between Judaism/Catholicism/Protestantism/Free-Masonry. On the other hand, the end is quite pleasant to read (chapter 4, especially its second half, and the final chapter). I think the book is interesting as a curiosity more than anything.
The book is really a mixed bag. The first few chapters are hard to read because they are badly written, the worst being the chapter 2 where Evola articulates wrongly the relationship between Judaism/Catholicism/Protestantism/Free-Masonry. On the other hand, the end is quite pleasant to read (chapter 4, especially its second half, and the final chapter). I think the book is interesting as a curiosity more than anything.
December 28, 2012
Must read book
September 15, 2021
Fuera de algunas líneas, opúsculos y citas, éste es el primer libro de relativa consistencia y extensión que leo del autor italiano. Fue un reto formidable leerlo en inglés (No sé realmente si me hubiera ido mejor leyéndolo en italiano) y tal vez me hizo ignorar algunas partes o no calificarlo mejor.
El libro es un revulsivo para el espíritu y trata de conmover a la gente sana para que haga frente a los males del mundo moderno (Occidente stricto sensu). Es una obra incómoda porque pretende hacer un "borrón y cuenta nueva" de lo que ha ocurrido en los últimos setecientos años de Historia. En "Heathen imperialism" ya presentó Evola varias de las opiniones que sostendría después: lucha contra el espíritu disolvente del cristianismo, lucha por restaurar el imperio, menosprecio de la ciencia en tanto saber democratizante, creación de una aristocracia que pusiera un alto a la degeneración general. Claro que los métodos para lograr todo lo anterior cambiaron en el pensamiento evoliano después de un tiempo. En esta época todavía cree en la posibilidad de la dictadura y en la lucha política para rectificar el rumbo del mundo, eso lo abandonó al final de la vida el ilustre pensador.
Evola criticó en varios capítulos el liberalismo, el hegelianismo y el peligro bolchevique, que ahora pueden ser males no tan relevantes para la mentalidad hodierna, pero el enfoque que usó para su demoledora refutación se basó en el tradicionalismo y en la idea de la degeneración social por el descendimiento de la comunidad en las lógicas de las castas inferiores.
Recomiendo ampliamente este texto.
El libro es un revulsivo para el espíritu y trata de conmover a la gente sana para que haga frente a los males del mundo moderno (Occidente stricto sensu). Es una obra incómoda porque pretende hacer un "borrón y cuenta nueva" de lo que ha ocurrido en los últimos setecientos años de Historia. En "Heathen imperialism" ya presentó Evola varias de las opiniones que sostendría después: lucha contra el espíritu disolvente del cristianismo, lucha por restaurar el imperio, menosprecio de la ciencia en tanto saber democratizante, creación de una aristocracia que pusiera un alto a la degeneración general. Claro que los métodos para lograr todo lo anterior cambiaron en el pensamiento evoliano después de un tiempo. En esta época todavía cree en la posibilidad de la dictadura y en la lucha política para rectificar el rumbo del mundo, eso lo abandonó al final de la vida el ilustre pensador.
Evola criticó en varios capítulos el liberalismo, el hegelianismo y el peligro bolchevique, que ahora pueden ser males no tan relevantes para la mentalidad hodierna, pero el enfoque que usó para su demoledora refutación se basó en el tradicionalismo y en la idea de la degeneración social por el descendimiento de la comunidad en las lógicas de las castas inferiores.
Recomiendo ampliamente este texto.
March 11, 2023
Molto interessante in quanto il libro, pubblicato nel 1928, si volle porre come vademecum ideologico e fil0sofico per il fascismo invitandolo e dimostrando perché avrebbe dovuto aspirare ad una rivoluzione pagana (nel senso più ampio del termine) contro il cristianesimo al fine di sopravvivere e di istituire realmente l'impero fascista che il regime si poneva. Non ironicamente il libro venne pubblicato pochissimo tempo prima dei Patti Lateranensi che resero vano e inascoltato l'appello di Evola, il quale in seguito non pubblicherà più libri con lo stesso ottimismo e la stessa fiducia nei partiti e nei movimenti di massa. Non sorprende però che il libro, deriso dalla società fascista mainstream dell'epoca ebbe vasta eco in Germania quando venne pubblicato e tradotto (seppur con significative modifiche) poco dopo la salita al potere di Hitler, società in cui indubbiamente certi propositi erano più fattibili che in Italia.
Per quanto le idee siano di base non condivisibili oltre che anacronistiche l'ho apprezzato nel suo essere stato indubbiamente un libro originale e coraggioso per l'epoca ma in primis in quanto è forse l'unica opera letta di Evola che sia perlomeno un minimo coerente con sé stessa. Rimane un'opera insalvabile ma interessantissima se inserita nel quadro storico, un vero peccato anche in questo caso l'apparato di "curatela" che comprende introduzioni, prefazioni e saggi che risultano più in lunghi tentativi di apologia delle idee dell'autore che materiale utile alla comprensione dell'opera (cosa che purtroppo ho già notato in altre opere di Evola di questa casa editrice).
Per quanto le idee siano di base non condivisibili oltre che anacronistiche l'ho apprezzato nel suo essere stato indubbiamente un libro originale e coraggioso per l'epoca ma in primis in quanto è forse l'unica opera letta di Evola che sia perlomeno un minimo coerente con sé stessa. Rimane un'opera insalvabile ma interessantissima se inserita nel quadro storico, un vero peccato anche in questo caso l'apparato di "curatela" che comprende introduzioni, prefazioni e saggi che risultano più in lunghi tentativi di apologia delle idee dell'autore che materiale utile alla comprensione dell'opera (cosa che purtroppo ho già notato in altre opere di Evola di questa casa editrice).
March 6, 2025
El declive de occidente comenzó cuando se adopto la "religión semítica" cristiana y nos volvió a todos en unos débiles pusilánimes. Si la abandonamos y retomamos el paganismo Romano-Vikingo seremos hombres fuertes de nuevo.
Evola escribe un tracto algo cuestionable sobre como el cristianismo es una religión que esta diseñada por y para el minimo común múltiplo en la sociedad, y como ha engendrado un sentimiento de egalitarismo desmedido que esta destruyendo a Occidente hoy en dia.
Aunque muchos argumentos que presenta contra el cristianismo me parecen apropiados, Evola parece que ignora, o decide ignorar, que la alternativa que sugiere ya se intentó y tenia su propio set de problemas masivos. El paganismo era desmedidamente brutal, no aportaba una cosmovisión que permitiera el desarrollo científico, y no logró nada que los cristianos no hicieran mejor.
Aunque en general NO estoy en desacuerdo con el libro, Evola si logra comentar muchos de los puntos que detesto de la moral cristiana imperante - particularmente el enfasis desmedido en el egalitarismo, incluso si entiendo por que es superior a lo que vino antes.
Recomiendo el libro para quien de verdad quiera leer algo explosivo y alternativo. Con mente abierta y mucha disposción para encontrar errores. También, recuerden fue escrito en 1928 - muchas ideas que hoy sabemos fueron fracasos no se habían probado.
Evola escribe un tracto algo cuestionable sobre como el cristianismo es una religión que esta diseñada por y para el minimo común múltiplo en la sociedad, y como ha engendrado un sentimiento de egalitarismo desmedido que esta destruyendo a Occidente hoy en dia.
Aunque muchos argumentos que presenta contra el cristianismo me parecen apropiados, Evola parece que ignora, o decide ignorar, que la alternativa que sugiere ya se intentó y tenia su propio set de problemas masivos. El paganismo era desmedidamente brutal, no aportaba una cosmovisión que permitiera el desarrollo científico, y no logró nada que los cristianos no hicieran mejor.
Aunque en general NO estoy en desacuerdo con el libro, Evola si logra comentar muchos de los puntos que detesto de la moral cristiana imperante - particularmente el enfasis desmedido en el egalitarismo, incluso si entiendo por que es superior a lo que vino antes.
Recomiendo el libro para quien de verdad quiera leer algo explosivo y alternativo. Con mente abierta y mucha disposción para encontrar errores. También, recuerden fue escrito en 1928 - muchas ideas que hoy sabemos fueron fracasos no se habían probado.
September 4, 2024
This is one of Evola’s most significant yet overlooked works. While a self-published translation circulated in the past, the Arktos edition marks the first complete English version, beautifully crafted and carefully edited. Essential for anyone looking to understand Evola, Traditionalism, and the enduring challenges of European civilization from antiquity to today, this book carries a spiritual intensity—a sacred flame—that has been absent for far too long.
Check out the new edition from Arktos. It is very high quality.
Check out the new edition from Arktos. It is very high quality.
December 10, 2021
Originally released in 1928 and still an interesting read for people that appreciate Evola. He addresses the difference between race and culture which is ironic as race is a sort of product of culture. I think his intention may have been to remind the reader not to just assume that all Aryans were loyal and just.
May 31, 2025
This was my third work I have read by Julius Evola and it was by far my favorite so far. Everything the Baron wrote 100 years ago was applicable to today's world. A man ahead of his time no doubt. I would highly recommend this book for anyone trying to get into Evola and experience his "radical traditionalism" first hand.
October 27, 2020
An early and highly polemical pamphlet by Evola. Although this is not the best introduction to Evola's work - one must turn to "Revolt Against the Modern World" instead - this newly-republished essay provides more than a glimpse of things to come, and is well worth reading.
August 4, 2022
Pretty original, but don't resonate with me. Fascist propaganda.
December 20, 2022
Great read minus the anti-semitism. Discusses Tradition, Divinity, Kings, Solar Spirituality, Spiritual Race, Spiritual Hierarchy, Aristocratic Values. Very interesting concepts.
November 24, 2025
Že Slovania nikdy nemali tradíciu, ja ti dám tradíciu... ale inak pohode manifest.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews