Citizens & Cannibals: The French Revolution, the Struggle for Modernity, and the Origins of Ideological Terror

by Eli Sagan

Why did the French Revolution, informed by Enlightenment principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity, end in the Great Reign of Terror? How could once moral citizens transform themselves into bloodthirsty "guillotine cannibals" bent on slaughtering their political opponents? For generations, these questions have mystified historians. Until now. In Citizens and Cannibals , noted scholar Eli Sagan argues that France's failed evolution into a modern state introduced to the world a previously unknown scourge with catastrophic ideological terror.
France's passage into social and political modernity held for its citizens both great promise and great anxiety. Sagan analyzes this anxiety and demonstrates why the ensuing ideological terror is common to many societies in transition, including the transformations of Weimar to Nazi Germany, Czarist to Soviet Russia, and agrarian to Communist China. While the French Revolution may have introduced ideological terror to the world, Sagan makes it clear that Hitler, Stalin, and other dictators have perpetuated its existence time after time. In fact, Sagan concludes that the seeds of ideological terror remain present in all modernizing societies, at all times, and if given the proper conditions they will germinate in a very predictable way.
As in his previous books, Sagan explores the past to illuminate the political strengths and moral shortcomings of all democratic societies, past, present, and future. With this brilliant new analysis of the French Revolution, he reminds us once again that the past can still teach us a great deal about our modern predicament―specifically, why all political progress must come at grave cost. Citizens and Cannibals is a rigorous work of history and profound psychological insight that offers readers the most comprehensive explanation of the great ambiguities and contradictions of the modern world.

Genres: History

630 pages, Hardcover

First published November 25, 2001

Reviews

[Brian Henry · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the most frustrating books I've ever read. A lot of fascinating ideas and material, but insanely repetitive and cumbersome. Where were the editors?

[Lou · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another book that tries to rewrite History rather than to study it. Quotes like "no extensive data need to be presented here", "the great moral paradox of modernity is that it produces nonpsychotic psychotic acts" (sic), "there is a verb meaning to use the familiar : tutoyer, and a noun indicating such usage : tutoiement. [...] The committee decreed its general usage on November 10, 1793." (this is actually a legend - that, unfortunately, many historians seem to believe - like many other anecdotes in the book : this decree was never adopted and Robespierre was well known for using often the vouvoiement and rarely the tutoiement) tell you everything you have to know about this text : 0 fact, a lot of quotes cherry picked to agree with the thesis of the author and an interpretation based on nonsensical armchair psychology.

[Paloma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wouldn't recommend reading this book unless it's for a class. If this were for class and not for fun, I would take the time to muddle through it.

At the risk of sounding uneducated and unread, I largely echo a previously stated review asking "where is the editor"? The book is verbose and the sentences are long and seem to emphasize using antiquated language than to be understood. I found it funny that it's more difficult to read the works of an author who invokes the name of de Tocqueville than it is read de Tocqueville himself.

Again, if it's for class, take your time because the book is very dense. If it's not, don't pick this book up. It's not worth the time.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the treatment of the Terror in the last third of the book fairly unsatisfying due to its strong focus on psychoanalytic theory, but it provoked me into writing a few thousand words of email about it, so at least it was engaging.

[Alexander widrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been using the material from this book in my reading of current events.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

In-depth exploration of the French Revolution, offering an exploration of how ideological terror can take hold in the pursuit of modernity. Crucial reading for anybody interested not merely in French history, but the many reigns of terror in the twentieth century that the revolution preceded.