Nietzsche and Napoleon

Don Dombowsky

Description

This book argues that Nietzsche's political thought and his own proposed model of governance is Bonapartist in conception: autocratic will in the guise of popular rule. Bonaparte is the model for the Nietzschean commander; not only his virtu, his ethics of martial valour, but his political institutions and techniques of power. Nietzsche understood that Napoleon manipulated the democratic process, abandoned the concept of popular sovereignty and undermined the principle of equality, that he was opposed to parliamentary politics but maintained their simulacra, a manoeuvre Nietzsche admired in respect of tactics. Nietzsche desired a revaluation of all values which endorsed many features of the Bonapartist regime. One can see Nietzsche not merely situated in the Napoleonic historiography of the cult of personality, but also situated ideologically in terms of a Napoleonic political policy and theory of government, in so far as he affirms certain political structures of the Napoleonic Empire. Nietzsche moves beyond the Napoleonic cult of personality to an analysis of the underlying structures of the Napoleonic empire. Nietzsche admires the 'artist of government' Napoleon (Napoleonic Caesarism) not only for his force of will but also for his political policies and tactics or political techniques.

Contents
Introduction: The Dionysian Conspiracy
1. Sources, Cults and Criticism: Nietzsche’s Portrait of Napoleon
1.) In the Gilded Orbit of the ‘Ideal Artists’
2.) Nietzsche’s Napoleon: Against Thomas Carlyle’s Cult of the Hero
3.) Nietzsche’s Napoleon: A Polemic
4.) The Artist of Government
2. Aristocratic Radicalism as a Species of Bonapartism
1.) From Character-type to Structure
2.) Nietzsche’s Understanding of Bonapartism
3.) Nietzsche and the Underlying Structures of the Bonapartist Empire (1799–1815)
4.) Aristocratic Radicalism
3. Napoleon III: ‘déshonneur’
1.) Caesarism
2.) Nietzsche and the Underlying Structures of the Second Empire (1851–1870)
3.) Nietzsche’s Rejection of Napoleon III
4.) Nietzsche’s Immanent Critique of Bonapartism
5.) Nietzsche’s Radical Bonapartist Alliance
Conclusion: The Imperial European Future

Sujets

• Surveys
• Philosophie et théologie
• Philosophy
• History

Informations

• Publié par: University of Wales Press
• Date de parution: 15 septembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 2
• EAN13: 9781783160976
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY NOW

Chîef Edîtor of the Serîes: Howard Wîîams, Aberystwyth Unîversîty, Waes

Assocîate Edîtors: Wofgang Kerstîng, Unîversîty of Kîe, Germany Steven B. Smîth, Yae Unîversîty, USA Peter Nîchoson, Unîversîty of York, Engand Renato Crîstî, Wîfrîd Laurîer Unîversîty, Wateroo, Canada

PolItIcal PhIlosophy Nowîs a serîes whîch deas wîth authors, topîcs and perîods în poîtîca phîosophy from the perspectîve of theîr reevance to current debates. The serîes presents a spread of subjects and poînts of vîew from varîous tradîtîons, whîch încude European and New Word debates în poîtîca phîosophy.

Also In serIes Hege and Marx After the Fa of Communîsm Davîd MacGregor Poîtîcs and Teeoogy în Kant Edîted by Pau Formosa, Avery Godman and Tatîana Patrone Identîty, Poîtîcs and the Nove: The Aesthetîc Moment Ian Fraser Kant on Subîmîty and Moraîty Joshua Rayman Poîtîcs and Metaphysîcs în Kant Edîted by Sorîn Baîasu, Samî Pîhstrom and Howard Wîîams

POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY NOW

Nietzsche and Napoleon The Dionysian Conspiracy

Don Dombowsky

UNIVERSITY OF WALES PRESS • CARDIFF • 2014

© Don Dombowsky, 2014

A rîghts reserved. No part of thîs book may be reproduced în any materîa form (încudîng photocopyîng or storîng ît în any medîum by eectronîc means and whether or not transîenty or încîdentay to some other use of thîs pubîcatîon) wîthout the wrîtten permîs- sîon of the copyrîght owner except în accordance wîth the provîsîons of the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988. Appîcatîons for the copyrîght owner’s wrîtten permîssîon to reproduce any part of thîs pubîcatîon shoud be addressed to the Unîversîty of Waes Press, 10 Coumbus Wak, Brîgantîne Pace, Cardîff, CF10 4UP.

www.uwp.co.uk

Brîtîsh Lîbrary Cataoguîng-în-Pubîcatîon Data A cataogue record for thîs book îs avaîabe from the Brîtîsh Lîbrary.

ISBN 978-1-7831-6096-9 eISBN 978-1-7831-6097-6

The rîght of Don Dombowsky to be îdentîied as author of thîs work has been asserted în accordance wîth sectîons 77, 78 and 79 of the Copyrîght, Desîgns and Patents Act 1988.

Typeset by Mark Hesîngton Ltd, Scarborough, North Yorkshîre Prînted by CPI Antony Rowe, Chîppenham, Wîtshîre

Contents

1

2

3

Acknowedgements Lîst of Abbrevîatîons

Introductîon: The Dîonysîan Conspîracy

Sources, Cuts and Crîtîcîsm: Nîetzsche’s Portraît of Napoeon

Arîstocratîc Radîcaîsm as a Specîes of Bonapartîsm

Napoeon III: ‘déshonneur’

Concusîon: The Imperîa European Future

Notes Bîbîography Index

vîî vîîî

1

3

8

6

4

0

118

124 182 203

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Acknowledgements

I woud îke to offer my specîa thanks irst to those who assîsted me în the eary stages of thîs project: Oeksandr Dubnov, Nathaîe Lachance and Mîanka Stojadînovîc. Second, for crîtîca comments and enîghtenîng dîscussîon: Thîerry Choffat (Centre d’Études et de Recherches sur e Bonapartîsme), Renato Crîstî and a the partîcî- pants în the Nîetzsche and Poîtîca Theory Workshop at the MANCEPT Nînth Annua Conference at the Unîversîty of Manchester, UK, but specîicay to Dan Conway, Hugo Drochon, Manue Kno,Ayumu Okubo, Barry Stocker and Rof Zîmmermann. I woud aso îke to express my great apprecîatîon to the staff at the Anna Amaîa Bîbîothek în Weîmar, the Bîbîothèque Martîa Lapeyre at the Fondatîon Napoéon în Parîs and the Unîversîtät Base în Base, Swîtzerand, as we as to Syvîe Coté, dîrector of Research Servîces at Bîshop’s Unîversîty and the Socîa Scîences and Humanîtîes Research Councî of Canada. An eary versîon of chapter 1 appeared în Herman W. Sîemens and V. Roodt (eds),Nîetzsche,and Poîtîcs Power : Rethînkîng Nîetzsche’s Legacy for Poîtîca Thought (Berîn and New York: Water de Gruyter, 2008). An eary versîon of an excerpt from chapter 2 appeared în Manue Kno and Barry Stocker (eds),Nîetzsche as Poîtîca Phîosopher (Berîn and New York: Water de Gruyter, 2014).

List of Abbreviations

AC AOM BGE BT CW D EH GM GS HH KSA PTG TI UM UW

WLN WP WS Z

The Antî-Chrîst Assorted Opînîons and Maxîms Beyond Good and Evî The Bîrth of Tragedy The Case of Wagner Daybreak Ecce Homo On the Geneaogy of Moras The Gay Scîence Human, A Too Human Krîtîsche Studîenausgabe Phîosophy în the Tragîc Age of the Greeks Twîîght of the Idos Untîmey Medîtatîons Unpubîshed Wrîtîngs: From the Perîod of Unfashîonabe Observatîons Wrîtîngs From the Late Notebooks The Wî to Power The Wanderer and Hîs Shadow Thus Spoke Zarathustra

Introduction: The Dionysian Conspiracy

But ater,begînnîng wîth Pato,phîosophers became exîes,conspîrîng agaînst theîr fatherand. Frîedrîch Nîetzsche, Phîosophy în the Tragîc Age of the Greeks

The progress of a physîca conspîracy îs arrested when the hand whîch hods the poîgnard îs secured;a mora conspîracy cannot be put but down,sooner or ater ît wî expode îke a traîn of gunpowder. Napoeon Bonaparte

The maîn goa of thîs study îs to estabîsh a deinîtîve and compre- hensîvey demonstrated înk between Arîstocratîc Radîcaîsm, a term that encapsuates Frîedrîch Nîetzsche’s poîtîca thought, and Bonapartîsm, the poîtîca îdeoogy assocîated wîth the regîmes of Napoeon I and Napoeon III. Thîs study îs comprîsed of three chapters. In the irst chapter I wî dîscuss Nîetzsche’s Bonapartîst precursors (în partîcuar, Goethe and Stendha) and expaîn how theîr readîngs of Napoeon înformed Nîetzsche’s own. Nîetzsche read extensîvey both Napoeonîc and antî-Napoeonîcîterature(încudîngthatofdeRémusatandTaîne) and on thebasîsof these sources formuated hîs ‘probem’of Napoeon as a ‘synthesîs of theînhumanandsuperhuman’ (GM I 16) and deveoped hîs understandîng of Napoeon as a representa- tîve of pagan antîquîty and Renaîssancevîrtù, a supreme commander type. I wî demonstrate that Nîetzsche’s ‘probem’ was not, however, sîmpy a probem învîtîng an expanatîon of Napoeon’s personaîty that woud uncover the Goethean însîght that ‘the hîgher and the 1 terrîbe man necessarîy beong together’ but that ît was aso about how to summon and regenerate a structura, poîtîca moment în the hîstory of European cuture, sînce Nîetzsche evokes Napoeon as an exempar întendedtocapture hîs poîtîcs of the future that învoves the constructîon of durabe, împerîa înstîtutîons. In the second chapter I wî consîder Nîetzsche’s Arîstocratîc Radîcaîsm as an outgrowth of hîs relectîons on Napoeon