The old forms of the left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We're making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a dialectical pessimism and develop a Marxist salvage project capable of putting up a good fight as the world burns around us. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you.
https://www.patreon.com/theregrettablecentury
episode 21: Vive la révolution, Vive L'Empereur: The Mixed Legacy of Napoleon (Part I)
This week we had our long time comrade and resident France expert, Matthew, back on the show to talk about the mixed legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte. Was Napoleon a force for progress or the death of the revolution?
The answer is yes.
Revolutionary Figures: Napoleon Bonaparte
https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/ageofrevolution/revolutionary-figures/napoleon-bonaparte/#
Napoleon: Hegelian Hero
https://www.napoleon.org/en/history-of-the-two-empires/articles/napoleon-hegelian-hero/
Hegel and Napoleon: On Heroes and the Sublime in History
https://minervawisdom.com/2020/04/13/hegel-and-napoleon-on-heroes-and-the-sublime-in-history/
Music: Chant du départ, the anthem of the first French Empire.