The Revolutionary Ascetic

Evolution of a Political Type

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science
Cover of the book The Revolutionary Ascetic by Bruce Mazlish, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Mazlish ISBN: 9781351475143
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Bruce Mazlish
ISBN: 9781351475143
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Why have the great revolutionary leaders of modern times from Robespierre to Lenin and Mao Tse-tung‘so often been ascetics, austere "puritans" with few emotional ties? What functions, political as well as personal, do these ascetic traits perform for the modern revolutionary leader and for his followers?Noted historian and author Bruce Mazlish is convinced that, beginning in the nineteenth century, the needs of modernizing revolutions have produced a distinct new type of political leader, the revolutionary ascetic. This individual's denial of personal pleasures and commitments both enables him to perform politically necessary, if personally repulsive, revolutionary acts, and to command the allegiance of his more worldly followers.Starting with Cromwell and the religious ascetics of the Puritan Revolution, Mazlish shows, in a series of fascinating personality sketches, how this asceticism first became secularized with the French Revolution and then in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was put to the service of a new kind of "total" modernizing revolution in Russia, China, and elsewhere. In two remarkably vivid portraits of Lenin and Mao Tse-tung, Mazlish shows us precisely how two of the century's best-known revolutionaries consciously and unconsciously used their personal asceticism to induce revolutionary change.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Why have the great revolutionary leaders of modern times from Robespierre to Lenin and Mao Tse-tung‘so often been ascetics, austere "puritans" with few emotional ties? What functions, political as well as personal, do these ascetic traits perform for the modern revolutionary leader and for his followers?Noted historian and author Bruce Mazlish is convinced that, beginning in the nineteenth century, the needs of modernizing revolutions have produced a distinct new type of political leader, the revolutionary ascetic. This individual's denial of personal pleasures and commitments both enables him to perform politically necessary, if personally repulsive, revolutionary acts, and to command the allegiance of his more worldly followers.Starting with Cromwell and the religious ascetics of the Puritan Revolution, Mazlish shows, in a series of fascinating personality sketches, how this asceticism first became secularized with the French Revolution and then in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries was put to the service of a new kind of "total" modernizing revolution in Russia, China, and elsewhere. In two remarkably vivid portraits of Lenin and Mao Tse-tung, Mazlish shows us precisely how two of the century's best-known revolutionaries consciously and unconsciously used their personal asceticism to induce revolutionary change.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book International Perspectives on Teacher Education by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Beyond A-levels by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Cultural Studies by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Equity and Trusts by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Political Discourse and Conflict Resolution by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Catching Up by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Climate Change by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Political Change in Thailand by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book The Cultural and Political Economy of Recovery by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Aggression and Violence by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book ‘The Common Purposes of Life’ by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Strategies for Developing and Supporting School Leaders by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book When Music Migrates by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Imagined Communities and Educational Possibilities by Bruce Mazlish
Cover of the book Models, Simulations, and Representations by Bruce Mazlish
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy