Democracy and Totalitarianism: A Theory of Political Systems

by Raymond Aron, Roy Pierce (Editor)

Presents a theoretical framework for comparing political systems in both time and place.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Political Science, Sociology

304 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1965

About the author

Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron (French: [ʁɛmɔ̃ aʁɔ̃]; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist, and political scientist.
He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people – Aron argues that in post-war France, Marxism was the opium of intellectuals. In the book, Aron chastised French intellectuals for what he described as their harsh criticism of capitalism and democracy and their simultaneous defense of Marxist oppression, atrocities, and intolerance. Critic Roger Kimball[2] suggests that Opium is "a seminal book of the twentieth century." Aron is also known for his lifelong friendship, sometimes fractious, with philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.[3]
He is also known for his 1973 book, The Imperial Republic: The United States and the World 1945-1973, which influenced Zbigniew Brzezinski and Henry Kissinger, among others.
Aron wrote extensively on a wide range of other topics. Citing the breadth and quality of Aron's writings, historian James R. Garland[4] suggests, "Though he may be little known in America, Raymond Aron arguably stood as the preeminent example of French intellectualism for much of the twentieth century."

Reviews

[Constantin Vasilescu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Din nou despre imperfecţiunea regimurilor politice, pe care Aron le împarte în constituţional-pluraliste şi monopoliste, cu un explicabil accent asupra Franţei şi Uniunii Sovietice. Şi o tentativă de a răspunde la deja consacrata întrebare: economicul determină politicul sau viceversa? Fără să fie categoric, Aron spune că viceversa şi cred că are dreptate. Cel puţin în cazul URSS situaţia e limpede: în ciuda lui Marx, regimul politic inaugurat de Lenin a conturat "caracteristicile majore ale economiei sovietice". Tăierea firului în patru nu serveşte relativizării. Volumul este, mai degrabă, un efort pedagogic, structurat şi narat în maniera unui curs universitar. De unde şi stilul anost, pe alocuri.

[Carlos B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

En 1958 la IV República francesa se encontraba en una grave crisis política, institucional y social. Una situación que se caracterizaba por una mezcla inexplicable de legalidad e ilegalidad .

Ante esto, Aron se pregunta qué clase de régimen político es el francés. ¿Cuáles son sus características? ¿Es comparable al de los países de su entorno? ¿Cómo se ha corrompido? ¿Qué otras alternativas hay? El autor francés escribe este ensayo político partiendo de las clases de política que impartió en La Sorbona en 1958 aglutinando las sociedades políticas industrializadas en dos: las constitucionales-pluralistas y las de partido único.

El lector casual puede encontrar dificultades con la estructura y el estilo del libro ya que siguen los patrones clásicos de un ensayo político. No obstante, ánimo a su lectura, de la cuál se pueden extraer reflexiones muy interesantes relacionadas con la situación política actual en Occidente.

[Manuel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texto que expone las diferencias de forma y fondo entre regímenes democráticos y autoritarios, desde un punto de vista de teoría política. Puede resultar algo complejo para quienes no tienen una formación mínima relativa al tema, como fue mi caso. Es una lectura muy interesante aunque pueda requerir la relectura de algunos párrafos.

[Rene Stein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cz Atlantis 1992