Caesarism

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Caesarism is a term that emerged in the mid-19th century for a form of society and government that is essentially based on the rule of a charismatic individual who is not legitimized by succession ( monarchy ) or any other constitutional institution.

Auguste Romieu, in his 1850 book L'ere des Césars, described violence and decisionism as the principles of Caesarist rule. By Theodor Mommsen and Jacob Burckhardt , the concept was introduced as a buzz word in the German domestic political debate.

Regardless of some formal similarities to Julius Caesar's dictatorship, Caesarism is a political phenomenon of the modern age. Karl Marx and Alexis de Tocqueville described Caesarism due to its appearance in France under Napoleon III. than Bonapartism . The authoritarian form of government was intended to prevent a proletarian revolution feared by the post-revolutionary bourgeoisie and is regarded as the forerunner of Boulangism in France, which in turn anticipated fascism .

The Europe-wide debate on Caesarism in the 1850s was reflected in the writings of John Stuart Mills and Friedrich Nietzsche, and in the 20th century in Oswald Spengler's and Antonio Gramsci's works.

anachronism

In contrast to Napoleon III. the rule of the Roman dictator was not based on the masses, a magnitude that only emerged in the 19th century. Karl Marx classified this according to his class struggle theory, according to which "in ancient Rome the class struggle only took place within a privileged minority, between the free rich and the free poor".

Caesar stood in the tradition of "great men" as they could be seen with Scipio Africanus , Gaius Marius and Sulla even before his work. It is also wrong to see Caesar as the conqueror of the Roman Republic, rather he stuck to the status quo of the dictatorship . The transformation of the senatorial republic into a monarchy only succeeded his adoptive son Octavian .

Theodor Mommsen , who in the third volume of his Roman history portrayed Caesar as the culmination point of the Roman Republic and stylized him - not free from the Napoleon myth of the 19th century - as a unique genius, disliked the simple equation of the Roman statesman of the Julian family with Napoleon III. Rather, Romieu's anachronistic Caesarism concept was intended to historically legitimize the emerging defensive stance against the proletariat and pursued a decidedly anti-liberal and anti-socialist thrust.

Caesarism debate

According to Oswald Spengler (in Der Untergang des Abendlandes), Caesarism heralds the decline of culture or the second and last stage of civilization . It replaces democracy especially in times of revolutionary turmoil and social upheaval. Variants of Caesarism (in addition to Bonapartism) are modern totalitarian forms of government.

Antonio Gramsci said the Cäsarismus to a dual function, on the one hand was a tribune as Napoleon I . carried on a progressive revolution, on the other hand, the personal regiment of Napoleon III. enforced a restrictive policy to prevent proletarian upheaval.

See also

swell

  • Auguste Romieu: L'Ère des Césars , Paris 1850. (German: Caesarism or the necessity of saber rule illustrated by historical examples from the times of the Caesars to the present day . Based on the 2nd French original edition, Weimar 1851. Digitized )

literature