--- Message Received --- From: (Chris Beggy ) news at kippona.com To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2002 09:48:18 -0500 Subject: Re: Bonapartism, Fascism & our new order
Chris Are there other examples of Bonapartism, besides the phenomenon of Napoleon B(u)onaparte? What are its characteristics?
Greg I will probably get this wrong as it has been many years since I read much on the topic (no-doubt I will be swiftly corrected if I have gone too far of beam).
Marx developed the idea in reviewing Louis Napoleon III but aspects are directly applicaple to Napoleon Bonaparte, the former dressing himself up in the robes of the latter.
Essentially it is popularist class leadership appealing to vast and contradictory class forces. It happens only in times of inherent instability and usually forms itself around a popular leader capable of posing as a national saviour. The critical part is that it appears to stand aside from the norms of power and have no class bias (an illusion of course). Peron in Argentina, and of course the Fascist demogues and many others can easily be slotted in (Jack Lang in Australia, and Lewy Long in the US).
In some respects Bonapartism is a loose cannon satisfying no-one, and overly tempted to out-and-out corruption. It is reflected back on what must be seen as the class norm whereby ruling parties more or less represent distinct class interests and class compromises (ie conservative bourgeois, liberal bourgeois and social democratic variants). The norm is somewhat predicatable, carries on the business of governement in a rully fashion and bespeaks of some kind of social hegemony and stability. Hence the ruling class is much wider then governement, but given the parameters the government is capable of satisifiying most of the desires of this ruling social, economic and cultural elite without simply caving into sectional insterests and thus upsetting the apple cart.
Bonapartism rewrites the rules on-the-fly and panders directly to sectional interests often off-setting one against another in order to empower itself. It does not in itself challenge the class structure but manipulates it in its own interest (that is a political power), at one instance it appears as leftwing, at another rightwing, it appears principled and corrupt at the same time, in short it can have a historical function of riding out a storm buried deep within the social fabric and it can also worsen that condition (Hitler's Germany being a prime example).
Others on this list may disagree with most of of this, but in general I think this more of less covers the territory and I hope it proves of some use.
Greg Schofield Perth Australia g_schofield at dingoblue.net.au _______________________________________________ _______________________________________________
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