De Gaulle, Israel and the Jews [Paperback]

Raymond Aron (Author), Michael Curtis (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 19, 2004

The lives of Raymond Aron and Charles de Gaulle intersected at significant moments in twentieth-century history, though they differed on many issues during World War II and over the subsequent decades. Aron, for example, distinguished between the attitude and responsibility of the Vichy government and the French Nazi collaborators in Paris, unlike de Gaulle, who regarded anyone who obeyed Marshal Petain as a traitor. In the postwar period, Aron differed from de Gaulle on a number of issues, including Algeria. But the strongest direct criticism by Aron of de Gaulle's language and policy resulted after a 1967 press conference, where he referred to Jews as "an elite people, self-assured and domineering." This comment led Aron to write DeGaulle, Israel and the Jews. Aron saw de Gaulle conflating the issues of Israel and that of French Jews, and the question of Israeli policy in 1967 and other times. He stressed the right of individuals to be, at the same time, French and Jewish, and raised the question of whether de Gaulle intended to deliver a message to the Jews in the Diaspora or simply wanted to attack those in Israel. While Aron did not accuse de Gaulle of anti-Semitism, he felt that for the first time in postwar Europe, a leader had used language that lent respectability to anti-Semitism and made it legitimate. De Gaulle, Israel and the Jews, translated from the French by John Sturrock and graced with a new introductory essay by Michael Curtis, allows us the opportunity to raise questions about de Gaulle and his policy in the Middle East. Was he anti-Semitic? What were his real attitudes and policies toward Israel, and how did they relate to his policies on the Middle East and on international affairs? This is a volume of contemporary relevance for students of political science, Middle East affairs, and international policy. Raymond Aron (1905-1983) was the foremost political and social theorist of post-World War II France. He authored more than forty books, including Main Currents in Sociological Thought and The Opium of the Intellectuals, both published in new editions by Transaction. Michael Curtis, now retired, was professor of political science at Rutgers University. He is the author or editor of several books, including Marxism: The Inner Dialogues and Totalitarianism, both available from Transaction.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, French (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Raymond Aron (1905-1983) was the foremost political and social theorist of post-World War II France known for his skeptical analyses of leftist ideologies. was well known in both the United States and United Kingdom, serving as Andrew D. White Professor-At-Large at Cornell University. He also taught at Columbia and Oxford.  He authored more than forty books, including Main Currents in Sociological Thought, The Opium of the Intellectuals,and The Imperial Republic, all published in new editions by Transaction.

Michael Curtis is distinguished professor emeritus of political science at Rutgers University. He is the author of numerous books in the areas of political theory, comparative government, European politics, and the Middle East, including Marxism: The Inner Dialogues, Israel in the Third World, and Anti-Semitism in the Contemporary World.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers; Revised edition (August 19, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765809257
• ISBN-13: 978-0765809254
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,083,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid argument Against Freud, August 9, 2010

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Antonis (Cyprus) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire (Paperback)

The Decline and Fall of the Freudian Empire is a book that seeks to criticize and challenge Freudian concepts, theories and treatment, based on scientific evidence and alternative theories and methods of treatment. It further traces many of the ideas that are credited to Freud back to the original contributors of those ideas, showing which ideas were Freud's, and which were borrowed from others and were mis-credited to him.

Overall, the author makes a solid argument, taking each Freudian theory, and bombarding it with data from scientific research that disproves it. Heavy criticism is also found on the experiments and research done by Freud himself, many times explaining that Freud misdiagnosed his patients, failed to cure them but presented them as cured, and based his theories on simply false evidence. The author offers an excellent bibliography for anyone interested in tracing further the scientific research and criticism that he presents against Freud.

The debate over Freudian psychoanalysis may not be as heated today and it was the last century, as most of Freud's ideas are now considered unscientific and false. However, a quick look at the reviews on Amazon of Freud's books, one can see that the general public still believes that Freud was a scientific genious and that his theories are a solid basis for understanding human nature.

This book is a clearcut argument with scientific evidence against Freud, and should be read by anyone who believes that Freud's theories are scientific and should be taken seriously.