Anarchy, People and Terror: Alessandro Manzoni on the French Revolution

Alessandro Manzoni is chiefly known for The Betrothed. What is less well-known is Manzoni's interest in writing history which in later life would bend his literary talent to reconstructing and analysing the French Revolution. Incomplete and published posthumously in 1889, Manzoni's last text appeared as The French Revolution of 1789 and the Italian Revolution of 1859: Comparative Observations. While Manzoni's literary and poetic works won him the reputation of being among the greatest writers of the nineteenth century, the posthumous book on the French Revolution sank rapidly into oblivion. This article, while pointing out certain shortcomings in Manzoni's interpretation, argues that his analysis is to be taken seriously by all scholars interested in the thorny history of the French Revolution. In particular, Manzoni's narration concentrates on unveiling the political mechanics that link delegitimization of the old monarchical order with the ensuing power vacuum and, eventually, with anarchy and the Terror. In his opinion the latter was no accident of history, but the outcome of previous events, especially the political void created by destroying the government without managing to set up a new political order. Finally, the article presents Manzoni's analysis of the relationship between the people and the Terror, focusing on mass society with its collective delirium, and how it fared under a new dread form of despotism.