In Defence Of The Terror: Liberty Or Death In T... (FHD)

Reviewers praise the book for being a "welcome corrective" to simplistic moral critiques and a "bracing intervention" in political theory. It is noted for its concise and compelling prose.

Wahnich makes a sharp distinction between the 18th-century "Terror" (a state-led process for sovereignty) and contemporary "terrorism," which she argues aims at neither liberty nor equality. In Defence of the Terror: Liberty or Death in t...

The book is best suited for readers already familiar with the French Revolution who are interested in political philosophy or the anthropology of violence. You can find more perspectives on The Guardian and Marx & Philosophy. Reviewed by Patrick King - Marx & Philosophy Society Reviewers praise the book for being a "welcome

Wahnich suggests the Terror was established to prevent massacres by the populace (like the September Massacres) by transferring the "right of vengeance" to the state. In Danton's words, the state had to "be terrible so as to spare the people the need to be so". The book is best suited for readers already

The book includes a long foreword by Slavoj Žižek. Some reviewers find his introduction ill-suited or more of a "movie review" than a historical guide, though others find it valuable for framing the "objective violence" of systems.