The Enlightenment that Failed: Ideas, Revolution, and Democratic Defeat, 1748-1830 Free Audiobook Download by Jonathan I. Israel

The Enlightenment that Failed: Ideas, Revolution, and Democratic Defeat, 1748-1830 is a fascinating investigation of the Enlightenment period. Jonathan I. Israel details how the ideals of the Enlightenment were lost as revolutions broke out throughout Europe in the late 18th Century. As revolutions broke out across Europe in the late 18th Century, society became more and more reactionary to change..

Jonathan Israel tells us that the Enlightenment led to an intellectual and political revolution, but many of its important ideas ultimately failed. The Enlightenment is referred to as a failure because the great thinkers of the 18th century ended up being quite different from what they had intended.

The Enlightenment that Failed: Ideas, Revolution, and Democratic Defeat, 1748-1830 is a very enlightening book. It gives a detailed account of the history of European enlightenment and democracy. The author, Jonathan I. Israel takes a look at the failure of this enlightenment after 1830 and explores the reasons why it failed. This audiobook download provides expertly narrated copies of the book made by ["James Cameron Stewart"]

This book offers a new view of the Enlightenment, arguing that while it was a "success" in terms of its impact on Europe and the world, it was also an important failure.

Much like the American Revolution, the Enlightenment was a radical transformation in how people thought about themselves and the world. But unlike America's victorious War of Independence, France and Europe were defeated by their own revolution, with the seeds of democracy sown into oppression rather than freedom. The book examines the "tragic paradox" at the heart of most revolutions: they are meant to bring liberty and enlightenment but they may create tyranny and darkness instead.

For many, the Enlightenment is synonymous with a triumph of human reason over superstition and ignorance. But in 1748, as the French Revolution began and the Nation of Israel was proclaimed, these lofty ideals were strangled by a reaction against revolution that would lead to democratic defeat. With brilliant prose, Jonathan I. Israel shows how the great liberating ideas of the Enlightenment allowed new forces to come into power--and then promptly led them astray in ways that stretched from Moscow to Prague to Paris.