Marking
the centennial of the July Crisis of 1914 and the beginning of World War I, the
Ew Publishing summer series War Cry Heal Union (WCHU) notes Hannah Arendt in
contrast to the Emperors (and cousins) Kaiser Wilhelm and Tsar Nicholas; the
essay draws attention to the anti-Semitism of that age and its deadly effects
on the unrepresented of Europe.
Hosted
on the Bryan William Brickner Blog, the fourth installment of the WCHU series, World War I: Willy-Nicky Were Willy-Nilly Emperors, depicts the hubristic
nature of empire; from 28 July
to 1 August 1914, the two Emperors exchanged telegrams with the intention of
avoiding “bloodshed” ~ the Willy-Nicky Telegrams.
“The telegrams are ego-empiric,” noted
Brickner, “as it is 1914 and Freud is nearby (in Vienna, Austria) practicing
his new art, psychoanalysis. The telegrams read nice at the beginning, with both
Emperors talking peace and accommodation; at the end though, hours prior to the
catastrophe commencing, the letters expose the inherent insecurity and paranoia
of empire.”
“With
Hannah Arendt,” Brickner continued, “we have a person who lived through the
mayhem caused by willy-nilly emperors; in the 1964 “Zur Person” (The Person) interview,
Arendt answers questions about her youth and the influence of her mother.”
“When asked
about 1933 Germany, the year the Nazis came into power,” closed Brickner, “Arendt’s
response echoes the Unrepresented of any age. ‘Indifference,’ she said, ‘was no
longer possible in 1933. It was impossible even before that.’”
Brickner has a 1997 political
science doctorate from Purdue University and is the author of several political
theory books, to include The Promise Keepers: Politics and Promises (1999),
Article the first of the Bill of Rights (2006), and The Book of the Is: A book
on bridges (2013). The Bryan William Brickner Blog is an ongoing
resource for the political science of constitutions and the biological science
of receptors.
Tomorrow (20 July) the War Cry Heal Union series continues with ~ Civil War Battle Flags, Medals of Honor and Soldiers Unknown.
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