JONATHAN ISRAEL ON HISTOIRE DES DEUX INDES

By AM | @agumack

It was not without some trepidation that I undertook the task of reading chapter 15 of Prof. Israel's massive Democratic Enlightenment. Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, 1750-1790 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2011) [info]. The 29-page long chapter carries the title "The Histoire Philosophique, or Colonialism Overturned". I was fretting about JI's vastly superior scholarship, and how it would reflect on my own effort, El 'best-seller' que cambió el mundo. Yet, I finished the chapter with considerabe relief: JI does not deal with Raynal's political economy, the main theme of my book.

Here's my takeaway:

. The impact of the "Histoire des deux Indes". The story is well told; the style is engaging; JI writes with verve: "Here was a text more widely read than any other Enlightenment work ... it sold far more extensively than many today more renowned works, including Rousseau's Confessions and the Contrat social. ... these volumes eventually achieved an even greater penetration of European culture than even the Encyclopédie (p. 420). Excellent!

. The status of women. There is a brief, but solid discussion about the status of women throughout Histoire des deux Indes (p. 418). In chapter 7 of El 'best-seller' que cambió el mundo, I provide a comprehensive list of passages dealing with the status of women in the two Indies. The more I reflect on these issues, the more I remain convinced that Thomas Jefferson took his inspiration from Raynal when he described the subjugation of women in Indian tribes in North America, in his own Notes on the State of Virginia.

. Raynal in 1791. Did Raynal betray the Revolution in May 1791, as JI states? I strongly disagree. The matter under discussion in Assemblée Nationale was the nature of the executive power. While Raynal argued in favor of a strong executive, Rousseauists like Robespierre contended that it had to be placed in a subordinate position vis-à-vis the legislative power. Here's HDI.1780 (xix.6): "Toutes les histoires attestent que par-tout où le pouvoir exécutif a été partagé, des jalousies, des haînes interminables ont agité les esprits, & qu’une lutte sanglante a toujours abouti à la ruine des loix, à l’établissement du plus fort". Raynal was right! Rousseauists got it plainly wrong!

. Political economy. Jonathan Israel does not discuss the political economy of Histoire des deux Indes. Given the scope of Democratic Enlightenment, this is quite understandable. Philosophy is his main concern. Yet, the fact remains that it is precisely Raynal's (and Diderot's) political economy that provides some of the most striking arguments against despotic government. I deal with these issues in chapters 4 ("Humanismo comercial"), 5 ("¡Un déspota no obtiene crédito!"), 6 ("Contrapesos") and 7 ("Feliz revolución") of El 'best-seller' que cambió el mundo.

. Raynal himself. Taking his clue from Mémoires secrets, JI presents Abbé Raynal as "a mediocre brain" who was "scarcely a philosophe at all". In fact, we learn that he wasn't even the real author of Histoire des deux Indes! This is taking matters a bit too far. Yes, Diderot had a far superior mind, but what about his own Apologie of Raynal? (A slight mistake on p. 433: "[Raynal] was unable to return to France until 1787". In fact, he came back in late July 1784).
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