Chapter 2 of Hannah Arendt's "On Revolution", titled "The Social Question" offers a critical assessment of the French Revolution and its impact onwhar she calls the social question. Arendt argues that the French Revolution was motivated by the corruption of French society, as it sought to unmask hypocrites and liberate the unfortunate. The Revolution's central aim was to establish a new foundation for political power based on the natural rights of man, which included the right to necessities such as food, clothing, and shelter.
However, the Revolution's efforts to achieve this goal unleashed devastating forces of misery and rage that led to the Terror. Arendt notes that subsequent revolutions have also used and abused the forces of poverty and destitution to fight tyranny or oppression, leading to terror and violence.
Arendt explains that modern revolutions cannot solve the social question through political means since poverty and misery need to be addressed through social and economic means. She emphasizes that the French Revolution changed how society understood the notion of legal personality and led to the rise of democracy and liberalism. However, the negative consequences of the Revolution, such as the Terror, also had a lasting impact on society.
Arendt highlights the central problem of the social question, which is poverty and the unequal distribution of wealth. She argues that revolutions cannot solve this problem because they cannot address the underlying social and economic factors that create poverty. Instead, society needs to find ways to address poverty and misery through social and economic means.
In summary, Arendt's analysis of the French Revolution in Chapter 2 of "On Revolution" offers a critical perspective on the limitations of revolutionary movements in solving the social question. It highlights the importance of addressing poverty and misery through social and economic means rather than relying solely on political change. Arendt's insights continue to be relevant today, as societies continue to grapple with the challenge of inequality and the social question.
