The following is my working draft for the first assignment in the class. I am 500 words in, and am still working on how the order the paper. I hope you enjoy!
Warner bring attention to the states presence in the construction of publics. He states that a public "must be organized by something other than the state”(51). This is an assertion that I disagree with. While not all states are capable of being a public, some are inherently so. The Nazi Party, French and Bolshevik Revolutions, and even the American Revolutions can all be examples of how a public forms a state. Once a public become a state, does it remain a public?
The Nazi Party was the product a devastated Germany, following the First World War. The people and government were destroyed by the largest conflict in history. Out of this ruin, a radical party arose. The Nazi Party, or National Socialist German Worker’s Party, delivered a message of order and progress to a society that was desperate for both. This formed a powerful public that was formed around anti-capitalism, anti-communism, and anti-Semitism. This party would then for the national party of the government.
The Nazi Party was formed around some of the very issues that some of the United States’ publics are addressing. Anti-capitalism is a burgeoning issue in the country. The Occupy Wall-Street movement of a few years ago could be described as an anti-capitalist one. Furthermore, the popularity of the Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders reflects this sentiment as well. The same issues were facing Germany following World War I, and similar publics formed then.
The primary issue for the Nazi Party was the strong presence of Jews in Europe. So much so, that economic, foreign, and domestic policy were formed around it. I would assert that this makes the Nazi Party and its supporters very much a public. Once they rose into power in the state, they continued the same rhetoric and policy, so they must remain a public. When Warner makes his assertion, he may only be thinking of the United States, or the UK. With this logic, I would agree that the state cannot be a public. Both nations are formed around a diversity of opinion. Also, both nations are by composition, democratic. Other nations, which are ruled by dictatorships, communism, and monarchies (historically) can have a very different method of presenting opinion, and perceiving what issues face the country. Nazi Germany was a dictatorship, and its dictator Adolf Hitler shaped the public issues as he liked.
The French revolution called for the destruction of the Monarchy, and formation of a more democratic state. This was a violent affair, and many publics attempted to usurp the throne. The French revolution presents another question; Do the publics that formed the rebellious side of the French revolution, form a collective public? If so, this is another example of a public becoming a state. This one is complicated, as many different publics rose to power, albeit briefly before Napoleon became the eventual victor.
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteTo begin, I really like how point to Warners article about a state becoming a public. I would think a state becomes a public once established, why might it not? I think the Nazi party and the others you mentioned are great examples of this.
I found it interesting your mention of capitalism, communism and semitism. I think we do see a lot of this in America. I like your mention of Wall Street, this reminds me of when I spent the summer interning in New York City a couple of summers ago.
Towards the end of your post, you agreed that a state cannot become a public. I disagree with this, just since I feel like a state is a public and each town is a public. I don't think there are any justifications about how big or small a public can be to be declared as a public. I view Bozeman and the Bozeman general public and Montana as The Montana general public.
Great job though! Your ideas are really strong and well analyzed.
Hi Andrew,
ReplyDeleteYou’re topic brings up a very interesting question: can a public gain authoritarian power and still remain a public? Or as you put it, “Once a public becomes a state, does it remain a public?” You “assert that…the Nazi Party and its supporters were very much a public.” This is powerful and important assertion that definitely warrants the space of a serious essay to defend.
I don’t want to dissuade you from this topic; it’s very interesting. I say that as a disclaimer because I am going to proceed by refuting your claim. I think it’s important in rhetoric to anticipate how a naysayer might react to a particular argument. I provide a strong rebuttal here in order to give you the opportunity to rebut my rebuttal, and in the process, bolster your essay.
I believe that once a public gains political power it ceases to be a public. One major reason for this is the fact the Nazi Party, for instance, did not actively create discourse surrounding itself. Of course, it used propaganda to promote itself and its major philosophies, and Hitler used tremendous rhetoric to bolster that propaganda (or perhaps it was the other way around.) But either way, there was no public discourse that discussed the merit of the Nazi party. Once the Nazis were in power, dissenting views of the party were no longer permitted into the public discourse. Discourse is defined as “written or spoken communication or debate.” The Nazi party’s rhetoric and policy (it’s important to note that generally a public can’t create policy, perhaps for just this reason) did not allow for debate. Once the Nazi’s gained power, the debate about how Germany should govern itself effectively ended. Yes, there were small pockets of dissent, but they were relatively self-contained and didn’t communicate with the public as a whole.
Without communication and debate there can be no discourse. Without discourse, rhetoric can only be comprised of one singular voice. With just one permissible voice, a social body cannot be considered a public.
I think you’re onto a very productive line of thinking and I am definitely interested in your topic. I hope some of my objections help you crystalize your own opinions and solidify your case. I’m looking forward to seeing you shoot me down!
Good Luck,
Abe