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Books

Peace and War: A Theory of International Relations

– Raymond Aron, Peace and War: A Theory of International Relations, Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press, 1973.
From the publisher: Peace and War by Raymond Aron is one of the greatest books ever written on international relations. Aron’s starting point is the state of nature that exists between… More

Democracy and Totalitarianism

– Raymond Aron, Democracy and Totalitarianism, New York: Praeger, 1968.
Aron’s great theory of the way of government and “constitutional” pretensions of Totalitarian systems.

The Opium of the Intellectuals

– Raymond Aron, The Opium of the Intellectuals, introduction Harvey C. Mansfield, New York, N.Y.: Norton, 1962.
Aron’s classic work explains the attraction of intellectuals (particularly French and European) to the totalitarian movements of the 20th century, whether leftist or fascist.  One of… More

On War

– Raymond Aron, On War, New York: W.W. Norton, 1968.
This provocative volume re-examines and analyzes a problem that has plagued mankind from the beginning of history through the present atomic age. The author promotes his belief in a minimum… More

The Century of Total War

– Raymond Aron, The Century of Total War, London: Praeger Press, 1954.
From a review in Foreign Affairs: Though writing in the first instance as a Frenchman to Frenchmen, M. Aron’s very thoughtful and incisive analysis is of universal interest. Seeing… More

Memoirs: Fifty Years of Political Reflection

– Raymond Aron, Memoirs: Fifty Years of Political Reflection, New York: Holmes & Meier, 1995.
Aron’s memoirs are an indispensable document  of 20th century political history. Describes his studies in Germany before the war, his relations with Jean-Paul Sartre, his growing… More

De Gaulle, Israel, and the Jews

– Raymond Aron, De Gaulle, Israel, and the Jews, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2004.  
Aron’s collected writings on De Gaulle, Israel, and the Jews. Features Aron’s unforgettable analysis of De Gaulle’s (infamous) criticism of Jews following Israel’s… More

Essays

Reflections on the Foreign Policy of France

– "Reflections on the Foreign Policy of France," International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs ) v21 n4 (Oct., 1945): 437-447.
Excerpt: At the same time of the “phony” war, publicists on both sides of the Channel heatedly discussed the best means of winning the peace, before the conquest of the enemy had even… More

France in the Cold War

– "France in the Cold War," The Political Quarterly, v22 n1 (January 1951): 57-66.
Excerpt: To make it quite clear with what the present article sets out to deal, it is 1st necessary that we should define the term cold war which indiscriminate use has rendered obscure.… More

France, Still the Third Republic

– "France, Still the Third Republic," Foreign Affairs, v30 n1 (Oct., 1951): 145-151.
Excerpt: The middle-of-the-road parties, as they would be called in Anglo-Saxon countries, came out on top in the recent French elections, but the Pleven Cabinet formed after long delay… More

French Public Opinion and the Atlantic Treaty

– "French Public Opinion and the Atlantic Treaty," International Affairs (Royal Institute of International Affairs) v28 n1 (Jan., 1952): 1-8.
Excerpt: The turning point in French foreign policy after the Second World War was not the signing of the Atlantic Treaty. The impossibility of maintaining what had hitherto been the… More

Limits to the Powers of the United Nations

– "Limits to the Powers of the United Nations," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, v296 (Nov., 1954): 20-26.
Excerpt: Is the United Nations—and can it be—an essential instrument of security in the world today? Can a revision of the church or had decisively to the effectiveness of the… More

Europe and Air Power

– "Europe and Air Power," Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, v299 (May, 1955): 95-101.
Excerpt: In the current debates on airpower, 2 phenomena, logical he and factually distinct from each other, are being frequently mistaken for one another. The 1st consists of the rise of… More

France: Stability and Instability

– "France: Stability and Instability," Yale French Studies, v15 (1955): 17-23.
There is nothing new in the gloomy appraisals of France’s political instability that are emanating from both sides of the English channel and the Atlantic. Examples of the same sort… More

Evidence and Inference in History

– "Evidence and Inference in History," Daedalus, v87 n4 (Fall, 1958): 11-39.
Excerpt: I confess that I feel apprehensive about the subject proposed to me. Even though there may be possible French equivalents to to an accumulation of data available to the scholar, in… More

The Education of the Citizen in Industrial Society

– "The Education of the Citizen in Industrial Society," Daedalus, v91 n2 (Spring, 1962): 249-263.
Excerpt: Modern societies present certain characteristics previously unknown, and observers agree and putting these original traits of modern civilization to the credit (or debit) of… More

Reflections on American Diplomacy

– "Reflections on American Diplomacy," Daedalus, v91 n4 (Fall, 1962): 717-732.
Excerpt: How does American diplomacy look to a European observer who is well disposed to the United States? I do not feel really qualified to answer this question, posed by my friends of… More

The Anarchical Order of Power

– "The Anarchical Order of Power," Daedalus, v95 n2 (Spring, 1966): 479-502.
Excerpt: Men continue to belong to political units pretending to independence. Hence, there is no “planetary Society” or “human society” comparable to Pueblo or French society, or… More

Student Rebellion: Vision of the Future or Echo from the Past?

– "Student Rebellion: Vision of the Future or Echo from the Past?," Political Science Quarterly, v84 n2 (Jun., 1969): 289-310.
Excerpt: In order to limit my subject  and to concentrate on the most interesting it or the milliliter cases, I shall not discuss Latin American universities, for two reasons. These… More

The Great Debate: Theories of Nuclear Strategy

– The Great Debate: Theories of Nuclear Strategy, Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1965.
Originally published by Doubleday in 1969, this essay delineates the French position on thermonuclear weapons, as well as outlines the theories of deterrence and graduated retaliation that… More

Reason, Passion, and Power in the Thought of Clausewitz

– "Reason, Passion, and Power in the Thought of Clausewitz," Social Research, v39 n4 (Winter: 1972): 599-621.  
Excerpt: Perhaps you will be surprised to find Clausewitz ranked among the great political philosophers. Does the author of the treatise on war, so widely quoted but so rarely read, merit… More

Is Multinational Citizenship Possible?

– "Is Multinational Citizenship Possible?," Social Research, v41 n4 (Winter 1974): 638-656.
Excerpt: I have to admit that I found is a little difficult to understand the question which was put to me and which serves as the title for this essay. How could a citizen that possibly… More

The Crisis of the European Idea

– "The Crisis of the European Idea," Government and Opposition, v11 n1 (197601): 5-19.
Excerpt: What does the European idea, the idea of European unity mean today? In they Christian era, a kind of units he was born of a common faith. It’s found expression in the church… More

In Defense of Decadent Europe

– In Defense of Decadent Europe, South Bend, IN: Regnery/Gateway, 1977.
From the publisher: Raymond Aron’s In Defense of Decadent Europe was first conceived at a time of great uncertainty for the Western democracies. The postwar economic boom had been… More

Arms Control and Peace Research

– "Arms Control and Peace Research," The Tanner Lectures on Human Values, 1979.
Excerpt: The juxtaposition of the two notions arms control and peace  research may at first sight surprise the reader. The first notion  implies theoretical and practical research into… More

From American Imperialism to Soviet Hegemonism

– "From American Imperialism to Soviet Hegemonism," Atlantic Community Quarterly, 17(4) (Winter 1979/80) : 489-506.
Excerpt: Thirty years ago, professors of international relations and men in the streets would have characterized the world in more or less the same terms. The 1st, and there learned way,… More

Ideology in Search of a Policy

– "Ideology in Search of a Policy," Foreign Affairs, v60 n3 (1981): 503-524.
Excerpt: Three signal events marked the year 1981 (as least, from the point of view of a Frenchman): the arrival of Ronald Reagan at the White House in January; the election of Francois… More

For Progress, after the Fall of the Idols

– "For Progress, after the Fall of the Idols," Chicago Review, v32 n3 (Winter, 1981): 108-118.
Excerpt: Marx is not dead; in secondary schools, and colleges, even in the universities, he remains very much alive, and inexhaustible mine of quotations, of concepts and dogmas, and almost… More

Alternation in Government in the Industrialized Countries

– "Alternation in Government in the Industrialized Countries,"  Government and Opposition, v17 n1 (1982): 3-21.
Excerpt: ” I must confess that I did not choose the subject of this article out of theoretical or scientific interest. My dreams have not been peopled by the merits of replacing one… More

Democratic States and Totalitarian States (June 1939)

– "Democratic States and Totalitarian States (June 1939)," Salmagundi, n65 (Fall 1984): 27-39.
From the editorial note: On June 17, 1939 Raymond Aron read a paper before the French Philosophical Society on “Democratic States and Totalitarian States.” A summary had prepared the… More

Thinking Politically: A Liberal in the Age of Ideology

– Thinking Politically: A Liberal in the Age of Ideology,  New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 1997.
From the publisher: Thinking Politically brings together a series of remarkable interviews with Raymond Aron that form a political history of our time. Ranging over an entire lifetime,… More

The Politics of Human Rights

– "The Politics of Human Rights," In Power and Policy in Quest of Law : Essays in Honor of Eugene Victor Rostow, p. 229-245.

Marxism in the Modern World

– Volume citation: Marxism in the Modern World, Hoover Institution: Palo Alto, 1965.
Aron has an essay on Marxism in this volume on Marxism in the Cold War era.

Commentary

History and Choices: The Foundations of the Political Thought of Raymond Aron

– Tracy B. Strong, "History and Choices: The Foundations of the Political Thought of Raymond Aron," History and Theory, v11 n2 (1972): 179-192.
Excerpt: ” At first approach, the English or American intellectual, who by his upbringing is generally not conscious of the conflict of political ideologies, may tend to view Raymond… More

Raymond Aron as Political Theorist

– Melvin Richter, "Raymond Aron as Political Theorist," Political Theory, v12 n2 (May, 1984): 147-151.
Excerpt: Raymond Aaron developed a style of political theory unique not only in France but elsewhere. He combined the capacity and the will to investigate in depth the major political… More

Raymond Aron: Between Theory and History in the Field of International Relations

– Giovanni Busino, "Raymond Aron: Between Theory and History in the Field of International Relations," International Studies Quarterly, (1985) 29, 13-27.
Excerpt: The scope of Raymond Aron’s work has always caused his commentators and his disciples to despair. Many unpublished works will probably be released in the near future.… More

Raymond Aron and the History of the Twentieth Century

– Pierre Hassner, "Raymond Aron and the History of the Twentieth Century," International Studies Quarterly, v29 n1 (Mar., 1985): 29-37.
Excerpt: Raymond Aron would undoubtedly have wished that those who render him homage speak with a critical mind rather than sentimentally or from their remembrances. He would have wanted… More

Aron and International Relations by Stanley Hoffmann

– Stanley Hoffmann, "Raymond Aron and the Theory of International Relations," International Studies Quarterly, v29 n1 (Mar., 1985): 13-27.
Excerpt: The scope of Raymond Aron’s work has always caused his commentators and his disciples to despair. Many unpublished works will probably be released in the near future.… More

The Last of the Liberals by Allan Bloom

– Allan Bloom, "Raymond Aron: The Last of the Liberals,"  Quadrant, v30 n4 (April 1986): 22-26.
Excerpt: “A few weeks ago, when I was in Paris, I went to have lunch at my friend Jean-Claude Casanova’s home. As I entered the great doors of the building on the Boulevard St.… More

Raymond Aron / Vol. 2. The Sociologist in Society, 1955-1983.

– Robert Colquhoun,  Raymond Aron / Vol. 2. The Sociologist in Society, 1955-1983.  London: Sage 1986.
From the publisher: Volume Two of Robert Colquhoun’s biography of Raymond Aron takes us through his years as Professor of Sociology at the Sorbonne — including his opposition… More

Raymond Aron / Vol. 1, The Philosopher in History, 1905-1955.

– Robert Colquhoun, Raymond Aron / Vol. 1, The Philosopher in History, 1905-1955, Beverly Hills, Calif.:  Sage Publications, 1986.
From the publisher: The only book on Raymond Aron in English, Robert Colquhoun’s brilliant biography is an intellectual and literary tour de force. The first volume, The… More

The Four Paretos of Raymond Aron

– Stuart L Campbell, "The Four Paretos of Raymond Aron," Journal of the History of Ideas, 47, (1986), 287-298.
Excerpt: This article originated in a November 1982 conversation with Raymond Aron. Our discussion, largely concerned with Erin’s political convictions during the interwar period,… More

Raymond Aron: The Making of a Cold Warrior

– Stuart L. Campbell, "Raymond Aron: The Making of a Cold Warrior," The Historian, v51 n4 (1989): 551-573.
Excerpt: During the years following World War II, Raymond Aron emerged as France’s leading a thinker willing to challenge the leftist political attitudes that dominated the French… More

The Liberal Political Science of Raymond Aron

– Daniel J. Mahoney, The Liberal Political Science of Raymond Aron, Rowman and Littlefield, 1991.
Reviews: Mahoney’s book is the best to date about the great French political thinker — Pierre Manent The finest philosophical treatise on the political science of Raymond Aron… More

Aron’s Politic Liberal Rationalism by Daniel Mahoney

– Daniel J. Mahoney,  "The Politic Liberal Rationalism of Raymond Aron," Polity, v24 n4 (Summer, 1992): 693-708.
Excerpt: ” At the time of his death in 1983, Raymond Aron had finally achieved a level of public recognition and even celebration that had eluded him to ring most of his adult and… More

The Tocquevillian Liberalism and Political Sociology Of Raymond Aron

– Stuart L. Campbell, "The Tocquevillian Liberalism and Political Sociology Of Raymond Aron,"  The Historian, v53 n2 (1992): 303-316.
Excerpt: “At the time of his death in October 1983, Raymond Aron was frequently referred to as the 20th century’s Alexis de Tocqueville, France’s renowned historian who… More

Raymond Aron’s Peace and War, Thirty Years Later

– Bryan-Paul Frost, "Raymond Aron's Peace and War, Thirty Years Later," International Journal, v51 n2 (Spring, 1996): 339-361.
Excerpt: “In 1966, Raymond Aron’s peace and war: a theory of international relations 1st appeared in English. On like the almost universal acclaim it’s received in France… More

The Recovery of the Political by Brian Anderson

– Brian C. Anderson, Raymond Aron: The Recovery of the Political, Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 1997.
From the publisher: This concise and penetrating analysis introduces students to the life and thought of one of the giants of twentieth- century French intellectual life. Portraying Raymond… More

Resurrecting a Neglected Theorist: The Philosophical Foundations of Raymond Aron’s Theory of International Relations

– Bryan-Paul Frost, "Resurrecting a Neglected Theorist: The Philosophical Foundations of Raymond Aron's Theory of International Relations," Review of International Studies, v23 n2 (Apr., 1997): 143-166.
Abstract: Raymond Aron is a neglected theorist, at least if we understand by ‘neglected’ a theorist whose theory no longer engenders critical scholarly debate. More often than not,… More

Raymond Aron and the Morality of Prudence A Reconsideration

– Daniel J. Mahoney, Raymond Aron and the Morality of Prudence A Reconsideration, Modern Age, 43, Part 3 (2001): 243-252.
Excerpt: No major intellectual figure of the 20th century displayed a better political judgments than the French political philosopher and sociologist Raymond Aron. He was right about the… More

Raymond Aron The Dawn of Universal History

– Daniel J. Mahoney, "Raymond Aron The Dawn of Universal History," The New Criterion,  v21, Part 2 (2002): 62-64.
Excerpt: The short twentieth century, beginning with the assassination of the Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand at Sarajevo in July 1914 and culminating in the collapse of communist… More

Aron, Marx, and Marxism: An Interpretation

– Daniel J. Mahoney, "Aron, Marx, and Marxism: An Interpretation," European Journal of Political Theory, 2, no. 4 (2003): 415-427.
Abstract: Central to his own fruitful study of modern society and politics, of the stakes and twists-and-turns of the dramatic twentieth century, was Raymond Aron’s fifty year… More

The Phenomenology of Raymond Aron

– Reed Davis "The Phenomenology of Raymond Aron,"  European Journal of Political Theory, v2 n4 (2003): 401-413.
Abstract: This article reviews the influence of Edmund Husserl’s phenomenology on Raymond Aron’s philosophy of history. In trying to create an original synthesis of… More

Rayond Aron: Political Liberalism Civic Passion, and Impartial Judgment

– Nicolas Baverez; Pierre Manent, "Rayond Aron: Political Liberalism Civic Passion, and Impartial Judgment," Society, 41, no. 3 (2004): 17-20.
Excerpt: “Even if he did not live to see the fall of the Berlin wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union,  Aron largely summed up the history of the 20th century. One must recall… More

Introduction: Raymond Aron and the Persistence of the Political

– Daniel J. Mahoney, "Introduction: Raymond Aron and the Persistence of the Political," Perspectives on Political Science, v35 n2 (2004): 73-74.
Excerpt: The bitter experience of the 20th century, with its hyperbolic wars, totalitarian ideologies, and the erosion of spiritual meaning and collective purpose in the Western world,… More

Raymond Aron on the Use of Force by Pierre Hassner

– Pierre Hassner, "Raymond Aron on the Use of Force and Legitimacy," Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Center on the United States and Europe, 2005.
Excerpt: Raymond Aron, beyond his rich theories and deep analyses, remains for me above all a professor of moral and intellectual sanity. He was a teacher of what he saw as the 2 supreme… More

Raymond Aron on the End of the History of International Relations

– Bryan-Paul Frost, "Raymond Aron on the End of the History of International Relations," Perspectives on Political Science, v35 n2 (Spring 2006): 75-82.
Excerpt: “The advent of a new millennium invites us to speculate on what might be called “the really big questions,” and perhaps the biggest such question for the discipline of… More

Raymond Aron: Too Realistic to Be a Realist?

– Pierre Hassner, "Raymond Aron: Too Realistic to Be a Realist?" Constellations, 14, no. 4 (2007): 498-505.
Excerpt: Was Raymond Aron a realist? Certainly the answer is obvious if one understands realism in the nonacademic sense of analyzing situations accurately, of not pursuing utopian goals… More

Lavenir de la Guerre dans le Monde du Commerce: Raymond Aron Face aux Philosophies

– Benjamin Brice, "Lavenir de la guerre dans le monde du commerce: Raymond Aron face aux philosophies." Institut québécois des hautes études internationales Ɂrudit, 2012.
Abstract: The West, and especially Europe, often understands globalization as a new process that will eventually challenge the domination of traditional politics. This paper will attempt to… More

Multimedia

Raymond Aron on May ’68

– 25 October, 1981
The great French political thinker Raymond Aron analyzes the student movement and the excesses of the May 1968 protests in France.

Raymond Aron: 30 years on

– Gwendal Châton and Pierre Manent, "Raymond Aron: 30 Years On," October 11, 2013.
On the France Culture radio station, Gwendal Châton and Pierre Manent discuss the life, thought, and legacy of Raymond Aron (in French).