Evidence receipt / evaluation
Published · transcript-backedRuth Scurr: evaluation
1 Dec 2021 Conversations with Tyler Ruth Scurr on the Art of Biography
“I think that depends on what you mean by puritanism. If you mean something approaching political fanaticism or a moralistic expectation of not just the people participating in the revolution but also those in whose name the revolution is being carried out, then yes, absolutely.”
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- Speaker
- Ruth Scurr
- Attribution
- Verified speaker
- Claim type
- evaluation
- Recorded
- 1 Dec 2021
- Publisher
- Conversations with Tyler
Transcript context
…Was Crane Brinton correct that all revolutions impose some kind of period of puritanism? I think that depends on what you mean by puritanism. If you mean something approaching political fanaticism or a moralistic expectation of not just the people participating in the revolution but also those in whose name the revolution is being carried out, then yes, absolutely. That is a necessary part of the revolution. Is that what you meant by puritan? Yes. You see it after the Russian Revolution, for instance. Robespierre, who seems quite rigid, right? He rises to power. He’s not that old; he’s not really a member of the previous elite. Why is it, other than his ability to give a lot of ideological speeches, does he become, at least for a while, the apparent leader?…
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