First published 2011
Stéphane Hessel draws on his extraordinary life as a French Resistance fighter, concentration camp survivor, and United Nations speechwriter to deliver an urgent political manifesto. Writing at age 93, Hessel argues that global financial markets have gained dangerous power over democratic institutions. He calls for citizens to reject this financial dictatorship and defend the social values that define modern democracy. Hessel contends that governments have systematically weakened the fundamental rights citizens fought to establish after World War II. His argument centers on reclaiming liberty and human dignity from institutions that prioritize profit over people. The book presents a direct challenge to political passivity, urging readers to actively resist the erosion of democratic principles. Hessel's personal authority as someone who literally fought fascism gives weight to his contemporary warnings about threats to freedom.
Genres: political-science, contemporary, social-issues, non-fiction, activism
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: call-to-action, personal-authority
Setting: France, United Nations
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
48 pages · Hardcover · Twelve