Ida Nasatir writings List of honorees Louis Rose Society Jewishsightseeing home
Ida Nasatir book review
For All Mankind by Leon Blum
May 22, 1947—Book review—For All Mankind by Leon
Blum—Southwestern
Jewish Press, page 6: This book, written in 1941-42 behind the walls
of a Vichy prison by the one-time Jewish premier of France, is the spiritual
testament of one of the few remaining great figures in modern progressive
politics. It is the credo of a man who—in the midst of events that shattered
the whole structure of the society in which he lived and worked—summoned up
the will and courage to proclaim from the ruins his unshakeable belief in a
resurrection of liberal values. As such, Blum's book, is a profoundly moving
document. He gives an illuminating sketch of the downfall of the Third Republic,
its causes and antecedents; he indicts France for its relaxation and its lack of
moral fiber. He discusses the sociological and economic factors behind the
degeneration of the French upper bourgeoisie. He attributes many of the
weaknesses and deficiencies of the Third Republic to the instability of French
society itself. He stresses the average citizen's lack of participation in the
affairs of the Republic, and he points an accusing finger at that vast,
centralized bureaucracy which from Paris has smothered all local initiative.
Obviously, Blum is a vital part of the Third Republic. There are times in his
book when, try as he might, he cannot transcend it. Ever since her liberation,
France has been haunted by the spectre of the Man on Horseback. Blum wants this
spectre done away with. His brief, pungent, attractive book is an attempt to
explain to the world how this can be accomplished. Apparently, as now, the world
is neither sufficiently interested, nor well informed about the Third
Republic. Leon Blum writes with a sincerity and simplicity which is
decidedly appealing.