Review

"...a very readable and illuminating account of Constant's evolving ideas on the relationship between politics and religion, church and state, and liberal democracy and moral values. A valuable addition to any collection on the Enlightenment or political/religious liberty." --Choice

"Rosenblatt successfully excavates an unduly neglected stratum of Constant's thought...the way in which battles ofver religious ideas and moral instruction served as focal points in the political disputes of his time is brilliantly describes, and our understanding of Constant's progress as a political thinker is greatly enhanced. Both books are valuable and important contributions to the growing literature on French liberalism." --Arthur Goldhammer, Harvard University: Political Theory Book Reviews

"Tightly organized around a few central themes and drawing upon a wide array of primary and secondary sources, Rosenblatt's book has an ambitious scope and agenda. It combines textual analysis with a close interpretation of the relevant intellectual and historical context...The great merit of Helena Rosenblatt's erudite and insightful book is that it sheds fresh light on how Constant achieved his goal and how he remained faithful to it to the very end of his agitated and controversial life." The Review of Politics, Aurelian Craiutu

Book Description

Benjamin Constant's life spanned the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, Napoleon's rise and rule, and the Bourbon Restoration. In this 2008 text, Professor Rosenblatt analyzes Constant's key role in many of this era's heated debates over the role of religion in politics.