The Ethiopian Campaign and French Political Thought

"While it is true that Yves R. Simon did not intend this to be a history book, The Ethiopian Campaign and French Political Thought is an important historical work well deserving of a close reading by students of 20th century European history and international relations. This book, which finds a worthy English translation after too many years, was Simon's first serious foray into the public square on the side of justice and the common good. Simon's analysis is wide-ranging, incisive and brimming with far-sighted political acumen." —Robert Ventresca, King's University College

"The Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1935 led to the memorable plea of Emperor Haile Selassie before the League of Nations as his country's freedom died. Easier to forget is that it also sparked a surprisingly familiar intellectual dispute over the legitimacy of the bombing and the relevance of international law, as depressingly many European intellectuals rallied behind Benito Mussolini’s campaign as a defense of the West and the cause of 'civilization.' The unsparing critique leveled against these frequently religious apologists for imperialism by Yves Simon, French Catholic thinker and later American university professor, is an eye-opening reminder of the terms of debate, and the larger constellation of forces of the turbulent era. Anthony Simon and his colleagues deserve thanks for making this precious and moving document available, since its ethical kernel, like its model of Catholic intellectualism, remain highly relevant." —Samuel Moyn, Columbia University

"The reader will immediately recognize that this book is not a conventional history of the causes and consequences of Italy's assault on a distant people. Rather, for Simon, the event is a case study that allows him to formulate a moral critique. His target is the paucity of ideas and values that led a broad segment of the Catholic intelligentsia in France to shirk its responsibility to combat injustice." —from the foreword, A. James McAdams, Nanovic Institute for European Studies, University of Notre Dame

“It is easy to see why we should care about Simon’s timeless, penetrating work on ethics, metaphysics, and political theory. . . . The Ethiopian Campaign and French Political Thought deserves to be read, but not as a work of prophesy or as a hornbook that saves us the trouble of wrestling with unique facts. We should read it with attention because it provides an inspiring and challenging model of citizenship.” —Public Discourse

“This book was written in 1936, not as a history, but as a moral critique of a broad segment of the Catholic intelligentsia in France who supported Mussolini’s aggression against Ethiopia, even though it failed to meet the terms of the Catholic doctrine of a just war.” —Catholic Library World

“Simon’s reflections on the moral hazards inherent in the use of military force ‘to civilize others’ raise important questions about the current practice by some powerful countries to bring ‘democracy’ to others through military invasion and occupation. With this reflection, Simon reminds us that truth is more important than triumph, justice is more important than force, and that a better society is possible if politics were to free itself from ‘hatred’ and be guided by an ‘interior attitude’ that values truth and justice.” —International Journal of Ethiopian Studies