European Freedom and the Extremism

Introduction

The transformation of Europe from the age of religious domination to secularization and modernity was anything but smooth. Many battles and confrontations took place in the path of this transformation. This violent history allows us to argue that Europe, even when it was moving toward liberalization, was still fell prey to ideological extremism.

Before and during the process of secularization and modernization, Europe paved the way for extremism to appear by adhering to violence in defending and spreading ideologies and thoughts. Liberal thinkers and authors mistakenly argued that spreading freedom and civilization through violence is justified. However, any action will stimulate a re-action; and violent actions will provoke counter violent reactions, and a cycle of violence starts and it is very hard to stop.

Many political parties and leaders adopted the concept of violence in order to spread their ideologies, and created many torture and killing instruments for the same reasons. The inventions, science and the advanced technology also promoted the violent actions, even when it were invented for the humans good.

This paper argues that the use of violence in the cause of freedom led to ideological extremism. The Church by using force encouraged the need for reformation. The Reformation begun by Martin Luther divided Europe and promoted religion extremism. The French Revolution, led to a contradictory result because of its cruel methods. Extreme Ideologies such as Fascism and Nazism mainly appeared because of the vicious action of World War I and much more.

Pre-Reformation Era

Christianity was leading the European world, dominating every element in human life, from birth and marriage until death. The Church at that time prevented people from learning how to write and read, since it considered it a very dangerous and a threatening element against its role.

For many years, unknown numbers of opponents were considered atheists and their actions and discourse were considered heresy which required punishment. Copernicus was chased, Fu Bruno was executed, Galileo was condemned and many others were tortured and killed.

It was Louis IX, who began the first Inquisition, which was designed to punish the rogue Christian members, not only by burning their books, but also by burning hundreds of them at the stake. The Inquisition was not limited only to Christians, but also extended to other religions, such as the Muslims of Andalusia.

It is very true to consider such era as “Dark Ages”, because no voice was heard then, except that of the Church and the Aristocrats. Rulers played the role of God, even in punishing and selling forgiveness “Indulgences”. Ages full of fear, torture, grief and violence, poverty, ignorance and insecurity. Many men were sent to their death in the name of “Crusades” to gain “Heaven”, but in reality they were increasing the Church’s and the king’s power and wealth.

Except, it is also true, that the Renaissance was also deeply Christian and most of the Christianity heritage re-formed the European civilization and even created its own opposition; the secularization. However, the torturing and cruelty in dealing with opponents and in spreading ideologies, led to the anger and to the sense of injustice, which caused the resistance and the revenge actions and most importantly the arising of new extremist.

“Persecution is not an original feature in any religion; but it is always the strongly marked feature of all religions established by law”. Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

The Reformation Era

Martin Luther, believed in liberating the Christians from the Pope and the Church dominance; and sought tolerance, justice and peace in the Christian world. However, contrary to this vision, Europe was divided, battles and ugly confrontations were spreading. Peace and justice were violated and Christianity went to Extremism.

Many who adopted Luther’s doctrine altered the aims and the directions of the Reformation in order to fit their aspirations and dreams. New Political, economic, individual and religious justifications were given for such reformation.

Thus, after the translation of the Bible into German and publishing it throughout the whole region, the rebellion started by the educated class and reached the common whom started their revolution; by killing and burning numerous churches and monks in revenge of unjustified suffering they lived before.

Moreover, many other reformists separated themselves from the original doctrine “Protestant”, like the “Calvinist” whom transformed into Ideological extremist and conducted a bloody “Thirty years war” between 1618-1648 which ended in Westphalia conference.

What facilitated the spread of Luther’s Reformation was the invention of the printing press, in addition to the dreadful and the unjust situation which the common were suffering from, in addition to Luther’s personal qualities and skills. The need for reformation was a necessity but the means were violent and cruel albeit Martin’s opposition to this approach, he couldn’t prevent it and Europe was divided.

The Enlightenment Era

Europe on its way to liberalization and secularization, killed, burned and exiled many reformists; both Lutherans and Calvinists, several massacres took place during the Reformation age in France, Netherlands and even Germany. Afterwards, France started new age; the Enlightenment.

One can argue that this particular period of time wasn’t more than “Enlightenment”, a period of James Maxwell, Charles Darwin, Immanuel Kant, Jean Jacque Rousseau, Voltaire, Isaac Newton and John Locke and others. One can argue also that all the concepts of liberalization, individual rights, human rights, scientific thought, rational thinking, tolerance, compassion, democracy and modernity appeared in this period, which cannot be denied. However, by admitting and permitting the usage of violence to attain the secularization and freedom by many Enlightened thinkers stimulated such usage. Many political leaders and rebels were justifying easily the usage of cruelty to expel and vanish the “Others” in name of “Enlightenment”. Moreover, the refusal and the resentment of royal absolutism, was one of the Enlightenment ideals, which have been used by the revolutionaries’ in a very violent scheme.

The French revolution is a clear example which can be explored and examined in such an issue, which started in 1789 and lasted until 1799. This revolution passed many stages, the Constitutional monarchy stage, the beginning of the republican system, the return of the moderate bourgeoisie and the Napoleon Bonaparte dictatorship.

In order to understand the real situation at that moment, the novel “A Tale of two cities” of Charles Dickens can be a proper start point; “Killing innocents, destroying and stealing properties, greediness, injustice, cruelty, madness and the unsecured society”. Hence, between 18,000 and 40,000 people were executed during the Reign of Terror and the guillotine became the symbol of a string of executions.

Arguing that, all these sacrifices were necessary and could be justified, since it led to the secularization and modernity is only justifying more violence. Besides, if this argument was factual, then this revolution should have been the closure, which was certainly not. Even more, the end result of the French revolution were quite the contrary because the Elites returned to the power and an era of dictatorship began.

European Liberal thinkers such as John Locke, Jean Jacque Rousseau and others, accepted the use of violence to spread liberty and modernity and to force it against the Native American Indians, and such ideas seem still alive, which assures that the violence is an continual action and hardly can be stopped. While they assumed that modernity will flourish and life will be enlightened, on the contrary; more wars and conflicts appeared and different ranks of extremisms emerged.

The Contemporary Era

The colonial period, the World War I and World War II, all can be pointed out as an extreme violent actions which were emerged in the name of freedom, saving identity and nationalism. More reasons were also behind these wars, the economic and political situation, the advanced technology specially in the rearmament field and also the violence itself, as the World War I started after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in Sarajevo on 28 June 1914, by a Bosnian-Serb student.

Of the 60 million European soldiers who were mobilized from 1914 – 1918, 8 million were killed, 7 million were permanently disabled, and 15 million were seriously injured.

World War II was partially a continuation of the supremacy struggle that was never completely resolved by the First World War; actually, it was natural for Germans in the 1930s and 1940s to justify acts of international aggression because of perceived injustices imposed by the victors of the First World War.

Fascist, Nazi, and communist totalitarian Stalinian political parties were all violent ideologies flourished in Europe, connected to the ideas of modernity, secularization and nationalism. All these political parties, despite the differences of methods and ideologies used the same element, the violence, to spread their ideas and norms. 60 million people died in the war, including about 20 million soldiers and 40 million civilians. Many civilians died because of disease, starvation, massacres, bombing and deliberate genocide.

Hence, the extremist in the international relations occurred and played a great role in increasing and firing the clashes. Counter extremisms, such as the Islamist, the communist, and socialist are a reaction to such ideas that were justified by liberalism and freedom.

The beginning of the 21 century gives a clear image how the grown violent Liberalism is still responsible for spreading extremism. The Neo-cons in the George Bush administration (2001- 2009), used concepts such as “Benevolent Hegemony”, and “war of democracy and freedom”, to justify the war in Iraq, and to justify the cruelty the world watched in Abu Gharib prison. Both Neo- Cons and Islamist Jihadists believe in spreading ideas through violence and stimulating many violent reactions in return.

“There has never been a good war or a bad peace”. Benjamin Franklin

Conclusion

The roots of ideological extremism can be easily traced within the ages of “violent freedom” and can certainly proves the usage of ultimate violence to extend ideologies and thoughts, as the previous selected scenes confirmed.

“People have murdered each other, in massive wars and guerilla actions, for many centuries and still murder each other in the present, over Ideologies and Religions which, stated as propositions, appear neither true nor false to modern logicians– meaningless propositions that look meaningful to the linguistically naive.” Robert A. Wilson (Quantum Psychology, 1990)

One can argue that cruelty is the nature of the human being, but certainly that is contradict with what Rousseau assuring, when he pointed out that Man is good in nature and he just reacts according to the environment, while he adapts himself to the surroundings. According to that, all the reactions can be considered as “self-defense” and natural acts intended for survival.

Others can justify the need for cruelty and violent acts, arguing that, it is a necessity in order not to condemn the ruler by being coward, weak or permissive which may lead to the rebellion and lack of obedience and that surely will lead to chaos and will undermine security in the society. Nevertheless, from different perspective, sentiments of exclusion, injustice fear and humiliation have always been influential forces in politics and primary movers for change.

Many may argue that because of such “sacrifices” many lives were saved, properties were secured and countless achievements were accomplished. However, numerous lives were already lost; countless properties were already destroyed and burned. And many of the extreme movements and organization justifying their violence and terrorism to historical acts and campaigns. As Mario Cuomo assured; “We know that the price of seeking to force our beliefs on others is that they might someday force theirs on us”.

Political ideologies and Religious have been the cause of interpersonal violence during history, and provoked the others to deal with them in the same way, by force.

All of the above assured that using violence in the path of Freedom led to ideological extremism, in religion, political or individual extremist. So the aims surely should not justify the means in this case, because it will gain the violent opponent and the opposite result in various fields.