French Literature Reviews - 2026
Vincent Petit, The Conspiracy of Free Men
History, Politics and Society
The history of the political oath in the West is one of long subversion. This rite, clad in ancient, medieval, and religious trappings, was conceived as the instrument of the conspiracy of free men. It would become one of the means to suppress their liberty. Originally an alliance of free and equal men under the gaze of God, it was gradually regulated by political and ecclesiastical powers, then co-opted by the modern State from the 17th century onwards. The revolutionary experience would seek to restore the oath's democratic and egalitarian character, before it became a rite of bureaucratic subjugation in the 19th century. In authoritarian and totalitarian regimes, it expresses not only political loyalty but also marks a biopower through which the individual abdicates their conscience and even their own body to the people, the party, the State, the ideology, the leader. This book endeavors to offer an original and innovative interpretation of a political history rooted in the legal practices and religious doctrines specific to the West, a history largely neglected today, as it represents the first comprehensive synthesis in French on the history of the oath.
The political oath occupies a long-standing position within Western legal and religious traditions, functioning historically as both a bond among citizens and an instrument of sovereign authority. Scholars of political history and the humanities have frequently examined how rituals of allegiance evolved from medieval and ecclesiastical frameworks into modern instruments of statecraft.
Readers interested in the history of political institutions, legal practices, and the evolution of democratic ideas may find this volume a relevant addition to their studies. The text addresses the transformation of oaths from early egalitarian alliances into mechanisms of bureaucratic control, while also considering their role within authoritarian and totalitarian regimes.