Maurice Joly
Encyclopedia
Maurice Joly was a French
satirist
and lawyer
known for his work titled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
, later used as a basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
.
to a French
father and an Italian
mother. He studied law, but stopped in 1849 in order to go to Paris
, where he worked at the Ministry of State for 10 years. He successfully completed his legal studies and was finally admitted to the Paris bar in 1859.
His most famous work of fiction was the unattributed source material of the antisemitic forgery Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Joly was found dead on the 14th July, 1878, in his quai Voltaire appartment in Paris
.
entitled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
(Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu), which attacks the political ambitions of Napoleon III
. It was first published in Geneva
in 1864, and then in Brussels
. The piece used the literary device of a dialogue
between two diabolical plotters in Hell
, the historical characters of Machiavelli
and Montesquieu
. In this way he tried to cover up a direct, and illegal, attack on Napoleon's rule. The pamphlets were smuggled into France for distribution, but were seized by the police immediately upon crossing the border. The police swiftly tracked down its author, and Joly was arrested and imprisoned for 15 months. The books were banned. On April 25, 1865, he was sentenced to a prison term of 15 months at Sainte-Pélagie.
Joly relates in his 1870 autobiography that one evening by the Seine
he was inspired to write a dialogue between Montesquieu and Machiavelli. The noble baron Montesquieu would make the case for liberalism
; the Florentine
power broker Machiavelli would present the case for despotism
. In this manner, Joly would communicate the secret ways in which liberalism might spawn a despot like Napoleon III.
, namely Les Mystères du peuple (1849-1856).
One of the few copies the Dialogue to survive the confiscation of Napoleon III’s secret police found its way to Switzerland
, where it was picked up by the Russia
n secret police Okhrana and served as the basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
.
On the stage
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
satirist
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
known for his work titled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu is a satirical book written by Maurice Joly, an attorney with political views that were conservative, monarchist, and legitimistic, which was first published in Geneva, Switzerland in 1864...
, later used as a basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
.
Life
He was born in Lons-le-SaunierLons-le-Saunier
Lons-le-Saunier is a commune and capital of the Jura department in eastern France.-Geography:The town is in the heart of the Revermont region, at the foot of the "premier plateau" of the Jura massif...
to a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
father and an Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
mother. He studied law, but stopped in 1849 in order to go to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he worked at the Ministry of State for 10 years. He successfully completed his legal studies and was finally admitted to the Paris bar in 1859.
His most famous work of fiction was the unattributed source material of the antisemitic forgery Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Joly was found dead on the 14th July, 1878, in his quai Voltaire appartment in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
Joly is best known as author of the political satirePolitical satire
Political satire is a significant part of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where such arguments are expressly...
entitled The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu
The Dialogue in Hell Between Machiavelli and Montesquieu is a satirical book written by Maurice Joly, an attorney with political views that were conservative, monarchist, and legitimistic, which was first published in Geneva, Switzerland in 1864...
(Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu), which attacks the political ambitions of Napoleon III
Napoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
. It was first published in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
in 1864, and then in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The piece used the literary device of a dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
between two diabolical plotters in Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, the historical characters of Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was an Italian historian, philosopher, humanist, and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is one of the main founders of modern political science. He was a diplomat, political philosopher, playwright, and a civil servant of the Florentine Republic...
and Montesquieu
Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu , generally referred to as simply Montesquieu, was a French social commentator and political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment...
. In this way he tried to cover up a direct, and illegal, attack on Napoleon's rule. The pamphlets were smuggled into France for distribution, but were seized by the police immediately upon crossing the border. The police swiftly tracked down its author, and Joly was arrested and imprisoned for 15 months. The books were banned. On April 25, 1865, he was sentenced to a prison term of 15 months at Sainte-Pélagie.
Joly relates in his 1870 autobiography that one evening by the Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
he was inspired to write a dialogue between Montesquieu and Machiavelli. The noble baron Montesquieu would make the case for liberalism
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
; the Florentine
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
power broker Machiavelli would present the case for despotism
Despotism
Despotism is a form of government in which a single entity rules with absolute power. That entity may be an individual, as in an autocracy, or it may be a group, as in an oligarchy...
. In this manner, Joly would communicate the secret ways in which liberalism might spawn a despot like Napoleon III.
Controversy about the book
Subsequent research points out that Joly appears to have plagiarized seven pages or more from a popular novel by Eugene SueEugène Sue
Joseph Marie Eugène Sue was a French novelist.He was born in Paris, the son of a distinguished surgeon in Napoleon's army, and is said to have had the Empress Joséphine for godmother. Sue himself acted as surgeon both in the Spanish campaign undertaken by France in 1823 and at the Battle of Navarino...
, namely Les Mystères du peuple (1849-1856).
One of the few copies the Dialogue to survive the confiscation of Napoleon III’s secret police found its way to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where it was picked up by the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n secret police Okhrana and served as the basis for The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a fraudulent, antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for achieving global domination. It was first published in Russia in 1903, translated into multiple languages, and disseminated internationally in the early part of the twentieth century...
.
Publications
- 1863: Le Barreau de Paris, études politiques et littéraires, Paris, Gosselin
- 1864: [signé : "Par un contemporain"], Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu ou La politique au XIXe siècle, Bruxelles, A. Mertens et fils Electronic version on Gallica; later eds. Bruxelles 1868; Bruxelles 1868 (with name of the author); Paris, Calmann-Lévy, "Liberté de l'esprit" 1948; with preface by Jean-François RevelJean-François RevelJean-François Revel was a French politician, journalist, author, prolific philosopher and member of the Académie française from June 1998...
1968. - 1865: César, Paris, Martin-Beaupré frères, [1865]
- 1868: [signé : "Par un contemporain"], Recherches sur l'art de parvenir, Paris, Amyot
- 1870: Maurice Joly, son passé, son programme, par lui-même, Paris, Lacroix, Verboeckhoven
- 1872: Le Tiers Parti républicain, Paris, E. Dentu
- 1876: Les Affamés, étude de mœurs contemporains, Paris, E. Dentu
On the stage
- 1983: Dialogue aux enfers entre Machiavel et Montesquieu (Paris, Petit Odéon, 31 mai 1983, adaptation théâtrale de Pierre Franck), Paris, Théâtre de l'AtelierThéâtre de l'AtelierThe Théâtre de l'Atelier is a theater at 1, place Charles Dullin in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.-History:Opened on November 23, 1822 under the name Théâtre Montmartre this theater was one of the first built by Pierre-Jacques Seveste, who held the license to operate theaters outside the town...
, "Le Calepin", 1983.
External links
- Joly, Maurice: Son passé, son programme. Par lui-même. Lacroix, Verboeckhoven et Ce, Paris 1870 (Autobiography by Joly in French, found in the Documents of the Berne Trial, State Archive Bern), copy from Paris, Bibl. Nat.