The Theoretical-Political Singularity of Lefort’s Interpretation of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956

Abstract

This article analyses the impact of the 1956 Hungarian revolution on the political thought of Claude Lefort, from his beginnings as an intellectual and activist in a revolutionary organization until his widely read theorizing of democracy as opposed to totalitarianism. The article reconstructs the main features of the Hungarian revolution and offers three interpretations of the event —that of Jean Paul Sartre, that of Raymond Aron and that of Hannah Arendt— in order to contrast them with Claude Lefort’s own interpretation. Along similar lines, the author explores the discrepancies within Socialisme ou barbarie as a result of the events in Hungary. From the political theory perspective, the article aims to show the close relationship between democracy, revolution and emancipation in the notion of savage democracy used by Lefort, revealing the existence of a common thread that runs from the significance of the Hungarian revolution to that crucial notion.