Varouxakis, Georgios E; (1995) John Stuart Mill on French thought, politics, and national character. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The thesis deals with the impact J.S. Mill's almost life-long involvement with France and the French had on his political thought. In the first place a re-assessment of Mill's intellectual indebtedness to a number of French thinkers is attempted. Particular attention is paid to Guizot's hitherto overlooked influence on Mill, and Tocqueville's imputed influence on the British thinker is put into context by being studied jointly with that of Guizot. Mill's views on antagonism, diversity, and civilization are examined closer, thanks to the identification of some of the main French sources which had an impact on his thinking on these issues. Some of the major components of Mill's theory of international relations are found to owe a great deal to French thinkers and debates, and are illuminated through an account of their origin and development in his thought. In the second place Mill's views on French politics as well as foreign policies --from 1830 to 1871-- are examined. His attitude towards French political parties and personalities and the policies they advocated are studied with a view to illuminating some broader issues related to his overall thinking on politics. His views on French foreign-policy objectives and attitudes as well as, more specifically, on the vicissitudes of Franco-British relations are studied next to his views on French internal politics, as the two are found to be closely connected. In the third place the meaning and importance of the concept of "national character" in Mill's thought is examined through a study of his comments on French national character and his frequent comparisons between the French and English characters. The thesis concludes with a chapter on Mill's views on the significance of studying a foreign country and his own performance in this respect with regard to France.

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