Introduction
This essay explores the relationship between the modern state and violence as depicted in three key texts: Frantz Fanon’s The Wretched of the Earth (1963), Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem (1963), and Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature (2011). These works, studied in the context of political science, address various manifestations of violence, from colonial oppression to bureaucratic genocide and long-term societal trends. The central thesis argues that while Pinker perceives the modern state as a force that primarily reduces violence through institutional control, Fanon and Arendt view it as facilitating or organising violence, particularly in colonial and totalitarian contexts. However, all three authors acknowledge a dual potential, where the state can both curb and enable violent acts. This comparison highlights the state’s ambiguous role in transforming violence, drawing on historical and empirical evidence. The analysis will proceed by examining each author’s perspective before comparing them.
Fanon’s View on the State and Colonial Violence
Frantz Fanon, in The Wretched of the Earth, portrays the modern state—particularly in its colonial form—as an apparatus that facilitates and perpetuates violence. For Fanon, colonial states, such as those in Algeria under French rule, organise violence systematically to maintain domination over indigenous populations. He argues that the state’s institutions, including its police and military, embody “atmospheric violence” that permeates everyday life, making resistance inevitable (Fanon, 1963). This is evident in his discussion of decolonisation, where he posits that violence is not merely destructive but transformative, allowing colonised peoples to reclaim agency. Fanon suggests that the postcolonial state could potentially reduce interpersonal violence by redistributing power, yet he warns of neocolonial pitfalls where new elites replicate oppressive structures. Thus, Fanon sees the state as both a facilitator of exploitative violence and a potential tool for its redirection towards liberation, though this requires revolutionary upheaval. His analysis, informed by psychiatric insights from his work in Algeria, underscores the psychological dimensions of state-sanctioned violence, highlighting its role in alienating individuals (Gibson, 2003).
Arendt’s Perspective on Bureaucratic State Violence
Hannah Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem examines the Nazi state as a bureaucratic machine that organises violence on an unprecedented scale, exemplified by Adolf Eichmann’s role in the Holocaust. Arendt introduces the “banality of evil,” arguing that ordinary individuals, through state mechanisms, carry out atrocities without personal malice, facilitated by administrative detachment (Arendt, 1963). The modern state, in her view, does not reduce violence but transforms it into a depersonalised process, where bureaucracy shields perpetrators from moral responsibility. This is particularly evident in her account of the Jerusalem trial, where Eichmann’s obedience to state orders enabled mass murder. However, Arendt implies that democratic states might control such violence through legal accountability, suggesting a potential for reduction in non-totalitarian systems. Nonetheless, her work critiques how modernity’s rational structures can amplify violence, rather than mitigate it, by normalising obedience (Bernstein, 2002). Arendt’s analysis thus positions the state as a facilitator, with limited evidence of it curbing violence unless checked by ethical norms.
Pinker’s Argument for the State’s Role in Reducing Violence
In contrast, Steven Pinker in The Better Angels of Our Nature argues that the modern state has historically reduced violence through the monopoly of force and the establishment of legal systems. Drawing on empirical data, Pinker contends that state formation, from the Leviathan-like centralisation in Europe to contemporary governance, has declining rates of homicide, war, and cruelty (Pinker, 2011). He attributes this to the “civilising process,” where states enforce norms that inhibit impulsive violence, facilitating peaceful coexistence. For instance, Pinker cites statistical declines in violence since the Enlightenment, linking them to state interventions like policing and judiciary reforms. However, he acknowledges that states can facilitate violence, such as in genocides or wars, though he views these as exceptions amid an overall downward trend. Pinker’s optimistic thesis, supported by historical datasets, portrays the state as a net reducer of violence, transforming chaotic individual aggressions into regulated order (Eisner, 2014).
Comparative Analysis and Implications
Comparing the authors, Fanon and Arendt emphasise the state’s role in facilitating violence—colonial exploitation and bureaucratic genocide, respectively—while Pinker highlights its capacity to reduce it through institutional controls. All recognise duality: Fanon’s revolutionary potential, Arendt’s ethical safeguards, and Pinker’s exceptions to decline. This suggests the modern state is neither wholly benevolent nor malevolent but context-dependent, shaped by power dynamics. In political science, this ambiguity informs debates on state legitimacy, urging critical evaluation of how states manage violence today.
Conclusion
In summary, Fanon and Arendt largely see the modern state as facilitating violence, whereas Pinker views it as a reducer, with each acknowledging both aspects. This comparison reveals the state’s transformative potential, implying that effective governance requires balancing control with justice to minimise harm. These insights remain relevant for understanding contemporary issues like state surveillance or global conflicts, encouraging further research into institutional reforms.
References
- Arendt, H. (1963) Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. Viking Press.
- Bernstein, R. J. (2002) Radical Evil: A Philosophical Interrogation. Polity Press.
- Eisner, M. (2014) ‘From swords to words: Does macro-level change in self-control predict long-term variation in levels of homicide?’, Crime and Justice, 43(1), pp. 65-134.
- Fanon, F. (1963) The Wretched of the Earth. Grove Press.
- Gibson, N. C. (2003) Fanon: The Postcolonial Imagination. Polity Press.
- Pinker, S. (2011) The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. Viking.
