Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 375 Soul-Searching Question! (Bonus Chapter 4 for 1000 Votes)

Lionel shook his hand: "Thank you very much, Friedrich, and thank you also to Mr. Lafargue and the other friends for their help."

Then he sat down on the sofa next to him.

Friedrich smiled and sat back down: "Don't be so polite. We're dealing with a common 'enemy'!"

At this moment, the servant brought out black tea and some simple snacks. The old man refilled his tobacco, lit a match, and took a deep drag.

He looked at Lionel through the wisps of smoke: "So, how does our young 'rebel' feel about his adventure in Paris?"

I heard it was a very lively event, with even a circus performing.

Lionel chuckled self-deprecatingly and took a sip of his black tea: "To be honest, it's a bit beyond my expectations."

I originally thought I only needed to present my views in court, but I never expected that someone would be monitoring me, and then everything spiraled out of control.

In the end, it turned into a farce!

Friedrich laughed heartily. "Ha! You're right! Paris always surprises you."

Paul told me the gist of what happened. "You're lucky you didn't fall into the hands of fanatical colonialists."

At this point, the old man's tone became a little serious: "Leon, your previous assessment of the political situation in France was too optimistic."

Or rather, you've been blinded by the apparent calm of the past few years, and you seem to have underestimated the intensity of the internal conflicts in France!

He began to elaborate on his observations point by point: “Jules Ferry’s ‘moderate republicans’ seem to have power, but their foundation is not solid.”

The radical republicans, led by Clemenceau, Varyan, and others, inherited some of the legacy of the Paris Commune and demanded more radical reforms.

As for the remnants of the monarchy, the Bonapartists, and those who clashed with the clergy, they never truly accepted the Republic and always wanted to restore it!

They still wield considerable influence in the military, judicial system, and local administration, and are happy to see Republican infighting, even at the cost of inciting extreme sentiments.

Think about it, who were those people who showed up during your ordeal?

Lionel silently considered the situation—he was surrounded by military cadets, prosecuted by a misdemeanor court, and ignored by the local police…

Lionel felt a chill run down his spine, realizing how naive he had been to think that France would not exile writers.

He nodded slowly: "You're right, I was too idealistic. Looking back now, the very legitimacy of the Third Republic's birth was questionable."

It was not chosen to be established after sufficient deliberation of the will of the people, but rather it was a product of the provisional government being forced to announce its establishment in the midst of a crisis following the disastrous defeat in the war of 1870.

Therefore, it lacked a solid foundation from the very beginning. The Orleansists, the Orthodoxists, the Bonapartists, the Republicans... never stopped tearing each other apart.

The 1875 legal code was a compromise dominated by conservatives, full of contradictions and ambiguities, as if it were prepared for the possible return of an empire or dynasty at any time.

Each faction can use it to justify its power grab.

Friedrich praised Lionel's analysis and added, "Furthermore, the wounds left by history cannot be ignored."

The devastating defeat of 1870 and the bloody suppression of the Commune were two wounds on the French Third Republic that never truly healed.

However, the "brains" of this republic have all chosen to deal with the matter perfunctorily or to suppress it brutally, and in short, they are unwilling to face it squarely.

Like last year's amnesty, it felt more like a 'victor's pardon' than an 'equal reconciliation,' so the workers remain dissatisfied.

Lionel sighed: "Yes, it was a grand performance of 'the Republic forgiving its lost children'."

Pardons are not meant to promote justice, but to hasten oblivion—the republic lacks the courage to confront its own violence.

Republicans hope to use this to absolve themselves of historical responsibility for the massacre and to bury this memory as soon as possible.

None of the victims received official recognition, compensation, or investigation; they even banned any public memorial events.

Friedrich nodded: "Thus, the hidden dangers of the system and the wounds of history intertwine, resulting in numerous factions in parliament and cabinets with an average lifespan of less than a year. The entire national system is trapped in a fragile stalemate and frequent instability, which is the root cause of your current predicament."

So, Leon, now that you've been drawn into this struggle, what kind of writer will you choose to become?

Lionel felt a sense of bewilderment.

For more than two years, he had been immersed in the increasingly prosperous street scenes of Paris and his ever-increasing income, and some of his nerves seemed to have become numb and dulled.

From the late 19th century until the outbreak of World War I in the early 20th century, Europe enjoyed nearly forty years of relative peace, a period known as the "Belle Époque".

Especially France—electric lights, Impressionism, the subway, the Moulin Rouge, secular education, scientific progress, consumer society…

But this "golden age" belongs only to the upper class, and countless contradictions and problems accumulate in places that the elites are unwilling to even glance at.

The "Belle Époque" was like a shaky glass dome, appearing bright, sophisticated, and orderly from afar...

But its interior is riddled with cracks—nationalism, colonial violence, social injustice, disillusionment with reason…

It wasn't a true era of peace, but rather a masquerade ball held on a volcano's crater.

People indulged in revelry in dance halls and cafes until the sound of cannons in 1914, when all the dazzling illusions collapsed in an instant.

An entire generation of European youth will be fed into that never-ending meat grinder, and among them may very well be their future children.

Even if he had been truly wealthy, powerful, and influential at that time, he probably couldn't have changed his fate. He had once seen that string of numbers—

More than 7,000 primary school teachers died in the war, leading to the complete collapse of grassroots education in postwar France.

The University of Paris lost two-thirds of its students, and the Durkheimian school was almost completely wiped out.

The mathematics department was practically wiped out, leaving only a few professors teaching function theory...

It was only 30 years later, and if I hadn't died from any accident or illness, I would have been in my prime at that time.

But what can I do? Can I just watch it all happen?
He recalled that he had once asked Gu Hongming whether he planned to stay in Europe, return to Penang, or go to China to become a "superior person".

When this question falls on yourself, it carries far more weight than when you ask someone else.

Friedrich did not disturb the young man before him. He leisurely took a sip of tea, then took a puff of his pipe, and slowly exhaled the smoke.

After a long while, he finally spoke slowly: "Leon, guess when was the first time I noticed you?"

Lionel snapped out of his reverie and, realizing that the other person didn't seem inclined to pursue the previous question, replied, "Is it 'The Old Guard' or 'Hometown'?"

Friedrich shook his head: "Neither. In fact, I first noticed your name not in a novel or a play."

Rather, it was your paper published in *Good Words* on 'Poverty-Stricken Individuals and Family Responsibility'.

Lionel was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected Engels to notice that relatively academic article.

That was a short essay he wrote at the invitation of Norman MacLeod after the publication of "My Uncle Jules," incorporating the novel's background.

In this short essay, he attempts to analyze the underlying causes of Jules' tragedy from a sociological perspective.

The old man noticed his surprise and continued, "I've always been very interested in family issues, and the points you raised in that article were very interesting."

You said that in both Britain and France today, traditional family relationships are facing enormous challenges brought about by industrialization.

Traditional family ethics in agrarian societies, based on land ownership and communal labor, are rapidly disintegrating...

These ideas have been somewhat enlightening for me. I'm currently preparing to write a book about the origins of marriage, family, and private property…

(End of this chapter)