Benjamin Constant is a Swiss-French political activist and writer. All his life he promoted the ideas of a liberal state structure. His thoughts had a significant impact on the Portuguese Revolution, the Greek War of Independence, the uprisings in Poland, Brazil and Mexico. During his career, Constant published a number of important political treatises, as well as a large autobiographical novel, Adolf.
Early biography
Benjamin Constant was born in the small town of Lausanne to a Protestant family who fled to Switzerland during the Huguenot Wars in the 16th century. His father, Jules Constant de Rebecque, served as a high-ranking officer in the Dutch army, and Benjamin's mother died shortly after his birth. The boy was cared for by grandmothers from both parental sides. They hired the most famous educators of that time for their young grandson, taught the natural sciences and the humanities, and tried to introduce him to art.
Until the late 1780s, Constant was educated at home, and then entered the Erlangen Protestant University. Immediately after graduation, Benjamin was offered a position in a local court, and for several years he was engaged in drawing up protocols and defending innocent people.
Career success
During the French Revolution, Constant was a defender of the bicameral movement and the British parliament. Thanks to the influence of Benjamin, the leading politicians of the time realized the need for a Constitution. After the official publication of the country's main law, Napoleon Bonaparte personally met with Constant and invited him to become a member of the Tribunal. This extraordinary body was created to try political criminals. Subsequently, the department became a kind of engine of the so-called "Age of Terror".
However, in 1802, Benjamin was forced to leave his place of work due to his speeches against his superiors. From that time on, the activist stopped cooperating with Napoleon and people close to him. Constant became so angry with the emperor that he took part in a conspiracy against him. However, the assassination attempt was unsuccessful. After that, Benjamin gathered his things and together with his family quickly moved to German Weimar.
However, despite the fact that Constant reluctantly left France, in Germany he gained many loyal comrades. Benjamin was friends with the most famous people of his era, among whom were Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Friedrich von Schiller and August Schlegel. After a few years, he made the decision to move to Rouen. There Constant moved into a small apartment with a minimal set of furniture and began to write his autobiographical novel "Adolf". The book was first published in 1816 in London. The writer himself quickly gained worldwide popularity, and his literary talent was highly appreciated even by Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin. In his work, the author described his relationship with his wives, and also shared with readers how the modern political system works from the inside.
Worldview
Throughout his life, Benjamin tried to convince officials, politicians and government officials that personal freedom is the most effective engine of world progress. He created a number of theoretical works on the relationship of individuals with power. In his opinion, each person is a bearer of ideas that form all social institutions. That is why Constant advocated for the state to guarantee the individual's freedom and independence. The activist often said that only a person with freedom is able to be happy and lead his country forward.
In addition, Benjamin strongly advocated modern approaches to politics. Convinced that inequality between people is a sign of a degrading society, he forced politicians to gradually weaken their influence on society.
In his work Principles of Politics, which was first published in 1815, Constant argued that the ideal model of government for France could be a constitutional monarchy on the English model. Power, according to his views, in such a society should be divided among all its participants. In fact, he presented French politicians with new methods of government, which they, in turn, applied in practice.
Personal life
Benjamin first married in 1788 the Frenchwoman Minna von Gramm. Their relationship was never perfect, and the couple broke up in 1795. A little later, in Geneva, Constant meets the writer Anne-Louise de Stael. Young people immediately felt sympathy for each other, but they had to temporarily limit dates, because the woman had to urgently leave for Switzerland. Her family was expelled from the country during the terrorist regime.
Nevertheless, in May 1795, Benjamin arrived in Paris with his new chosen one. Here the Swiss thinker takes French citizenship and begins to work on his theoretical works. In June 1797, the couple had a daughter, Albertina. In the early 1800s, constant quarrels and conflicts began to occur in the family, and in December 1807, the relationship between Constant and de Stael ended. Since then, Benjamin has never become close to women again.
At the end of his life, the famous political activist became an extremely religious person. He preferred the Protestant religion. Believing that a person should be close to God, Constant often attended church and spent his days in prayer.
The great legal theorist and writer died in 1830 at the age of 60. The famous battleship Benjamin Constant was named after him in 1892.
