Pour la Serbie
"Pour la Serbie" (For Serbia) is a speech written by Victor Hugo, on 29 August 1876, and published the following day in the French newspaper Le Rappel; it was later included in Actes et Paroles (Words and Deeds) Hugo's collected political writings.[1]
Content
In this text, Hugo delivers a plea protesting against the impassivity of European governments in the face of the massacre committed by the Turks during the Serbo-Turkish War.[2] Hugo's eloquent appeal is calling European governments to take action, and people to raise their voices in universal indignation. This speech is considered as one of the founding acts of the European idea.[3][4]
What is happening in Serbia demonstrates the necessity for a United States of Europe. May disunited governments be succeeded by united peoples. Let us be finished with murderous empires. Let us muzzle fanaticisms and despotisms. . . No more wars, no more massacres, no more carnage; free-thought; free trade; fraternity...What the atrocities of Serbia place beyond doubt is that Europe needs a European nationality, a single government, an immense fraternal arbitration, democracy at peace with itself... In a word, a United States of Europe. There lies the goal, the haven.
— Victor Hugo, Pour la Serbie (1876), [5]
References
- ^ Bradley Stephens (2019). Victor Hugo. Reaktion Books. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-78914-111-5.
- ^ Marieke Stein (2007). Victor Hugo orateur politique, 1846-1880 (in French). Champion. ISBN 978-2-7453-1448-2.
- ^ "Bicentenaire de Victor Hugo (1802-2002) - Sénat, French Government". www.senat.fr.
{{cite web}}: no-break space character in|title=at position 40 (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Florence Chaltiel (2006). Naissance du peuple européen (in French). Odile Jacob. p. 25. ISBN 978-2-7381-1843-1.
- ^ Lawrence D. Kritzman (2007). The Columbia History of Twentieth-century French Thought. Columbia University Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-231-10790-7.
Further reading
- Victor Hugo (2018). Actes et Paroles. Seltzer Books. ISBN 978-1-4553-4287-7.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Graham Robb (1999). Victor Hugo. W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-31899-9.
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