Nigerian-Biafran Revolution Examination through Fichte's Lens: Unraveling Chapter Four - The Revolutionary Phase
In a thought-provoking exploration of revolutionary ideologies, the specific lessons drawn from the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution will be highlighted in preparation for further examination of the legality of a revolution in the present times. This study will delve into the comparative analysis of three significant revolutions: the French Revolution, the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution, and the Russian Revolution.
The French Revolution, which took place in the late 18th century, is considered to have brought about a rapid and structural political change in France, abandoning traditional ways in favour of new ideas of the Enlightenment era. The revolution was motivated by the happenings of the 1789 storming of the Bastille Saint-Antoine, with its origins traceable to 1859 when French sociologist Alexis de Tocqueville reviewed "grievance books" and discovered that people were tired of an absolutist monarchy.
The French Revolution dismantled the feudal economic system, abolishing aristocratic privileges and the tax exemptions of the nobility and clergy. Economic equality was also boosted in France as a result of the distribution of land ownership from the nobility to the common public. However, the issuance of assignats, a form of paper money backed by confiscated lands, led to hyperinflation and a 25% fall in actual wages and an 88% rise in the price of bread.
According to Immanuel Kant, legitimacy is when the public collectively or democratically agrees that a government is underperforming and undermining the free will, happiness, and pursuit for meaning in life for the whole or some group(s) within a country. From a Fichtean perspective, an ineffective government is one that hinders the progress of aspects such as peace, property, and human rights.
The philosophy of Johann Gottlieb Fichte aligns with international human rights frameworks inasmuch as it centers the moral will and self-consciousness of the human self as the core of reality and ethics, emphasizing autonomous self-determination and moral duty. Fichte’s idealism provides a philosophical foundation for understanding the assertion of self-determination and national sovereignty in revolutions like the French Revolution.
Regarding the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution, Fichte’s philosophy undergirds notions of national identity and the moral right to self-government. Although Fichte himself was a German nationalist, his emphasis on the moral and volitional self empowers oppressed groups to claim rights that challenge existing state sovereignty, which parallels postmodern critiques of universalism by emphasizing pluralistic identity and moral self-legitimacy.
However, it is essential to note that Fichte’s nationalist and metaphysical idealism can also be appropriated to justify exclusionary or ethnonationalist politics, as historically seen in some extremist ideologies influenced by Fichte’s writings. Postmodern revolutions challenge the modernist universalism of early human rights frameworks by emphasizing difference, multiplicity, and local narratives of justice, which partly diverges from Fichte’s metaphysical absolutism about the moral will and cosmic spirit.
In sum, Fichte’s philosophy contributes a foundational view of moral selfhood and freedom that supports the aspirations behind international human rights and revolutionary claims to political autonomy and dignity. Yet, its 19th-century nationalist context and metaphysical idealism require critical adaptation to align fully with the pluralistic, universal aspirations of contemporary human rights, especially in complex revolutionary contexts like Nigeria-Biafra and France.
According to Fichte, a revolution involves "thinking" and "acting", which may result in bloodshed, and it is impossible for a revolution to take place without it. Revolutions can lead to significant economic destruction with the aim of long-term improvement. The confiscation and sale of Church lands, representing about 10% of French territory, radically altered property ownership. The abolition of feudal dues and the redistribution of land ultimately benefited many peasants, while the dismantling of internal trade barriers fostered economic integration.
In the context of postmodern revolutions, such as the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution and the French Revolution, Fichte’s idealism provides a philosophical foundation for understanding the assertion of self-determination and national sovereignty. The focus of the discussion is on the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution, but the French Revolution will also be furthered, especially in establishing the difference between a revolution of the Enlightenment era and the postmodern era. The specific lessons drawn from these revolutions will be highlighted in preparation for further exploration of the legality of a revolution in the present times.
The exploration of revolutionary ideologies will further delve into the French Revolution, a historical event that brought about significant political change, as an example of thinking and acting that may lead to bloodshed and economic destruction with the aim of long-term improvement. Moreover, the philosophy of Johann Gottlieb Fichte, with its emphasis on moral selfhood and freedom, will provide a foundation for understanding the assertion of self-determination and national sovereignty in postmodern revolutions such as the Nigerian-Biafra Revolution and the French Revolution, providing valuable insights for the legality of revolutions in the present times. This examination will also include a comparison with education and self-development, as well as general news, to broaden the understanding of the dynamics and implications of revolution.
