# On Violence I | Crises of the Republic

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/reading-hannah-arendt-with-roger-berkowitz-1160305/on-violence-i-crises-of-the-republic
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/reading-hannah-arendt-with-roger-berkowitz-1160305/on-violence-i-crises-of-the-republic.md
Podcast: [Reading Hannah Arendt with Roger Berkowitz](https://stenobird.com/podcast/reading-hannah-arendt-with-roger-berkowitz-1160305)
Published: 2026-03-13T11:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://hac.podbean.com/e/on-violence-i-crises-of-the-republic/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/knc3ejkt9s6fkh7t/2026_Crises_OnViolenceI_V1.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/reading-hannah-arendt-with-roger-berkowitz-1160305/episodes/on-violence-i-crises-of-the-republic
Duration seconds: 3000

## Resource

In this episode of the podcast, Roger Berkowitz introduces Part One of Hannah Arendt’s 1969 essay “On Violence” from Crises of the Republic, situating it amid contemporary civil unrest, AI debates, and a new Middle East war. He outlines the essay’s three-part structure and argues that Arendt critiques “preachers of violence” by insisting that all collective action—not violence alone—can interrupt historical processes; violence instead appears when political power collapses. Part One begins from the 20th century’s wars and revolutions and the technological escalation of weaponry to a point where means overwhelm political ends, then criticizes scientifically minded “brain trusters” who replace thinking with calculation and hypnotize common sense. Berkowitz also reviews Arendt’s engagement with Clausewitz, Marx, Sartre, and Fanon, her account of 1960s student rebellions and the attraction of violence as a feeling of agency, and her controversial contrast between white student romanticism and Black Power’s more interest-grounded politics. Rate and review if you like this podcast! ABOUT: Produced by the Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, this podcast offers close readings of Arendt's books alongside engaging interviews and thought-provoking conversations. Released weekly, each episode provides listeners with a deeper understanding of Arendt's philosophy and its relevance to contemporary issues. Available on all major podcast platforms, listeners join us on a captivating intellectual journey through the mind of Hannah Arendt. New episodes every Friday morning! Join Roger Berkowitz, Founder and Academic Director of the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and Humanities at Bard College, as he discusses the works of German Jewish political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906-1975). T…

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