Maxims for Revolutionists

Book excerpt: With great wit and wisdom, here is the heralded satirical yet practical look at revolutions and their very likely outcomes. For the art of government remains the organization of idolatry. The bureaucracy consists of functionaries; the aristocracy, of idols; the democracy, of idolaters. George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 - 2 November 1950) was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism his main talent was for drama and he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his writings deal sternly with prevailing social problems but have a vein of comedy to make their stark themes more palatable. Shaw examined education marriage religion government health care and class privilege. He was most angered by what he perceived as the exploitation of the working class and most of his writings censure that abuse. An ardent socialist Shaw wrote many brochures and speeches for the Fabian Society. He became an accomplished orator in the furtherance of its causes which included gaining equal rights for men and women alleviating abuses of the working class rescinding private ownership of productive land and promoting healthy lifestyles. In 1898 Shaw married Charlotte Payne-Townshend a fellow Fabian whom he survived. They settled in Ayot St. Lawrence in a house now called Shaws Corner. Shaw died there aged 94 from chronic problems exacerbated by injuries he incurred by falling. He is the only person to have been awarded both a Nobel Prize for Literature (1925) and an Oscar (1938) for his contributions to literature and for his work on the film Pygmalion (adaption of his play of the same name) respectively. Shaw wanted to refuse his Nobel Prize outright because he had no desire for public honours but accepted it at his wifes behest: she considered it a tribute to Ireland. He did reject the monetary award requesting it be used to finance translation of Swedish books to English. (cover photograph courtesy of Troy Stoi)