Civilizing Europe: Historical trends in violent crime

Résumé du document

We have two articles which were written by Eisner in 2003 and 2008. In the first one, we focused on theoretical approaches which explain the decline of violence in the long-term. It is clear that if you look back over the last centuries, we can observe a huge decrease of violent behaviors. The second one also gives use theoretical approach to understand more recent evolution, especially the years of increase during the second half of the twentieth century.

In the introduction of the first article, the author explains the difficulty to put forward a general explanation for the evolution of violence because of the disparity of local patterns. However, he argues that there are five points which can characterize general patterns in long term perspectives. First, there has been a little change in the sex and age structure of violence offenders.

Secondly, it is clear there has been a decline of interpersonal criminal violence in Europe. Thirdly, we must take account of the differences in terms of pace and timing among European societies. Fourth, Eisner assumes that historically, there is a correlation between a high level of violence and a high level of elite involvement. Five, it is agreed that when we speak about violence, we generally mean male-to-male encounters because it represents the majority of the cases.

Extraits

[...] Reisman would explain a shift from the ‘inner-directed' to the ‘outer-directed' character. The outer directed character is dependent on the opinion of others and needs to be loved and accepted by the society. On the other hand, the disciplined self has vanished. The other important notion is what Bellah called the ‘expressive individualism' which emphasizes the expression and the cultivation of the self (every one considers himself as unique). The self is therefore more impulsive and emotional. In fact, it is probably the contrary of moral individualism. [...]

[...] Looking at the figures, Eisner argues that there was an increase in violent behaviours in Europe between 1960 and 1993. Indeed, he points out there was a very low homicide rate in the late 1950s/early 1960s and high rate in the 1990s. As he said in the first article, the rise of moral individualism and State control may explain the very low level. Then it began to change, although this homicide rate remains low compared to medieval times. Progress in medicine (antiseptics, antibiotics, treatment of blood and acceleration in access to treatments ) reduce the lethality of injuries. [...]

[...] Indeed, there is an increase in self-control (rationality, higher reflexive sensitivity, decreasing impulsivity ) which leads to lower level of violent behaviours. On the other hand, there is a high level of violence when impulsivity and search for immediate gratification are high. At a macrolevel, Elias identifies two interrelated dynamics, namely the expansion of the State and the extension of the market economy. The elites became more pacified and less violent because of the diffusion of civilized manners within the court societies and then within the entire society. [...]

[...] Since the early 1990s, the number of homicides has fallen in Europe. It was particularly a decline in male-to- male homicides. In terms of values and psychological changes, we can see a re-emphasis on self-control ideas, especially on the part of parents. A greater emphasis on responsibility and respect is also essential in this decrease of violence. All these approaches put forward by the authors deconstruct a bit the idea that the evolution of violence depends on the policies implemented and the actions of criminal justice. [...]

[...] Civilizing Europe: Historical trends in violent crime We have two articles which were written by Eisner in 2003 and 2008. In the first one, we focused on theoretical approaches which explain the decline of violence in the long-term. It is clear that if you look back over the last centuries, we can observe a huge decrease of violent behaviours. The second one also gives use theoretical approach to understand more recent evolutions, especially the years of increase during the second half of the twentieth century. [...]