Reflections on Violence Author:Georges Sorel Georges Sorel fervently believed that only the clearest and most brutal expression of class war could effect lasting social change. Sorel was a civil servant who became, at a relatively advanced age, an apostle of what Edward Shils in his introduction calls "the apocalyptic transformation" of society to a socialist regime. — Reflections on Violen... more »ce, his most important work, is a passionate outcry for the socialist overthrow of existing society. In it Sorel, predominantly concerned with the forces underlying revolutionary movements, made a searching inquiry into the functions of violence, the sources of political power, the weapons of revolutions-the insurrection and the general strike-and the important role of "myths" in converting and motivating people.« less