Abstract / DOI
Joseph Vialatoux: Political Power and Civil Disobedience. Joseph Vialatoux is one of the important figures of French social Catholicism in the first half of the 20th century. The article deals with the principles of political power and civil disobedience in this author. Vialatoux shows that political power is an essential feature of human nature. Because man is a social being, authority and power necessarily appear in society. This power is a legitimate fact and is there to ensure the good of all who live in society. At the moment, when this power is deformed and transformed into violence defending only the good of a few individuals, power becomes illegitimate, even though it takes the form of a written positive law. At this moment, an important element is the national consciousness of the people, who have a natural right to stand up to the aggressor. Vialatoux, who analyzes the situation in Vichy France, is very close in his reasoning to the position of Francisco Suárez SJ.