Baudelaire s Political Ideas Stem From The Hypocrisy Of...

Baudelaire’s political ideas stem from the hypocrisy of the ruling classes in France, which formed the anti-Republican sentiment that he felt created inequality and corruption in the government. Baudelaire believed in the power of aristocracy as the primary form of legitimate government. In this manner, Baudelaire found respect for the cleric (gatherer of knowledge), the soldier (the defender), and the poet (the creator) as the dominant political view of organized society. Furthermore, he viewed the people of the â€Å"professional classes† as slaves. For instance, the elite power of the poet is projected in the poem â€Å"Benediction† as a commentary on social and class status in Baudelaire’s aristocratic political view: Skyward, to where he sees a Throne blaze splendid, The pious Poet lifts his arms on high, And the vast lightnings of his soul extended Blot out the crowds and tumults from his eye (Baudelaire 11). In this monarchical view of the poet’s â€Å"throne† that is seen in the sky, Baudelaire is presenting his view of the true divinity of humanity through the eyes of a creator. This is an important part of the aristocratic and anti-republican view of the French government, which made Baudelaire an enemy of the state. Baudelaire did not believe in democracy or republican values because he felt that humanity was too corrupted and hypocritical to manage such as an advanced form of government. These are important aspects of Baudelaire’s political views that define the undermining