Summary

The final section ends with Césaire’s reflections on the form of the modern nation. He reiterates that colonialism, like Roman imperialism, predicts “Disaster” and “Catastrophe” (74). He also notes that now is the “hour of the barbarian. The modern barbarian. The American hours” (76). To demonstrate this, he quotes Truman declaring aid to the developing countries in place of colonialism. He cautions his readers against viewing the United States as a “possible liberator” (77) and instead considers “American domination—the only domination from which one never recovers” (77). He particularly cautions against the dangers of industrialization and mechanization.

Césaire’s penultimate paragraph suggests that Western Europe must adopt a policy of respect for all the world’s nationalities, and that its salvation rests in the possibility of Revolution among “the only class that still has a universal mission, because it suffers in its flesh...