A Revolutionary Reinterpretation of the Fall of the Republic of Venice
A Revolutionary Reinterpretation of the Fall of the Republic of Venice The Prevention of the Venetian Genocide: Intelligence, Diplomacy, and Demographic Responsibility in Ludovico Manin’s Decision (1797) Abstract This paper presents a revolutionary theory on the fall of the Republic of Venice in 1797, arguing that Doge Ludovico Manin’s decision to surrender was not due to military weakness or political ineptitude, but rather constituted the first documented act of genocide prevention in the modern era. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, it demonstrates that Manin, informed about the massacres of the War in the Vendée (1793–1796) through Venetian intelligence and contacts with Louis XVIII during his exile in Verona, deliberately chose capitulation to save approximately 1.5 million Venetian lives from systematic French extermination. 1. Introduction: The Traditional Paradigm vs. the New Theory 1.1 The Established Historiographical Narrative Conventional histor...