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Summary
The chapter, “Some Aspects of French Revolution,” explores the conditions leading to and shaping the French Revolution. Before the revolution, France was described as both a “political prison” and a “museum of economic errors.” The monarchy wielded unchecked power, often imprisoning critics without trial. Economically, the system was deeply flawed, with peasants bearing heavy taxes while the clergy and nobility were exempt. Corruption further deepened the financial crisis, as much of the revenue was lost to dishonest officials.
French society was divided into three estates: the clergy (First Estate), the nobility (Second Estate), and the commoners (Third Estate). The Third Estate included merchants, peasants, and urban workers, who carried the burden of taxes and often faced poverty. Kings like Louis XVI ruled by divine right, believing they were answerable only to God. However, the inefficiency and weakness of the monarchy increased dissatisfaction. Philosophers like Rousseau and Montesquieu criticized absolutism and argued for liberty, equality, and governance based on the consent of the people. Economic hardship, political corruption, and growing awareness of inequality drove widespread discontent.
The Estates-General, convened in 1789, signaled the start of revolutionary changes. Frustrated with their limited role, the Third Estate declared itself the National Assembly and took the Tennis Court Oath, vowing to draft a new constitution. The storming of the Bastille soon followed, symbolizing the collapse of royal authority and sparking peasant uprisings across the countryside. Events like the women’s march to Versailles over bread shortages highlighted the severity of public unrest.
The National Assembly abolished feudal privileges, declared individual rights, and introduced the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. This document proclaimed liberty, equality, and fraternity, though it restricted voting rights to property-owning men. The monarchy was dismantled, and King Louis XVI was executed in 1793. Political struggles between the Jacobins and Girondins intensified, with the Jacobins taking control and instituting the Reign of Terror. This period of harsh measures aimed to stabilize the revolution amidst threats of foreign invasion and internal rebellion.
The chapter also notes the contributions of various groups. Peasants, urban workers, and women played significant roles in the revolution, expressing their grievances through protests and uprisings. Although the revolution dismantled feudal structures and promoted the ideals of equality, it shifted power to the middle class, leaving many issues unresolved. However, the chapter highlights how the revolution’s principles inspired democratic movements beyond France, leaving a lasting impact on the world.
Textual Questions, Answers (Oriental)
Multiple Choice Questions
1. To whom of the following went the benefit of the increase in tax rate prior to 1789?
A. The French government
B. The aristocrats
C. The farmers-general
D. The Church
Answer: C. The farmers-general
2. Corvée was a tax levied and collected as:
A. Income tax
B. Property tax
C. Labour service
D. Estate duty
Answer: C. Labour service
3. Which of the following was a direct tax collected by the French government?
A. Taille
B. Aides
C. Gabelle
D. None of these
Answer: A. Taille
4. Of the following, who were not included in the Third Estate?
A. Peasantry
B. Workers
C. Labourers
D. Clergymen
Answer: D. Clergymen
Very-short Answer Type Questions
5. Who brought the ideas released by the contemporary thinkers down to the common people?
Answer: The pamphleteers of the Third Estate brought the ideas released by contemporary thinkers, such as ‘citizen’ and ‘general will’, down to the common people, turning them into street-level slogans and rallying-calls for political action.
6. Who prepared the plan for financial reforms for approval to the Council of Notables?
Answer: Calonne, the Finance Minister of Louis XVI, prepared the comprehensive plan of financial reforms that was placed before the Council of Notables for approval.
7. The threat of what brought about the fall of the monarchy in France?
Answer: The threat of foreign invasion brought about the fall of the French monarchy.
8. Which document condemned the ancient regime?
Answer: The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen condemned the practices of the ancient regime. It, indeed, was a death certificate of the old regime and the monarchical absolutism in France.
9. Who became the active propagandists of the revolutionary ideas?
Answer: The foreigners who came to Paris, observed the political struggles, and attended debates in revolutionary clubs became the active propagandists of the Revolutionary ideas in their respective countries.
Short Answer Type Questions
10. What is meant by ‘feudalism’?
Answer: Feudalism refers to the system under the Ancient Regime where lords held power over agriculture, imposing burdens like fees and dues payable by peasants. It involved privileges for the nobility, such as rights of private justice, specific rights on land (some usurped or acquired violently), titles, the privilege of price-fixing, levying corvee (a kind of forced labour), and exclusive rights like keeping pigeons and shooting rabbits. The abolition of feudalism marked the end of these practices and privileges, leading to a new concept of property and the transfer of political and social power from the aristocracy to the middle class.
11. What is indirect tax?
Answer: Indirect taxes were taxes levied on consumer goods. Examples include the infamous and inequitable salt tax (gabelle) and internal custom duties (traites). Miscellaneous excise duty (aides) also yielded revenue. However, due to a faulty collection system, including leasing out collection to powerful financiers (farmers-general), increased amounts often went into the pockets of dishonest revenue-collectors rather than the government.
12. How did the French kings consider themselves?
Answer: The French kings considered themselves to be the representative of God on the earth, based on their belief in the ‘Divine Right of Kingship’. Consequently, they did not feel they were answerable to the people for their deeds or misdeeds, but rather answerable only to God whom they represented.
13. Who was Louis XVI?
Answer: Louis XVI was the King of France during the period leading up to and during the French Revolution. He was considered a weak and inefficient ruler compared to his predecessor, Louis XIV. Under pressure, he summoned the States-General in 1789, which marked the beginning of the Revolution. He faced conflict with the Third Estate over voting procedures. After the women’s march to Versailles, he was forced to move to Paris and agree to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. He attempted to flee Paris in June 1791 but was caught at Varennes, which led to a loss of his remaining popularity. Accused of liaising with foreign powers against France, his monarchy was overthrown on 10 August 1792 following the storming of the Tuileries palace. The Legislative Assembly dismissed him, and the National Convention later declared France a republic. Louis XVI was subsequently tried and guillotined on 21 January 1793.
14. What was the position of middle class in the pre-revolutionary France?
Answer: The position of the middle class (or bourgeoisie) in pre-revolutionary France was within the Third Estate. Although they were often superior to the aristocracy (Second Estate) in many respects and were the wealthiest part of the Third Estate, their social position was in the third rank, which wounded their sentiment. This group included a variety of people residing in towns who earned their living through mental skill rather than physical labour, such as teachers, doctors, lawyers, office-holders, businessmen, and merchants. There was no fundamental hostility between the nobility and the bourgeoisie in the pre-revolutionary era, and many bourgeoisie had forefathers who earned fortunes through commercial activities, providing opportunities for advancement.
15. Who said, the king was the creation of the society?
Answer: Jean Jacques Rousseau said that the king was the creation of the society and that he was to rule with the consent of the people.
16. When was the king Louis XVI executed?
Answer: King Louis XVI was executed by guillotine on 21 January 1793.
17. Who was Robespierre?
Answer: Robespierre was the most important Jacobin leader during the French Revolution. He invited the Parisian mob (sans-culottes) to insurrect against the Girondin representatives on 26 May 1793. Along with Carnot and St. Just, he was one of the main organizers of the Reign of Terror, executed through the Committee of Public Safety. The Reign of Terror ended with his own execution by guillotine on 28 July 1794.
Long Answer Type Questions-I
18. Discuss the structure of pre-revolutionary society.
Answer: Pre-revolutionary French society, besides the King, constituted of three orders or estates which originated in the medieval times. At that time distinction had been made between those who prayed, those who fought in battle, and those who worked to provide a living for the others.
The King was at the top. The kings of France were believers in the ‘Divine Right of Kingship’, considering themselves representatives of God on earth and answerable only to God. Under King Louis XIV, France displayed a disciplined administration, but his successors, Louis XV and Louis XVI, were weak and inefficient, converting the despotic monarchy into a machinery of autocratic oppression.
The society was divided into three classes or Estates: the clergy, nobility, and the commoners.
The First Estate comprised the clergy (priests and the Church officials), occupying a position next to the King. Prior to the revolution, the clergy became very corrupt and used to luxurious life. The Church’s wealth came from land ownership and tithes (a tax on religion), most of which went to the higher clergy rather than local priests, poor relief, or church upkeep. The clergy belonged to the ‘Privileged class’ and were immune from paying taxes.
The Second Estate was the aristocracy or nobility. They occupied the second position in the social scale and performed no duty towards the state. As part of the ‘privileged class’, the aristocracy was immune from paying tax. There were two divisions: Noble of the Sword and Noble of the Robe, with jealousy between them. The aristocracy was very conscious of their privileges and was the first to rebel when their tax exemption was threatened.
The Third Estate included the commoners, comprising almost every class of people who did not enjoy the status of clergy or noble. This included the middle class (bourgeoisie), peasants, urban workers, sans-culottes (urban workers, wage earners, and others), etc. The bourgeoisie, commonly translated as the ‘middle class’, resided in towns and earned their living through mental skill rather than physical labour, including teachers, doctors, lawyers, office-holders, businessmen, merchants, etc. Their forefathers often earned fortunes through commercial activities. There was no fundamental hostility between the nobility and the bourgeoisie in the pre-revolutionary era. The middle class was a much superior lot compared to the aristocracy in all respects, yet their position was third, wounding their sentiment. The middle class was the wealthiest part of the Third Estate. The peasantry was by far the most numerous part of the Third Estate. About a quarter were landless labourers living in chronic uncertainty. Urban workers, mostly unskilled and poor, lived in unhealthy conditions in crowded towns. The Third Estate was responsible for paying tax to the royal government. H. A. Taine calculated that four-fifths of the income of the French peasantry was exhausted to meet the revenue burden.
19. Analyse the taxation system of the pre-revolutionary france.
Answer: The chief weakness of the government of the pre-revolutionary France was the faulty finance. Throughout the 17th-18th centuries, the French government had been under serious annual deficit. Owing to a faulty system of collection of revenue as also the tax-immunities enjoyed by the privileged classes (the clergy and the nobility), it was unable to meet the deficit. It was not possible to increase the already high tax burden on the common people, particularly the peasants, whose financial burden was crushing. In the years prior to 1789, there had been an increase in the rate of taxes, but the benefit of the hiked revenue went into the pockets of the revenue-collectors (called farmers-general). Another faulty system was the leasing out of indirect taxes to a group of powerful financiers. In view of such disparity in levying taxes, France became, as it were, the ‘Museum of Economic Errors’.
Taxes were broadly divided into indirect and direct taxes:
a. Indirect Taxes: These included the infamous and inequitable salt tax (gabelle) and internal custom duties (traites), collected on consumer goods. Miscellaneous excise duty (aides) yielded increased revenue due to price hikes and urban population rise. However, owing to the faulty collection system, the increased amount went to dishonest revenue collectors.
b. Direct Taxes: There were inequalities in the imposition of direct taxes from region to region. In northern France, the taille was a tax levied on total income, while in the southern region, it was charged on income from landed property. Capitation (poll-tax) was originally levied on all Frenchmen but later collected only from the commoners. Vingtieme was levied on income from real estate; the aristocracy or nobles were exempt from paying this tax.
Additionally, Corvee was a labour service demanded on royal highways, which became very important in the eighteenth century. Landowners beside roads had to provide transport for construction materials, placing the cost on common people. Over time, Corvee became a regular part of the tax system, payable in cash. Peasants also paid taxes to the Church (tithes) and fees and dues to local lords under the feudal regime.
20. Discuss in brief about three Estates in France.
Answer: In the pre-revolutionary French society, apart from the King, there were three classes or Estates: the clergy, nobility, and the commoners.
The First Estate consisted of the clergy (priests and Church officials). They held a position next to the King and belonged to the ‘Privileged class’, being immune from paying taxes. Before the revolution, they were known for corruption and luxurious living, funded by Church lands and tithes.
The Second Estate comprised the nobility or aristocracy. They held the second position socially, performed no state duties, and were also part of the ‘privileged class’, exempt from taxes. This Estate had divisions like the Noble of the Sword and Noble of the Robe. They fiercely guarded their privileges.
The Third Estate included all others who were not clergy or nobility – the vast majority of the French people. This diverse group ranged from professional people like teachers and doctors (bourgeoisie or middle class) at the top, down to peasants, urban workers (including sans-culottes), and even vagabonds. The Third Estate bore the burden of paying taxes to the royal government. The middle class, though often wealthy and capable, resented their third-rank status. The peasantry formed the most numerous group, often burdened by taxes and dues, with many being landless labourers. Urban workers were largely unskilled and poor.
21. Why the philosophers against French absolutism and Fiscal policies ?
Answer: The writers (philosophes) who appeared in France during the late eighteenth century prepared the ground for revolution by mentally preparing the French people. They popularized certain ideas that made French monarchical absolutism irrelevant and criticized the King’s fiscal policy.
Montesquieu pointed out that the rule of one individual person not restrained by law was arbitrary, and under such a rule, no one could feel secure. Jean Jacques Rousseau stated that the king was the creation of society and should rule with the consent of the people, even suggesting the people had the right to dethrone a king. Some believed absolute monarchy should be tempered due to the miseries faced under Louis XVI.
Regarding fiscal policies, Vauban, a French military engineer, hoped for a just system of taxation and criticized the tax immunities of the clergy and aristocracy. Economists called the physiocrats sought to apply rationalism in the economic sphere, directing blows against governmental regulation. Their watchword was Laissez-faire (free-trade), advocating for the distribution of wealth by natural law without government interference. These thinkers collectively challenged the foundations of absolute rule and the inequitable financial system.
22. Discuss the aristocratic revolt in the pre-revolutionary France.
Answer: Faced with economic bankruptcy, Calonne, the Finance Minister of Louis XVI, drew up a comprehensive plan of financial reform. Apprehending that the Parlement of Paris (a law court, not a modern parliament) would oppose the proposed fiscal measures, the plan was placed before the Council of Notables, a body nominated by the King and expected to be docile. However, the Notables expressed their inability to approve the proposed reforms.
As financial problems deepened, the new Finance Minister, Brienne, placed the reform measures before the Parlement of Paris for approval. The Parlement of Paris refused to approve the plan of reforms and instead pressed for the summoning of the States-General (or Estates General), which had last met in 1614. This refusal by the Parlement of Paris (representing aristocratic interests) to approve the proposed fiscal programme of reforms is regarded as what constituted the Aristocratic Revolt (1788). The showdown of the aristocracy brought together the middle-class and popular discontent with common aims against common enemies, the King and the existing system.
23. Discuss the background of the fall of Bastille ?
Answer: The course of events after the summoning of the States-General in May 1789 proved that the representatives of the Third Estate were determined to become the law givers of the nation, leading to the conversion of the States General into the National Constituent Assembly. However, before the Assembly could proceed with drawing up a constitution, the country faced outbreaks of violence, the most important being the storming of the Bastille.
On 14 July 1789, a violent mob attacked the Bastille, an old fortress used as a prison, and razed it to the ground. The crowd was fearful of a government counter-attack and searched for arms. Their primary object was to seize the muskets, gunpowder, cartridges, etc., stored in the fortress. The release of the prisoners was a secondary issue. The Bastille also stood as a symbol of royal despotism that supplied guns for suppressing the suburb town of Saint-Antoine. The crowd included artisans, masters, locksmiths, cobblers, shopkeepers, and similar others. The fall of the Bastille marked the end of royal absolutism in France, encouraged peasants to revolt, and paved the way for the end of feudalism.
24. Write in brief about the National Constituent Assembly.
Answer: Following the Tennis Court Oath on 20 June 1789 and the King’s subsequent agreement for the three Estates to sit together and vote individually, the States-General was converted into the National Constituent Assembly. This Assembly was tasked with drawing up a constitution for France. Its representatives were initially not merely tax-payers but were determined to become the law givers of the nation.
The Assembly laboured for two years (1789-1791) and completed its work in 1791. Its first great achievement was the destruction of feudalism and serfdom, substituting an individualist society for the traditional class society. The members proclaimed individual rights and liberties in the famous Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The constitution provided for separation of power, vesting legislative power in the Legislative Assembly. It reflected ideas from philosophers like Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Voltaire. Religious toleration was proclaimed, Church property was confiscated, and the clergy became part of the civic body responsible to the state. The Assembly formally adopted the new Constitution for France on 30 September 1791. However, the government it provided for was short-lived due to rising radicalism, financial difficulties, food scarcity, and the King’s attempted flight.
25. Write a note about abolition of feudalism.
Answer: As per the new Constitution adopted by the National Constituent Assembly in 1791, feudalism was abolished. The nobility lost all the privileges they had enjoyed for a long time, including their rights of private justice. Rights on land that were usurped or acquired by violent means were taken away. Their titles were abolished, reducing the formerly privileged nobility to the simple status of citizen, thus achieving the common people’s demand for social equality. Furthermore, the privilege of price-fixing and levying corvee (a kind of forced labour) were abolished. Exclusive rights enjoyed by the nobility, such as keeping pigeons and shooting rabbits, were also taken away. These measures marked the end of feudalism. However, the abolition of feudalism also gave rise to a new concept of property – total liberty in the use of property – which benefited the middle class more than the commoners, and marked a transfer of political and social power from the aristocracy to the middle class.
26. What were the democratic rights of citizens ?
Answer: Democracy is a system of government where sovereignty is vested with the people, associated with choosing governments through the election of representatives. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proclaimed that all citizens had the right to participate in the making of the law. However, the new Constitution of 1791 restricted the voting rights. It split the citizens of France into two categories: ‘Active Citizens’ and ‘Passive citizens’. The right to vote was granted only to the Active Citizens, who were defined as property holders. This provision in the Constitution deprived the larger part of the citizens, the Passive citizens, from participation in the election and thus limited the practical application of democratic rights initially proclaimed.
27. Write a note about the Sans Culottes.
Answer: Sans culottes were a combination of social forces that emerged in Paris during the course of the French Revolution. They despised the nobility and refused to wear breeches, known as ‘culottes’ in French, which had been the fashion of the aristocrats. Instead, they wore trousers, acquiring the name ‘sans culottes’, meaning ‘without breeches’.
Sans culottes made up the bulk of the population of Paris and other towns. They included a wide range of people, from wage-earners at the bottom to wealthier individuals like brewers or furniture contractors at the top. Some were clerks or former professional soldiers. While a few were rich, the bulk of the Parisian sans culottes consisted of tradesmen, shopkeepers, and craftsmen. During the critical years after the fall of the monarchy in France, the sans culottes played an important role. For instance, on 10 August 1792, the Parisian mob (sans-culottes, a combination of urban workers, wage-earners, vagabonds, etc.) broke into the royal palace at Tuileries, leading to the dismissal and imprisonment of King Louis XVI. They were also instrumental in the expulsion of the Girondins from the National Convention under pressure from the Parisian mob mobilized by Jacobin leaders like Robespierre.
Long Answer Type Questions-II
28. What was the main conflict of the Royalty with the third estate in France ? Discuss about the effect of the conflict.
Answer: The main conflict between the Royalty and the Third Estate in France arose immediately after the opening of the States-General on 5 May 1789, centering on the procedure of voting. According to the prevalent practice, the elected representatives were assigned one vote to each Estate (vote per order). This meant that despite the Third Estate having 621 representatives compared to the First Estate’s 308 and the Second Estate’s 285 (totaling 1214 representatives), the total number of votes stood at only 3. The newly elected members of the Third Estate refused to accept this pattern of voting and demanded ‘vote per capita’ (one man one vote). The King refused to concede this demand, supported by the First and Second Estates who favoured the King due to self-interest against the Third Estate members. The Third Estate members refused to vote by Estates, fearing their reforms would be outvoted two to one.
The effects of this conflict were significant. On 20 June 1789, finding their Assembly hall closed, the Third Estate members assembled in an adjacent tennis court and took the ‘Tennis Court Oath’, vowing ‘never to separate … until the constitution of the kingdom shall be established.’ This Oath was a ‘declaration of the end of the absolute monarchy’ and the beginning of people’s sovereignty. Although the King initially remained adamant and commanded the Estates to sit separately, the defiant attitude of the Third Estate, who declared they were there by the will of the people and would only leave if forced, had the desired effect. The King reversed his earlier decision and agreed the three Estates should sit together and vote individually as members of a National Constituent Assembly. This set the stage for a radical change in the political institution and social structure of the ancient regime and marked the conversion of the States General into the National Constituent Assembly. The conflict and its resolution proved doubtlessly that the King, despite enjoying absolute power, had failed to rule the country and had to give in to the wishes of the people. It marked the beginning of the French Revolution. Furthermore, the showdown brought together the middle-class and popular discontent with common aims and enemies. Before the Assembly could proceed with constitution-making, the country faced outbreaks of violence, most importantly the storming of the Bastille.
29. Write briefly about the Jacobins and the Girondists.
Answer: The Jacobins and the Girondins were the most important political clubs that began to form soon after the States-General were in session. As there were no political parties at that time, these clubs played an important part in moulding the minds of the French people, keeping the public informed of major issues, supporting election candidates, and acting as pressure groups to influence representatives.
Both the Jacobins and the Girondins strongly believed in the Revolution and the Republic. They hated privileges and favoured liberal economic policy. Both were committed to winning the war France was engaged in. However, they differed in their sources of support: the Girondins had support in the provinces, while the Jacobins had solid backing from the clubs and the Parisian mob. Moreover, both groups were suspicious of each other.
The history of the National Convention, particularly during the time France was at war and facing royalist insurrection, became a struggle for power between the Girondins and the Jacobins. The Girondins, generally high-born gentlemen, were for abolishing royalty but not altogether for the murder of the king, and even tried unsuccessfully to get him a reprieve after voting for his death. After the king’s death, the Girondins became increasingly opposed to the Jacobin leaders, who resolved to rid themselves of their rivals. On 26 May 1793, Robespierre invited the Parisian mob (sans-culottes) to insurrect against the Girondin representatives. The mob surrounded the Convention, demanding the expulsion of Girondins. When the Girondins tried to leave, they were forced back. On 2 June 1973, the National Convention yielded to mob pressure, and the Girondin representatives were either expelled or put under arrest. The fall of the Girondins removed the check upon the fierce determination of the Jacobins, who were now free to use power as they wished, leading to the introduction of the system of ‘terror’, known as the ‘Reign of Terror’, to rescue France from her enemies.
30. What was the role of women in the French Revolution ?
Answer: Women of France have not found much space in the history of the French Revolution, with hardly any reference to women individually or as a group, aside from famous aristocrats like Madame Roland. Yet, at a very critical stage of the Revolution, the working women of France played a very crucial role.
A significant instance was the leadership women provided to the menfolk in the great march to Versailles from Paris. The background was hunger stimulating the women of Paris to action in August-September 1789 due to a shortage in the supply of flour for bread, which benefited speculators. Bakers and city administrators were accused of hoarding. Constant bread riots occurred, particularly in Paris and Versailles. Women took the leading part in the agitation; to prevent hoarding by bakers, they seized grain carts. On 5 October 1789, a crowd of women surrounded the Town Hall (Hotel de Ville) demanding bread. The same day, thousands of women set off to march to the Royal Palace at Versailles, joined by some men and followed by 20,000 National Guards under Lafayette. The next morning, the King consented to accompany the mob back to Paris. The women marchers compelled the King and his family to accompany them, shouting “We have the baker (King) and the baker’s wife (Queen) and the little cook-by (Prince) – now we shall have bread.” They installed Louis XVI in the palace of Tuileries.
The march of the women to Versailles, along with the fall of the Bastille, were the two events of utmost importance. As a result, the National Assembly became independent of the King and dependent on the populace of Paris. The King promised extra supplies of bread and agreed to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, a document he had earlier refused to assent to.
Extras
Additional MCQs
1. What French term describes the old order destroyed in 1789?
A. Ancien Regime
B. Nouvel Regime
C. Vieux Regime
D. Regime Actuel
Answer: A. Ancien Regime
70. What form of government did the National Convention declare in 1792?
A. Monarchy
B. Republic
C. Empire
D. Confederation
Answer: B. Republic
Additional Questions, Answers
1. What French term is synonymous with the Ancient Regime?
Answer: The French term Ancien Regime is synonymous with the English Ancient Regime (or old order).
34. Discuss the influence of the Revolution’s ideals—liberté, égalité, fraternité—on subsequent political movements across Europe.
Answer: The French Revolution’s ideals, encapsulated in the slogan ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’, had a profound and lasting influence on subsequent political thought and movements across Europe and beyond.
Liberty implied personal freedom to do whatever does not harm others, including free communication of thought and opinion (speech, writing, publishing), liberty of worship, and the right to property. Equality signified the abolition of privilege, enjoyment of equal status in society, equality in the eyes of the law (with the law being the same for everyone), and equal opportunity for jobs based on ability. Fraternity conveyed a message of brotherhood among peoples, regardless of language or background, aiming to spread revolutionary ideas throughout Europe.
These ideals spread rapidly from the very beginning of the Revolution. They moved other peoples to challenge the absolute power of their monarchs. Paris became a centre attracting poets, thinkers, and enlightened individuals from across Europe, like the English poet William Wordsworth, who sought the meaning of liberty. These foreigners observed the political struggles and debates, becoming active propagandists of revolutionary ideas upon returning to their respective countries.
The influence was particularly notable in Germany, where writers and teachers took up the ideas with great enthusiasm. Students at Tubingen planted a Tree of Liberty in appreciation of the revolutionary ideals released by the French. The middle class and peasantry of different European countries were also not immune from the influence of the French Revolution. The National Convention’s Edict of Fraternity in November 1792, promising French aid to oppressed peoples who rose against their rulers, acted as a direct challenge to European monarchies and aimed to export the Revolution.
Furthermore, the idea of fraternity fostered a sense of shared struggle among peoples seeking liberation. France’s gift of the Statue of Liberty to America, commemorating its freedom from England, symbolized the universal appeal of the ideal of liberty championed by the Revolution. Thus, ‘Liberty, Equality, Fraternity’ became a powerful and enduring slogan that inspired democratic, liberal, and nationalist movements across Europe throughout the 19th century and beyond, challenging existing political and social orders.
Ron’e Dutta is a journalist, teacher, aspiring novelist, and blogger who manages Online Free Notes. An avid reader of Victorian literature, his favourite book is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. He dreams of travelling the world. You can connect with him on social media. He does personal writing on ronism.
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