The French Revolution of 1789 changed the world forever; while opening up a new
understanding of the relationship between ruler and ruled, it also ushered in a
period of violence and war for continental Europe. With humble beginnings, the
Revolution took root among what was to be a mere advisory meeting for Louis XVI,
king of France. With France in crisis, representatives of the “Third Estate” –
all of the people outside the nobility and clergy – became increasingly
radicalized and set the country on a path none could have foreseen. The
literature of the Revolution contains a variety of founding documents, speeches,
press accounts, histories, and fiction, fit for a major world event. Much of the
literary output of the Revolution was aimed at reshaping society in a totally
new way. Likewise, much of it was every bit as “revolutionary” as the
Declaration of Independence, which helped to inspire the early revolutionaries.
Origins of the
French Revolution
Cambridge History: Period of
the French Revolution
Blanc, History of the French Revolution of 1789
Mignet, History of the French
Revolution From 1789 To 1814
Kropotkin, The Great French Revolution
The Early Revolution
The French Revolution was the culmination of three factors: the Enlightenment, a
serious financial crisis in France, and a meeting of representatives from the
three “Estates”, or social classes, of France. The Enlightenment was a broad
philosophical movement that called upon people to analyze problems using reason
as well as, or in place of, faith. The Enlightenment helped spur the American
Revolution, which impressed many French. Thanks in part to these factors, ideas
about expanded rights for common people stirred French thought long before the
Revolution. When a major fiscal crisis threatened the legitimacy of the French
throne and caused difficulty for farmers and other common people, an
Estates-General meeting was called. Gradually, representatives of the Third
Estate became convinced that a written accord between people and king was
required. With time, this desire grew into a full constitution for the French
people.
Sieyes, What is the Third Estate?
Paine, The Rights of Man
Declaration of the Rights
of Man and the Citizen
French
Revolutionary Constitution of 1791
History and
Heritage of the Enlightenment
The Radical Revolution
King Louis XVI vacillated on how much change he would accept or support, even as
conditions among the common people deteriorated. Events like the fall of the
Bastille agitated the public against what was seen as the tyranny of the
aristocratic upper class. Over time, radicalism and mob rule frequently
prevailed in Paris. The king was executed by forces favoring a republic in
January of 1793. By this point, other European monarchies had begun to move in
defense of the traditional order; with the king dead, sentiment among rulers
throughout Europe was inflamed to crush the Revolution. The period 1793-1794 is
known as the Reign of Terror, a time when extremist forces enacted oppressive
measures and authorized thousands of executions to “preserve the republic.” By
1795, those responsible had fallen from power, and France was led by a new
regime until 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte instigated a coup.
Robespierre,
On Political Morality
The Decree
Abolishing the Feudal System
Burke, Reflections on
the Revolution in France
French Constitution of 1793
French Revolution
Pamphlet Collection
It is said that no one who arrived for the meeting of the Estates-General had
revolution in mind. The ideas that led to the overthrow of the French monarchy
took years to crystallize, but even so, they swept up the whole of France on a
course that ended in a totally transformed society. For its huge implications,
the French Revolution has become one of the most studied phenomena in all
western history. The literature of the Revolution is still growing – and shows
no signs of stopping after over 200 years.
Dickens, A Tale of Two
Cities
Orczy, The Scarlet Pimpernel
British Newspaper Coverage of the French Revolution
Gouges,
Declaration of the Rights of Woman
French Revolution
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