Robespierre's distorted perception of Rousseau's views lead to an adamant and unwaivering desire to drive the revolution forward at any cost, including that of substantial human life. Robespierre was similarly influence by Rousseau to strive for the decree establishing the existence of a Supreme Being (Lefebvre; Rude; Church). These concepts of Rousseau-like deism that were modified and manipulated by Robespierre were an attempt to usurp Christian control over society (Torrey; Cassirer; Church; Lefebvre; Rude).
Ultimately, the Reign of Terror empowered the incumbent government to maintain political and social power within France and eventually the social uprising began to curtail (Rude; Lefebvre). Those revolutionaries who survived eventually attained significant enough level of power such that Robespierre and Louis de Saint-Just were executed in 1974 (Rude). In 1975, the French constitution known as the Directoire was ratified and provided the first steps toward the goal of French liberty with the establishment of representative bicameral legislative government (Rude).
Relationship between the Enlightenment and Revolution
While the Enlightenment ultimately provided the foundation for the subsequent French Revolution, the Enlightenment itself was not simply "a movement dedicated toward the ideological undermining of throne and altar" (Outram; Church). Nor was it inherently or simply a class struggle. The revolution was instead an expected, though inevitable, culmination of political and philosophical discourse which empowered the populace to engage in reasoning and desire for personal and civil liberty (Cassirer; Church; Gay).
The enlightenment opened the discussion and debate on the nature of man, God, freedom, and government within society (Cassirer; Church; Outram; Gay). It was a period exemplified by not just social elites and philosophers but also proletarian engagement (Gay; Outram; Cassirer). The spread of reasoning and skepticism engendered a...
Kant, Immanuel. "What Is the Enlightenment?" (1784): Web. . These are excerpts from journal entries and speeches by Immanuel Kant. He was a renowned German Philosopher, and he was commonly known as being the first to make use of the word enlightenment. During the enlightenment period, he was among the many innovational thinkers. These excerpts will assist in providing brief descriptions of the enlightenment period, as it was a formidable historical
French Revolution and its Enlightenment ideas about nationalism, universal rights and equal citizenship for all was extremely influential at the time it occurred, and was widely studied and imitated afterwards. Liberals and radicals in Europe, and increasingly the rest of the world, always recognized that the French Revolution was somehow uniquely theirs, especially in its attempt to end feudalism, state-supported churches, and the entrenched privileges of monarchs and aristocracies. It
French Revolution An Analysis of the Radical Phase of the French Revolution The French Revolution was almost extinguished in 1792. The economic reforms prompted by the Cahier of the Third Estate of Dourdan (29 March 1789) had only appeared to benefit the middle and upper classes of the Third Estate. Meanwhile, fearing the spread of revolt throughout all Europe, Prussian and Austrian forces were marching towards Paris to cut it off at
French Revolution For many people, the French Revolution was the single most important event in modern world history. In a manner of speaking, it's a unique turning point for the ailing French society of the time and Europe. But, the events transpiring in Bastille Fortress in July 1789 are still discussed. The storming is discussed often. Peter Mcphee is an Australian born academic author specializing in modern French history and French
The bourgeoisie was about to grow as commerce increased and the industrial revolution had a larger and larger influence. Appreciation of the individual was a far stronger trend in the French Revolution than class (Furet, 1989). Instead of class struggle and growing communist ideas, the French Revolution was arguably most influenced by the Enlightenment, particularly as expressed by Rousseau (Censer, 2003). Some historians view industry and commerce as being the
In conclusion, the French Revolution introduced not only in France but the entire western world to the concept of political revolution at the hands of the lower classes. It also provided some hard-earned lessons on what exactly makes up a democracy where all citizens are treated fairly and equally. In addition, the revolution brought to light the idea that a nation such as France is constructed of more than just
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