French Revolution

Definition of French Revolution

The Canada social science dictionary [1] provides the following meaning of French Revolution: The French revolution brought the ideas of liberty, equality and democracy to continental Europe and set off a profound and irreversible historical transformation. The revolution began in 1789 and some historians have traced the end of the revolution to the overthrow of Robespierre, its most radical leader in 1794, others to the seizure of power by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 and yet others to final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. From 1789 to 1815 France was transformed by revolution. It began with the overthrowing of the monarchy and soon became a reign of revolutionary terror. The King and Queen and many of the aristocracy were executed and there were mass executions of political opponents. Attempts were made to export the revolution to the rest of Europe as the French armies moved east and forced monarchs to give up power, granted freedom and land to the serfs and recruited thousands of the ordinary people into the French army to help carry forward the message of equality and liberation. Then began a period of international wars against Britain and the old powers of Europe finally leading to ultimate defeat of the French forces at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. For the social sciences, the French revolution is important for representing the triumph of the liberal claim that all humans are essentially equal and all have a right to liberty and freedom of choice. Along with the Bloodless Revolution in England of 1688, which irreversibly established the principle of a limited constitutional monarchy, the Industrial Revolution, which gained momentum in the mid 1700’s and the American Revolution of 1776, this event ushered in the social, economic and political transformation of western societies and helped create the age of modernity, democracy, economic development and legal equality for all citizens. The history of the French revolution has fascinated social scientists since the early nineteenth century and continues to shape modern culture and intellectual ideas.

French Revolution: Resources

Notes and References

• Drislane, R., & Parkinson, G. (2016). (Concept of) French Revolution. Online dictionary of the social sciences. Open University of Canada