...The last-named has abolished the myth of the social interpretation and has brought a new conception of the Revolution as highly political. Probably the most influential revisionist work on the French Revolution is Francuas Furet's Penser la Revolution francaise (1978; English translation- Interpreting the French Revolution, 1981). It assumes the revolutionary events as remarkably anti-democratic and emphasises its connection with the totalitarian systems. The book has stated quite an innovative thesis, which has become an object of evaluation for both academics and the general public. Thus, this essay is to demonstrate the impact of the Revolution on the totalitarianism of the twentieth century and to indicate the major similarities as well as their common ideologies. The intention of this work is also to show philosophical inspirations for the events of 1789 and therefore for those from the first half of the twentieth century. In his famous dialogue with Stanislas Girardin, Napoleon was supposed to admit that"it was he [Rousseau] who laid the ground for the French Revolution" (Hicks, 2012, p.73). In fact, Rousseau's ideas of 'general...
Words: 1546 - Pages: 7
...symbolized that all Americans regardless of the color of your skin could obtain freedom of speech. Additionally, Wheatley shows that all Americans should support the movement for independence, regardless of your social status or the color of your skin. “Hear every tongue thy guardian aid implore (Wheatley 411.28)!” Wheatley is asking the General to listen to all American, not only the high society individuals, but also ordinary people, and slaves as America begins its journey to independence. Wheatley’s poem shows that regardless of how you came to be in America, freedom of speech is something that even a once enslaved black woman could achieve. Moreover, freedom of speech does not always come in the form of a complaint. Wheatley is hoping for a future that includes a new Republic independent of Britain and gives admiration to the leaders of the military. Additionally, Wheatley brings to light that the fight for freedom in America is something that other nations also want, “And nations gaze at scenes before unknown (Wheatley 411.6)!” Also, Wheatley knows that the fight for freedom includes everyone in America. “The land of freedom’s heaven-defended race!” implies that...
Words: 1494 - Pages: 6
...Napoleon was able to deliver France into a pure democracy. He served a lot of revolutionary ideals such as denouncing state religion, preserved religious freedom, and founded Lycee, enhanced liberty, among many others. Similarly, Maximilien Robespierre was another major revolutionary figure in France. Before he got into power, he fought for the rights of the poor and oppressed. He was able to attract the attention of the urban workers known as sans-culottes. He was able to overthrow the Jacobin government in his revolutionary mission. However, both of these leaders destroyed ideals of the revolution when they got into power. They practiced authoritarian rule by limiting freedom, equality and putting their family in leadership positions. This was a total diversion from the core...
Words: 1514 - Pages: 7
...Location: France The French Revolution was a major event in modern European history. The causes of the French Revolution were many: the monarchy's severe debt problems, high taxes, poor harvests, and the influence of new political ideas and the American Revolution, to mention only a few. Starting as a movement for government reforms, the French Revolution rapidly turned radical and violent, leading to the abolition of the monarchy and execution of King Louis XVI. Though the monarchy was eventually restored, the French Revolution changed France and the rest of Europe forever. It inspired a number of revolutionary movements of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that made the final end to institutions such as absolutism, feudalism, class privilege and legal inequality, and spread the principles of natural right, equality and freedom throughout the world. The three main causes of French revolution are as follows: 1. Political Cause 2. Social Cause 3. Economic Cause 4. Intellectual Cause. POLITICAL CAUSE That time France was the absolute monarchy with a weak monarch king Louis XVI - French king of the Bourbon dynasty who took the throne in 1774; inherited massive debt problems but was unable to fix them. France had long subscribed to the idea of divine right, which maintained that kings were selected by God and thus perpetually entitled to the throne. This doctrine resulted in a system of absolute rule and provided the commoners with absolutely no input into the governance...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...period of 1789-1799, the French revolution was revolutionary to an extent. France saw varying dramatic changes socially and politically. Its ideas, driven by the enlightenment movement, (thought which challenged divine right and promoted the use of reason and thinking for ones-self) influenced the global political landscape, and laid the foundations for future revolutions. The declaration of the rights of man was certainly revolutionary for its time, and such a document has been the precursor to modern day human rights. The very idea France, a country so traditionally routed in absolutist rule, had a revolution to challenge...
Words: 1498 - Pages: 6
...was an industrious and virtuous woman. I am the only child which had a great interest in studies because of my father. At the age of 7, i was sent to a local private school, at 18-year-olds I admitted to the famous schools, Imperial University of Peking (Beijing University) in 1904. In my college life, I came into contact with a number of State Affairs. The opium wars, Sino-Japanese war, the eight-power allied forces invaded China and many unequal treaties makes me extremely angry and indignant. How can our country being bullied? In 1905, there was a man named Sun Yat-Sen established the first revolutionary alliance - Tongmenghui in Japan Tokyo. He took "Drive out the Tartars, restore China, found the Republic, equalize land ownership" as a political platform and Implemented national revolution to achieve democracy. On the other hand, due to the Late Qing Reforms, Eight-legged essay was replaced and Civil Service Examination was abolished. In addition, the social reforms remarkable. Footbinding was discouraged. Also, China took a first step in the film (Ting Chun Shan), the death penalty - Ling Chi in the Qing court is to abolish. However, the road to reform is not flat. Cities in northern China under the Qing dynasty Government is still chaotic. In 1915, because of the world war one and the Shandong incident, these intensified ethnic conflicts. And under the influence of the Russian Revolution, a group of students at Beijing University began to strike in order to force...
Words: 949 - Pages: 4
...The United States experienced remarkable transformations throughout the 18th century. The Americans achieved independence from the most powerful empire in the world at that time, Great Britain. American society and government changed radically as a result of the American Revolution. Colonists were seeking wealth, involvement in politics, and exploration of freedom and North American land. However, one of the most important developments of this time period was in the economy. The colonial economy in the 18th century experienced a dramatic shift due to the notion of the “American Dream” which was explained by Ben Franklin in his work Way to Wealth. Franklin’s idea was prevented by the oppressive taxes imposed by Britain and caused unrest in...
Words: 1261 - Pages: 6
...known as the Age of Reason, was a period notable for its substantial cultural and scientific developments, that took place mainly during the eighteenth century. It was a time when the scholarly class of Western Europe left behind Church dogma in the process of formulating philosophical ideas as well as scientific theories. It was substituted with reason. Notably, political ideas that were extremely radical for the time propagated throughout Europe and eventually led to the revolutions of France and the United States. Also, modern science further implanted itself into the mainstream. The roots of the entire movement date back to the time of the great Ancient Greek philosophers and scientists, specifically to such great thinkers as Aristotle and Plato. In Western Europe, from the time of the Middle Ages until then, Aristotelian science had remained the extent of scientific knowledge. It had long been lost due to the chaos of the Dark Ages, but it was “rediscovered” in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries through contact with Muslim influence and Byzantine scholars. During the late years of the Renaissance and the Age of Enlightenment, scholars set out to improve upon Aristotelian and Platonic ideas. [1] The Renaissance gave a basis for the Age of Enlightenment to continue on. The Humanist movement during the Renaissance started to slightly move away from the Church. Although most Humanists were practicing Catholics, they believed that the Church’s depiction of humans as sinful...
Words: 2105 - Pages: 9
...fortune they already made. The army commanded by Lord Dunmore, the Royal governor of Virginia, became the first refuge of African Americans who hoped, by serving the Crown (or just by escaping their masters), to gain permanent freedom, encouraging the Rebels themselves to enroll free blacks and slaves in their armed forces- and to promise some of the slaves’ freedom if they served for the duration of the war. The actual taking up of arms by the Royal forces encouraged slaves to run away. These runaways certainly gave Lord Dunmore the idea to officially encourage runaway slaves to leave their masters. Dunmore’s proclamation of November 1775 freed only the slaves of Rebel masters and only those who actually joined the British forces. Rumors that the British would employ blacks to control rebellious whites were circulated in London and at home, from Virginia to South Carolina. Dunmore did not want to encourage wholesale slave rebellion, which would have angered loyal Virginian slaveholders. But he did want to make the Rebels as vulnerable as possible. This vulnerability, especially given the large number of southern slaves, contributed to the Crown’s strategy for winning the war. The Northern colonies, too, began to offer their slaves manumission or freedom in exchange for military service. [2] By 1776, the slaves’ claim for liberty had made quite an impression on some whites. Thomas Jefferson blamed slavery on King George...
Words: 583 - Pages: 3
...1684, until his studentship was taken from him by royal mandate. Locke's mentor was Robert Boyle, the leader of the Oxford scientific group. Boyle's mechanical philosophy saw the world as reducible to matter in motion. Locke learned about atomism and took the terms "primary and secondary qualities" from Boyle. Both Boyle and Locke, along with Newton, were members of the English Royal Society. Locke became friends with Newton in 1688 after he had studied Newton's Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis. It was Locke's work with the Oxford scientists that gave him a critical perspective when reading Descartes. Locke admired Descartes as an alternative to the Aristotelianism dominant at Oxford. Descartes' "way of ideas" was a major influence on Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Locke studied medicine with Sydenham, one of the most notable English physicians of the 17th century. His skills in medicine led to an accidental encounter with Lord Ashley (later to become the Earl of Shaftesbury) in1666, which would mark a profound change in his career. Locke became a member of Shaftesbury's household and assisted him in business,...
Words: 1196 - Pages: 5
...Revolutionary Characters Gordan S. Woods Revolutionary characters, iis a compliation of essays and articles written over time by Gordan s. Woods. He was trying to teach his audience that our four fathers were a group of unique elite men that wanted to ensure our freedom, and our fatih in God. Wood believed that they were a group of self-made aristocrats that came together as a product of their time and vision for America's future. The founders derived a governemnt powered by its people that relied on a disinterested group of citizens to lead them forward. In order to elect the right leaders to run our country they felt our citizens needed to be educated, and have morals bassed on christianity. “As long as this Republic endures, he ought to be first in the hearts of his countrymen. Washington was truly a great man, and the greatest president we ever had.” Gordan S. Woods felt it necessary to start his book with George Washington, our first president. Woods goes on to say that it wasnt WAshington's intellect or writing ability that made him a great leader and set him apart from all others, it was his character. WAshington quickly realized the important of his position. He realized that his reputaiton would become indistinguishable from that of the government he would bring about. Washington was completely honest and refused a salary for his postion as commander and chief and president.Even before being elected as president he made sure to guard his reputation. It is easy...
Words: 619 - Pages: 3
...HISTORY 1500 WINTER 2014 RESEARCH ESSAY TOPICS 1. Select a crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution...
Words: 5531 - Pages: 23
...How accurate is it to say that the spread of revolutionary beliefs was the main reason for the fall of the Qing dynasty 1911-12? This essay will be looking at how much of a contribution the spread of revolutionary beliefs in China had in the fall of the Qing Dynasty. In order to determine the importance of this I will therefore also be looking at other factors such as, foreign interference, double tenth and the inability to change. I believe it is partially accurate to say that the spread of revolutionary beliefs was important in the downfall of the Qing Dynasty; however it wasn’t necessarily the most important factor. This can be determined from the effects of Sun Yatsen’s anti-government movement in China. Initially, the extreme need for revolution and reform stemmed from Cixi’s need and desire for conservatism. Her oblivious attitude towards the failure of the government angered many people and essentially gave reformers the ammunition to spread their own beliefs. As previously mentioned, Sun Yatsen was one of the people who felt strongly about changing the way things worked in China. He was particularly open minded and due to his education abroad had adopted a Westernized style of thinking. Thus, Yatsen attempted to modernise and regenerate China by removing foreign control and reasserting their unique character and greatness by forming the revolutionary alliance in 1905. Within this, his greatest belief was that the only way in which China would be able to modernise was...
Words: 1312 - Pages: 6
...Jean-Paul Sartre and Existentialism Jean-Paul Sartre . . . the name is one of the most popular in modern philosophy. But who was he? What did he write and what were his works about? What was his role with regard to Existentialism? What is Existentialism, really? What life influences affected the person as whom he became famous? How would Sartre assess various social topics that we face today? What are the problems with Sartre's view of Existentialism and existence in general? These are the questions addressed in the following pages of this brief dissertation.His life Upon reviewing several sources, it is apparent that Sartre was a very disorganized and inconsistent individual. Sartre was obsessed with his intellect to the point of abandon of all else in his life - personal hygiene, honesty, organization, thoroughness, and more. It seems that he felt he was of superior intelligence in comparison to all others who surrounded him. He was not necessarily a great and original thinker, but rather a superb media sensation of sorts. Rather than developing Existentialist thought, he merely promoted it to amazing popularity through his eccentric lifestyle. Although he is best known for his association with Existentialism, it is interesting to note that he denounced its principles later in life and adopted Marxism, which he also later denounced. Jean-Paul-Charles-Aymard Sartre was born in Paris on June 21, 1905, the only child of Anne-Marie Schweitzer Sartre and Jean-Baptiste Sartre. Anne-Marie...
Words: 2585 - Pages: 11
...THE LIBERAL REVOLUTION -UNDER THE IDEA OF ENLIGHTENMENT "Dare to know! Have courage to use your own reason!"-Kant Contents ENLIGHTENMENT AS AN IDEA: 3 FRENCH SOCIETY: 3 THE LIBERAL REVOLUTION: 3 CRITICISM ON THE IDEA OF LIBERALISM: 4 CONCLUSION 5 BIBLIOGRAPHY 6 ENLIGHTENMENT AS AN IDEA: “Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed nonage… Sapere Aude! Dare to Know! Have the courage to use your own understanding is therefore the motto of the Enlightenment.” Immanuel Kant (Columbia.edu) The eighteenth century Enlightenment proved to be a movement of the intellectuals who dared to prove all the aspects in life scientifically. These individuals were greatly affected by the scientific revolution. They were, in addition, advocating the appliance of the scientific methodology to the understanding of life. Throughout the age of enlightenment, science became popular and there were many philosophers like John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Adam Smith, Montesquieu, etc who applied the natural laws to the social life. These people and their writings had a huge impact on the French Revolution. FRENCH SOCIETY: Prior to the revolution, the French society was buried under the burden of taxes-levied by the State, rents paid to the lord, contributions collected by the clergy, as well as under the forced labor exacted by all three. People were reduced to foraging for food because of the recurring famines. The famines were caused by both manmade...
Words: 1593 - Pages: 7
