One thing is for sure: France changed forever after 14 July 1789. At the time, there was an awareness even at Versailles of a break with the past. When he was awakened and told the news, Louis XVI asked whether it was a rebellion. The famous reply was "No, Sire. It is a revolution." It was far from the first time that subjects had rebelled against the crown, but it was the first time that the very idea of the crown was in question, which at least that one courtier recognized.
Yes, it may be apocryphal, but I take it as a representation of what at least a few courtiers, such as the Marquis d'Osmond, recognized at the time, as his daughter Mme de Boigne reports in her memoirs.
I loved the post, Lucy! Your deep dive into the Bastille storming was engaging and informative. I especially enjoyed your discussion of the complexities and debates surrounding the French Revolution's origins. The recommended reading list at the end was a nice touch. I can't wait for the next post now.
Fascinating stuff. Do you think you might tackle the Paris Commune at any point? I read an amazing biography of Rimbaud the year before last which crossed paths with it. It was an area of history I knew literally nothing about til I read the book, and it was so intriguing.
Thanks for this summary - you did a great job on a very complex topic. My absolutely favorite book ever is the nonfiction book The Queen's Necklace by Frances Mossiker. I don't even know if it's still in print. It's about the necklace scandal with Marie Antoinette, but it reads like a French soap opera. The movie The Affair of the Necklace was based on it.
This is great - I had been planning to ask for recommendations for a good introductory book about the French revolution & you have saved me the trouble. Look forward to seeing more like this!
Funny, I feel the US Independence War is the beginning of Western democracy, not the French Revolution, which came 13 years later. Ultimately though, what started both of them was the Enlightenment, which propelled new ideas in otherwise very static and stratified societies. Anyway, I enjoyed your post as always.
At a fundamental level, the American Rev wasn't really a revolution so much as a revolt. It was one country's attempt to gain independence from foreign rule (Britain). Whereas, the French Rev wasn't simply about gaining freedom from the King, but it was about the complete destruction, and subsequent rebuilding, of the social order, in a way which placed "normal people" at the top.
So for me, it is the *impact* of the French Rev, on both France and beyond its own borders, that places it above the American Rev. Most notably, ideas of nationalism, selfhood and civil rights spread across Europe, influencing legal change, a profound conservative reaction in Britain, and even inspiring fights for independence in areas like Haiti. We also find the start of Communism, rise of the middle class, and growth of an atheist Europe.
For a little eg, let's compare the Declaration of Independence (1776): "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights"
There's no mention of God, and France makes these rights *universal*. Sure, it's based on the US Declaration.. but that's based on Greek concepts of democracy, so we should go back there if we want to talk origins.
This idea of universal rights is felt almost immediately, too, with the legal establishment of universal male suffrage in 1792 and the abolition of slavery in 1794. Black men were allowed to vote from 1789 onwards. Let's compare this to the US timeline:
- 1856 - universal *white* male suffrage
- 1865 - abolition of slavery
- 1870 - black men granted suffrage
So far behind!!
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed reading, and I hope my explanation makes a little more sense now!
Very interesting point. I still feel the US Rev started as a revolt but became a revolution with ideas for a new society (nationalism, selfhood, middle class…), but I agree that the French went further, esp. by eradicating the notion of God, which was very radical in the 18th century. This has lasting effects to this day, with France being staunchly secular (in an increasingly more dogmatic world), while the US have God everywhere, from their bank notes to every politicians’ speech… Thanks for the added “food for thought” answer :)
One thing is for sure: France changed forever after 14 July 1789. At the time, there was an awareness even at Versailles of a break with the past. When he was awakened and told the news, Louis XVI asked whether it was a rebellion. The famous reply was "No, Sire. It is a revolution." It was far from the first time that subjects had rebelled against the crown, but it was the first time that the very idea of the crown was in question, which at least that one courtier recognized.
Yes, completely agree here. Although that quote is anecdotal isn't it? (my ref for that scene is Schama's Citizens, p420: https://archive.org/details/citizenschronic00scha/page/420/mode/2up). But still, a very telling interaction if true
Yes, it may be apocryphal, but I take it as a representation of what at least a few courtiers, such as the Marquis d'Osmond, recognized at the time, as his daughter Mme de Boigne reports in her memoirs.
I loved the post, Lucy! Your deep dive into the Bastille storming was engaging and informative. I especially enjoyed your discussion of the complexities and debates surrounding the French Revolution's origins. The recommended reading list at the end was a nice touch. I can't wait for the next post now.
Thank you Jon. That means a lot! I’ve got another deep-dive coming in a couple of weeks, with a book review in between, I hope you do enjoy ☺️
Bien joué.
Fascinating stuff. Do you think you might tackle the Paris Commune at any point? I read an amazing biography of Rimbaud the year before last which crossed paths with it. It was an area of history I knew literally nothing about til I read the book, and it was so intriguing.
Ooh I should do! I don’t know much about that myself actually, but I’d love to do some reading and put something together
Thanks for this summary - you did a great job on a very complex topic. My absolutely favorite book ever is the nonfiction book The Queen's Necklace by Frances Mossiker. I don't even know if it's still in print. It's about the necklace scandal with Marie Antoinette, but it reads like a French soap opera. The movie The Affair of the Necklace was based on it.
Thank you! I didn’t realise that was based on a book - I’ll have to check it out ( 🤞🏻 it’s still available somewhere)
This is great - I had been planning to ask for recommendations for a good introductory book about the French revolution & you have saved me the trouble. Look forward to seeing more like this!
Ah I’m so glad! I love this period of history so there will definitely be more posts coming your way
Funny, I feel the US Independence War is the beginning of Western democracy, not the French Revolution, which came 13 years later. Ultimately though, what started both of them was the Enlightenment, which propelled new ideas in otherwise very static and stratified societies. Anyway, I enjoyed your post as always.
At a fundamental level, the American Rev wasn't really a revolution so much as a revolt. It was one country's attempt to gain independence from foreign rule (Britain). Whereas, the French Rev wasn't simply about gaining freedom from the King, but it was about the complete destruction, and subsequent rebuilding, of the social order, in a way which placed "normal people" at the top.
So for me, it is the *impact* of the French Rev, on both France and beyond its own borders, that places it above the American Rev. Most notably, ideas of nationalism, selfhood and civil rights spread across Europe, influencing legal change, a profound conservative reaction in Britain, and even inspiring fights for independence in areas like Haiti. We also find the start of Communism, rise of the middle class, and growth of an atheist Europe.
For a little eg, let's compare the Declaration of Independence (1776): "All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen (1789): "Men are born and remain free and equal in rights"
There's no mention of God, and France makes these rights *universal*. Sure, it's based on the US Declaration.. but that's based on Greek concepts of democracy, so we should go back there if we want to talk origins.
This idea of universal rights is felt almost immediately, too, with the legal establishment of universal male suffrage in 1792 and the abolition of slavery in 1794. Black men were allowed to vote from 1789 onwards. Let's compare this to the US timeline:
- 1856 - universal *white* male suffrage
- 1865 - abolition of slavery
- 1870 - black men granted suffrage
So far behind!!
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed reading, and I hope my explanation makes a little more sense now!
Very interesting point. I still feel the US Rev started as a revolt but became a revolution with ideas for a new society (nationalism, selfhood, middle class…), but I agree that the French went further, esp. by eradicating the notion of God, which was very radical in the 18th century. This has lasting effects to this day, with France being staunchly secular (in an increasingly more dogmatic world), while the US have God everywhere, from their bank notes to every politicians’ speech… Thanks for the added “food for thought” answer :)
Nice work
Thanks Kendall :)