THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON GREAT BRITAIN

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND ITS IMPACT ON GREAT BRITAIN

CULTURA Y CIVILIZACIÓN DE LOS PUEBLOS DE HABLA INGLESA I

START

The French Revolution was a period of social, political and economic turmoil that began in 1789 with the Storming of the Bastille and ended in 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte and his French Empire. The French Revolution started as a rebellion against the feudalist mode of economy, autocratic monarchy, over-the-top economic exploitation, class privilege, and the apathy of the king towards the citizen of France. During the revolution, the French overturned the status quo of the Ancient Regime, overthrew their absolute monarchy and brought about a republic that was based on the democratic principles of "Equality, Liberty and Fraternity." Although the French Revolution failed to achieve all of its goals at the time and eventually degenerated into a bloodbath during the Reign of Terror, this revolutionary period had a profound effect in the history of Western societies as it helped to shape many modern-day governments by showing the power inherent in the will of the people.

Adapted from History.com (2009). The French Revolution. Retrieved from: https://www.history.com/topics/france/french-revolution

THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

Watch the following video to get a general panorama of the events during the French Revolution. Then click on the pictures to get more information about the ideas that the French Revolutionaries upheld.

The Age of the Enlightenment (18th century)

The Declaration of the Rights of Men and Citizens (1789)

News of the Revolution in France received a mixed response in Britain. Many in England were inspired by the movement’s core ideals of social equality and popular sovereignty, believing that a new era of political change had been heralded. Members of the establishment, however, felt a fundamental threat from these new ways of thinking, and the heated debate that followed would provoke a substantial literary and political response from all sections of society. This contrast in responses to the events of French Revolution was articulated most clearly in the disagreement between two of the greatest political thinkers of their age: the British Whig statesman Edmund Burke and the Anglo-American radical Thomas Paine.

Adapted from National Trust (2022). How did the French Revolution affect England? Retrieved from: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/features/how-did-the-french-revolution-affect-england

THE IMPACT ON BRITISH SOCIETY

Read Chapter IV of An Illustrated History of Modern Europe by Richards & Hunt. Then analyse the following sources. Based on the information read and analysed, answer the questions below.

1. What was the British initial reaction to the events of the French Revolution?
2. Did this first impression have a lasting effect on British society?
3. What groups in particular were in favour of the the French Revolution? Why?
4. Were there some people who had the opposite position? If so, who were they?

SOURCE 1

SOURCE 2

SOURCE 3

THE IMPACT ON BRITISH POLITICAL THOUGHT

Read Chapter IV of An Illustrated History of Modern Europe by Richards & Hunt and chapters VIII, IX by Thomson. Then answer the questions given for each philosopher in order to learn more about their positions in relation to the French Revolution.

1. What was their position as regards the French Revolution? Why?
2. What work did they publish to respond to the events of the French Revolution? In what year was each work published?
3. What ideas did they uphold in the political field?
4. Did they advocate for reforms? If so, what kind of reforms?
5. How similar/different to each other were Burke's and Paine's positions?

Edmund Burke

Thomas Paine

THE BRITISH GOVERNMENT'S RESPONSE

Based on Richards & Hunt's chapter, analyse the following sources. Then answer the question below.

[...] But the government regarded radical societies – especially those with an unlimited membership and nationwide association – as dangerous. Their fears were exacerbated by the violent turn taken by the Revolution, and once war with France broke out in 1793, the authorities sought to restrict the activities of reform societies under the guise of national security. British reformers, they argued, were far too similar to French Jacobins, the most powerful and extreme revolutionary faction.

(Mather, 2014, p. 1)

The government also introduced a series of measures that were successful in weakening and driving underground radicals in Britain who were sympathetic to the revolutionary ideas. (...) In December 1792 a royal proclamation was issued against seditious publications and this was soon followed by a series of trials and heavy punishments, which discouraged others. Leading radicals were arrested and Habeas Corpus was suspended, which resulted in radicals being held without trial and removed a fundamental right. However, it was the Gagging Acts, introduced in 1795, that were particularly effective. The Treasonable Practices Act forbade meetings that were likely to bring either the government or monarch into contempt, while the Seditious Meetings and Assemblies Act meant that gatherings of more than 50 people needed permission, preventing the gathering together of large numbers of opponents that could threaten the government.

(Fellows, 2019, p.2)

How did the British government respond to the rise of "radicalism" in England?

THE IMPACT ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM

Based on your knowledge and on the information gathered, read and analyse the following sources and answer the questions given to understand what was the overall impact the French Revolution on British politics and the cause for constitutional reform.

The increasing calls for reform which the Revolution stimulated in Britain eventually caused the Government and loyalists to defend the Constitution intact, and declare any change unthinkable. Reform could not be considered lest it lead to revolution. (...)

(Wheless, 1988, p. 47)

And when the September massacres occurred, feeling hardened irremediably against the new rulers of France, [the Jacobins]. The British, except for the convinced reformers, had now made up their minds - they wanted no French Revolutions here.

(Richards & Hunts, 1983, p. 45)

To what extent were the British in favour of constitutional reform after the French Revolution?

As the violence and chaos brought about by the French Revolution began to fade, there was growing acceptance among the British officials that change was necessary for the improvement of the social and political conditions of the British citizens. By the late 1820s, the British government was becoming less reactionary and, in 1828 under a Tory government, the Test and Corporation Acts were repealed followed by the grating of Catholic emancipation in 1829. However, the unequal distribution of seats, the extension of the franchise and 'rotten boroughs' were all issues that still needed to be addressed. The Tories believed that Parliament should represent "property" and the property owner only, and knowing that reform would alter the political landscape to their disadvantage, refused to budge. However, when the Whigs gained a majority in Parliament in 1830, the new Whigh Prime Minister, Earl Grey, pledged to carry out parliamentary reform, and although two reform bills failed to be carried in Parliament, the third was successful and received Royal Assent in 1832. The passage of this act marked the starting point of a significant period in British history characterised by crucial social and political changes which benefitted more and more people. This remarkable period came to be known as the First Great Era of Reform.

Adapted from Burns, 2010, pp. 149 -153 ,

THE FIRST GREAT ERA OF REFORM

Do some research from serious and reliable sources to find out about the changes introduced during this remarkable period. Take notes on the field of reform as well as the aims and significance of each measure. Then, answer the question in the interactive element.

The French Revolution of 1789 had a strong and long-lasting effect in Great Britain and the rest of the world for the ideas it upheld and the course its actual events. Now you are ready to account for the impact the revolution had on British political, phisolophical and social life in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. See you in the in-person class!