Origins of Nationalism- Source Interpretation
“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” This was first said by Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1762, and is attributed to helping ignite the spark that started the French Revolution. The people in France during and after this period of time had vastly differing ideals on nationalism and the revolution. Some feared their increased nationalism and the revolution would not help them at all, while others defended it to their last dying breath. These statements bring up of the question: to what extent did the French revolution succeed in uniting the people and bringing about a better society?
The first source gives an overall tone and message of a strong and unbreaking passion towards …show more content…
However, what came afterward was not planned out with the greatest amount of thought, with many people such as Edmund Burke pointing out how unstable it was with new leaders and an untested way of governing. He was uncertain it would succeed. Shortly after Burke voiced his concerns, Maximilien Robespierre’s Reign of Terror killed as many as 40,000 people in his misguided efforts to keep the ideals of the revolution alive. Napoleon was later elected and proclaimed himself to be an emperor, which is not a far cry from kings that the people had worked so hard to overthrow. In the end, the French Revolution did not unify its people and failed its intended goal. Napoleon, who replaced a king was no better, as he was a harsh and arrogant military dictator, causing a continental war. Maximilien Robespierre’s Reign of Terror demonstrated the dark undertones of the new democratic state, foreshadowing the revolutions fate. However, the ideals and new systems put in place such as the viewpoints illustrated in source one, such as democracy, freedom, and equality live on. The sense of French nationalism was nearly always present in France, and although it was criticized or rejected, the people still held onto their ideals. They managed to get rid of the oppressive feudal system, establish democracy, increase wealth of the working class, and reduced the influence of the church. The short term goals of the revolution were not reached, but instead laid the foundation for a brighter future of
“Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains.” This was first said by Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1762, and is attributed to helping ignite the spark that started the French Revolution. The people in France during and after this period of time had vastly differing ideals on nationalism and the revolution. Some feared their increased nationalism and the revolution would not help them at all, while others defended it to their last dying breath. These statements bring up of the question: to what extent did the French revolution succeed in uniting the people and bringing about a better society?
The first source gives an overall tone and message of a strong and unbreaking passion towards …show more content…
However, what came afterward was not planned out with the greatest amount of thought, with many people such as Edmund Burke pointing out how unstable it was with new leaders and an untested way of governing. He was uncertain it would succeed. Shortly after Burke voiced his concerns, Maximilien Robespierre’s Reign of Terror killed as many as 40,000 people in his misguided efforts to keep the ideals of the revolution alive. Napoleon was later elected and proclaimed himself to be an emperor, which is not a far cry from kings that the people had worked so hard to overthrow. In the end, the French Revolution did not unify its people and failed its intended goal. Napoleon, who replaced a king was no better, as he was a harsh and arrogant military dictator, causing a continental war. Maximilien Robespierre’s Reign of Terror demonstrated the dark undertones of the new democratic state, foreshadowing the revolutions fate. However, the ideals and new systems put in place such as the viewpoints illustrated in source one, such as democracy, freedom, and equality live on. The sense of French nationalism was nearly always present in France, and although it was criticized or rejected, the people still held onto their ideals. They managed to get rid of the oppressive feudal system, establish democracy, increase wealth of the working class, and reduced the influence of the church. The short term goals of the revolution were not reached, but instead laid the foundation for a brighter future of