Outline Lecture I Overview- Why is it the French revolution turned out so violent? The dark side of the enlightenment. It introduced a new style of politics, revolutionary politics that leads to the deaths of thousands II The Enlightenment: A double edged sword He talks about human beings being able to perfect themselves to create a more perfect society. He believes that if humans are rational then he can make the world a better place. The time will therefore come when the sun will shine only on free men who know no other master but their reason: when tyrants and slaves, priests and their stupid or hypocritical instruments, will exist only in works of history and on the stage; and when we shall think of them only to pity their victims and their dupes; to maintain ourselves in a state of vigilance by thinking on their excesses; and to learn how to recognize and so to destroy, by force of reason, the first seeds of tyranny and superstition, should they ever dare to reappear amongst us. Maximillien Rospier said 1/3 of the population France might have to be guillotined in order to realize the true ideas of the French revolution. Jean Jacques Rousseau says We each of us place, in common, his person, and all his power under the supreme direction of the general will, and we receive into the body each member as an indivisible part of the whole. What is general will? Its the true self interest of that society or that community whether or not the people in that society know it or not. It is confusing because who decides this? In order therefore to prevent the social compact from becoming a vain form, it tacitly comprehends this engagement, which alone can give effect to the others that whoever refuses to obey the general will, shall be compelled to it by the whole body, which is in fact only forcing him to be free, for this is the condition which guarantees his absolute personal independence to every citizen of the country. He believes human beings were born good until society came together and corrupted human beings. He believes you must tear up society to go back to good. In order to survive human beings must come together in society. In order to work together they must give up certain liberties. How do you maintain individual freedoms in society when human beings must give some up to belong in society? He said human beings form a social contract. Condorcet says it only applies to civilized Europeans. Will the vast gulf that separates these peoples from the slavery of nations under the rule of monarchs, from the barbarism of African tribes, from the ignorance of savages, little by little disappear? European imperialism springs out from ideas such as these. III Revolutionary politics The French revolution is the first to have revolutionary politics. It introduces this new language of revolutionary politics one based on enlightenment principles then it radicalizes them. IV The new discourse of politics and the citizen
V The politicization of everyday life The flag (tricolour) symbolizes liberty equality and fraternity. They symbolize the new revolutionary politics. A revolution never is made by halves; it must either by total or it will abort. All the revolutions which history has conserved for memory as well as those that have been attempted in our time have failed because people wanted to square new laws with old customs and rule new institutions with old men REVOLUTIONARY means outside of all forms and all rules; REVOLUTIONARY means that which affirms consolidates the revolution, that which removes all the obstacles which impede its progress. To be truly republican each citizen much experience and bring about a revolution that has changed France. It meant getting rid of everything from the old. You kill the monarchy; take the land and titles of aristocracy to make everyone equal. It meant replacing aristocracy with the notion of the citizen, they are equal. It also meant an obsession with conspiracy, to move on you must eliminate any possible enemy. In 1793, Sans Culottes thought that everyone must take part in the revolution and everything will become politicized such as what you wear and your words, your refusal to take part in the events and taking part was a sign that you were a true revolutionary. On July 5, 1792 all men were required to wear a revolutionary cockade (hat). The metric system was a product of the French Revolution. They believed people were suppose to count in tens and created 10 months instead of 12 based on the seasons. Even saying the wrong time, not saying it in 10s would indicate youre not a true revolutionary. VI The new rituals They attacked the church. The revolutionaries try to replace the rituals of the church. They had a problem, they believed in reason. That belief was not necessarily enough to inspire all the French. They knew they had to create symbols to inspire them. For example on the 10th of August 1793 there was a French festival when the people wake up dawn and come together as the sun rose. The ceremony would begin at the French Bastille where the revolution began in 1789. They create a fountain, the fountain of regeneration, in the shape of a giant statue to embody nature. It was a woman statue there were fountains of water in the nipples. They took red cups to drink from this. It was in order to recreate communion. They burned crowns and other symbols of royal authority. They then let 3,000 birds go with tricolour ribbons tired to them. On 10th of November they had the festival of reason in Cathedral of Nostradom. They built a small mountain to symbolize parliamentary left. They built a Greek looking temple on top of this mountain. The redid the our father to the revolution The whole point was to attack Christianity. They decided those not revolutionary enough had to descend their mountains and confess their guilt for not being revolutionary enough and were guillotined. It was at heart a religious war. It was a religious crusade waged for a secular cause, reason and rationality. It was a war against the church that took on symbols of all sorts except the new God was the nation where everything must be
sacrificed for it. In trying to take on the system of Christianity they took the worse feature of it and made it far worse.