Revolutionary Ideas : An Intellectual History of the French Revolution From The Rights of Man to Robespierre

Historians Of The French Revolution Used To Take For Granted What Was Also Obvious To Its Contemporary Observers--that The Revolution Was Caused By The Radical Ideas Of The Enlightenment. Yet In Recent Decades Scholars Have Argued That The Revolution Was Brought About By Social Forces, Politics, Economics, Or Culture--almost Anything But Abstract Notions Like Liberty Or Equality. In Revolutionary Ideas, One Of The World's Leading Historians Of The Enlightenment Restores The Revolution's Intellectual History To Its Rightful Central Role. Drawing Widely On Primary Sources, Jonathan Israel Shows How The Revolution Was Set In Motion By Radical Eighteenth-century Doctrines, How These Ideas Divided Revolutionary Leaders Into Vehemently Opposed Ideological Blocs, And How These Clashes Drove The Turning Points Of The Revolution. Revolutionary Ideas Demonstrates That The Revolution Was Really Three Different Revolutions Vying For Supremacy--a Conflict Between Constitutional Monarchists Such As Lafayette Who Advocated Moderate Enlightenment Ideas; Democratic Republicans Allied To Tom Paine Who Fought For Radical Enlightenment Ideas; And Authoritarian Populists, Such As Robespierre, Who Violently Rejected Key Enlightenment Ideas And Should Ultimately Be Seen As Counter-enlightenment Figures. The Book Tells How The Fierce Rivalry Between These Groups Shaped The Course Of The Revolution, From The Declaration Of Rights, Through Liberal Monarchism And Democratic Republicanism, To The Terror And The Post-thermidor Reaction. In This Compelling Account, The French Revolution Stands Once Again As A Culmination Of The Emancipatory And Democratic Ideals Of The Enlightenment. That It Ended In The Terror Represented A Betrayal Of Those Ideas--not Their Fulfillment.--book Jacket. Introduction -- Revolution Of The Press (1788-90) -- From Estates-general To National Assembly (april-june 1789) -- The Rights Of Man : Summer And Autumn 1789 -- Democratizing The Revolution -- Deadlock (november 1790-july 1791) -- War With The Church (1788-92) -- The Feuillant Revolution ( July 1791-april 1792) -- The General Revolution Begins (1791-92) -- The Revolutionary Summer Of 1792 -- Republicans Divided (september 1792-march 1793) -- The General Revolution From Valmy To The Fall Of Mainz (1792-93) -- The World's First Democratic Constitution (1793) -- Education : Securing The Revolution -- Black Emancipation -- Robespierre's Putsch ( June 1793) -- The Summer Of 1793 : Overturning The Revolution's Core Values -- De-christianization (1793-94) -- The Terror (september 1793-march 1794) -- The Terror's Last Months (march-july 1794) -- Thermidor -- Post-thermidor (1795-97) -- The General Revolution (1795-1800) : Holland, Italy, And The Levant -- The Failed Revolution (1797-99) -- Conclusion : The Revolution As The Outcome Of The Radical Enlightenment. Jonathan Israel. Includes Bibliographical References (pages [803]-831) And Index. How the Radical Enlightenment inspired and shaped the French Revolution Historians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers--that the Revolution was caused by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture--almost anything but abstract notions like liberty or equality. In Revolutionary Ideas , one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment restores the Revolution's intellectual history to its rightful central role. Drawing widely on primary sources, Jonathan Israel shows how the Revolution was set in motion by radical eighteenth-century doctrines, how these ideas divided revolutionary leaders into vehemently opposed ideological blocs, and how these clashes drove the turning points of the Revolution. Revolutionary Ideas demonstrates that the Revolution was really three different revolutions vying for supremacy--a conflict between constitutional monarchists such as Lafayette who advocated moderate Enlightenment ideas; democratic republicans allied to Tom Paine who fought for Radical Enlightenment ideas; and authoritarian populists, such as Robespierre, who violently rejected key Enlightenment ideas and should ultimately be seen as Counter-Enlightenment figures. The book tells how the fierce rivalry between these groups shaped the course of the Revolution, from the Declaration of Rights , through liberal monarchism and democratic republicanism, to the Terror and the Post-Thermidor reaction. In this compelling account, the French Revolution stands once again as a culmination of the emancipatory and democratic ideals of the Enlightenment. That it ended in the Terror represented a betrayal of those ideas--not their fulfillment. "Historians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers--that the Revolution was caused by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture--almost anything but abstract notions like liberty or equality. In Revolutionary Ideas, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment restores the Revolution's intellectual history to its rightful central role. Drawing widely on primary sources, Jonathan Israel shows how the Revolution was set in motion by radical eighteenth-century doctrines, how these ideas divided revolutionary leaders into vehemently opposed ideological blocs, and how these clashes drove the turning points of the Revolution. Revolutionary Ideas demonstrates that the Revolution was really three different revolutions vying for supremacy--a conflict between constitutional monarchists such as Lafayette who advocated moderate Enlightenment ideas; democratic republicans allied to Tom Paine who fought for Radical Enlightenment ideas; and authoritarian populists, such as Robespierre, who violently rejected key Enlightenment ideas and should ultimately be seen as Counter-Enlightenment figures. The book tells how the fierce rivalry between these groups shaped the course of the Revolution, from the Declaration of Rights, through liberal monarchism and democratic republicanism, to the Terror and the Post-Thermidor reaction. In this compelling account, the French Revolution stands once again as a culmination of the emancipatory and democratic ideals of the Enlightenment. That it ended in the Terror represented a betrayal of those ideas--not their fulfillment."--Jaquette How the Radical Enlightenment inspired and shaped the French RevolutionHistorians of the French Revolution used to take for granted what was also obvious to its contemporary observers―that the Revolution was shaped by the radical ideas of the Enlightenment. Yet in recent decades, scholars have argued that the Revolution was brought about by social forces, politics, economics, or culture―almost anything but abstract notions like liberty or equality. In Revolutionary Ideas, one of the world's leading historians of the Enlightenment restores the Revolution’s intellectual history to its rightful central role. Drawing widely on primary sources, Jonathan Israel shows how the Revolution was set in motion by radical eighteenth-century doctrines, how these ideas divided revolutionary leaders into vehemently opposed ideological blocs, and how these clashes drove the turning points of the Revolution.In this compelling account, the French Revolution stands once again as a culmination of the emancipatory and democratic ideals of the Enlightenment. That it ended in the Terror represented a betrayal of those ideas―not their fulfillment.