Conservatism and Liberalism in the French Revolution

A detailed Summary of Conservatism and Liberalism in the French Revolution


'"As modern political doctrines, both conservatism and liberalism were born in the French Revolution." Discuss.'

Stealing from the rich and giving to the poor was the legacy left behind by Robin Hood, it can also be said that it is the legacy o the French Revolution also. From 1789-1799 France underwent her largest change. Under the old regime a network of royal families, their friends and the clergy governed France. The 'middle' class of French society in the late 18th century, the bourgeois was growing. They were starting to unrest due to a number of factors, like the rise in the bred price and just general discontent about being suppressed under an antiquated social/political structure. Pressure was building as time crept closer to 1789. Something had to happen, and as a result of that happening the emergence of two of today's most important political concepts, Conservatism and Liberalism.

I will now briefly define each of them in terms of how I will be arguing their points in this essay.

Conservatism can be seen as a state of mind that objects to rapid change and innovation and longs for balance and order, belief in faith over reason, hierarchy over equality, collective values over individualism, and divine or natural law


In my arguments above I have debated as to whether or not Liberalism was born in the French Revolution and my conclusion is that it wasn't. It was already a state of mind, and that the French Revolution acted only as a catalyst.

I intend to argue now that Liberalism was also born in the French Revolution. If it is to be believed that before the revolution there was one way of doing things. There was actually no variation in rule, social policy or subjugation. This pure logic therefore covers half of my argument. By believing that there was only one way of doing things, the revolution made public the concerns of the real people, and it was, soon enough, realised that everyone wanted things done different to how it had been done before i.e. social unrest. Also, with people repressed and losing their identity, revolt and being 'liberalised' from repression is the natural reaction.

Liberalism is the attitude, philosophy, or movement that is focused on the development of personal freedom and social progress. It promotes change according to the enlightenment principles and insists on freedom from autocratic rule. As opposed to the conservatives, liberalism will challenge the status quo constantly.

They were no longer known as "them".<

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Approximate Word count = 836
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

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