Interpretations of the French Revolution:.
Historiographically, The French Revolution has been interpreted by three main views: The Views of Conservatism, Liberalism, and Socialism. The Socialistic interpretation has been the most dominant interpretation of the French Revolution because it best explains its causes, nature and events. I will describe the three interpretations and the authors associated with each. I will also use certain events and documents to contradict and support these interpretations.
Edmond Burke, an English aristocrat that represented the Conservative interpretation of the French Revolution; hated the French Revolution, as all aristocrats did. Burke was the first aristocratic writer to define the aristocratic point of view on the French Revolution, which was the belief that the French Revolution was an immoral crime and a breakdown of Christian values. This came to be known as the Conservatist Interpretation of the French Revolution. He would say that the Monarchy, the oldest institution in society, preserves the moral values, traditions and virtues of society and that anything interrupting this is an interruption of those values. Burke also believed that all the philosophers of the enlightenment were anti-god.
The Cahiers interrupted the traditions preserved by the Monarchy. Before the French Revolution no one could formally express his or her feelings toward the king without being executed. Expressing the feelings of the estates on a list of grievances definitely interrupted the traditional ways of feudalism, supporting the Conservatist view on the French Revolution.
Abbe Sieyes also supported the conservatism interpretation. He wrote the book what is the 3rd Estate? ; It spoke of Nationalism and the People. He led an internal conservative faction that vied for power against the Directory of which he was a member. He agreed with Burke that the revolution had gone to far.
