Now, as with every revolution ushered by the unchecked public rage instead of calculated and planned objectives, the French Revolution was at the same time a success and a failure. In so far as the establishment of democracy is concerned, the French Revolution was, no doubt, a great success for France as she permanently found a place in the hearts of nationalists. Indeed, the success of the Revolution can be truly appreciated when one notices the constant appearance of some form of the tricolor on the flags of every country united or emancipated from the earlier rule under a nationalist fervor. The fall of bastille, the Babeuf Plot, the Thermidorian Reaction…they all became legends and as Thomson puts it “French Revolution could be considered the important event of Europe till 1914”.
And yet, while appreciating the democratic ideal of the revolution, one must not forget that the democracy was only the result, and not the original objective. Most people, including Voltaire advocated popular sovereignty or later others, constitutional monarchy as the ideal form of government. The call for democracy came later with the stubbornness of the King and the nobles in letting go of their hereditary privileges. Alongwith that of course, also came the bloodshed who appalled many and took the lives of even “the children of the Revolution itself”. Indeed, other than the radical and violent Jacobins, there were very few in France who wished for a death count as high as 40,000 under the blade of the guillotine. And, it is precisely this confusion, chaos and subsequent violent nature of the Revolution that makes it a failure for Marianne.
The history of the French Revolution shows a muddled, confused path taken up by men of extreme passion and deficiency of clear direction. One of the most glaring examples of this inconstancy of one particular ideology is the constant change of the governing body itself during the French Revolution that went on from the National Assembly to the National Constituent Assembly to the Legislative Assembly and then the National Convention and so on. There were five governing bodies between 1789 and 1799 and there can be no better evidence in showing the upheaval and frequent change of mood of the French public, so characteristic of the Revolution.
The French Revolution has many colors. While it inspired generations after it to rebel against existing forms of governments and permanently changed the atmosphere of Europe by creating an ideology “that could be exported” (H.M. Scott) and a taste of the force of public opinion and organized agitation.
Of course, the greatest success of the Revolution for France as well as the whole world was the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. A very sensational charter to the contemporary world politics, it combined with the ominous warning from the National Assembly of its pledge “of spreading the ideal of equality and brotherhood” everywhere it established its rule, in provoking reactions of appreciation at first and then fear from the continental monarchs, and thus cleared the path of the Revolutionary Wars.
Again, we have an example of a success acting as the double-edged harbinger of failure. The huge publicity generated by the Revolution, leading to the panicked reaction by neighboring kingdoms including the Brunswik Manifesto etc. brought a momentum to the Girodins in the National Assembly who were very enthusiastic for wars. While the initial successes at war were very helpful in creating supportive atmosphere back home, later repulsions faced by the French Army under the Girodin government, made sure that the Girodins were overthrown and the extremist Jacobins came to power and with them the infamous Robespierre and his deadly “Committee for Public Safety” in 1792.
It was from this point that the French Revolution was quickly turned into one of the bloodiest repressions in history. The ideals of Equality and Liberty which had originally made the revolution a completely new chapter (and yes, a successful one) in the contemporary world affairs, became farce under the new dictatorship of the bloodthirsty Robespierre. Of course, this was not permanent and order was restored again, at first an indecisive temporary peace with the Thermidorian Reaction and then finally, five years later, with the Brumaire Coup and the establishment of the Napoleonic empire.
But, as far as the success of the revolution (or the lack of it) is concerned, we can safely say the French Revolution was definitely a success for France. While it had its inherent flaws and share of bloodshed, its virtues have long outlived its defects. An inspiration to the oppressed for years to come, and emulated in the many other countries in the next two centuries including Russia, the cry of “Liberty, Equality and Freedom!” live on as a gem in the history of France.
