French Revolutionary Fervor and Its Manifestation In England and Ireland, 1790-1799
Disciplines
European History | Political History | Social History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Beginning in 1789, France experienced massive political and social changes that sparked fear among the other monarchies in Europe that this revolution would spill into their borders and bring violence with it. Yet other people could see the French Revolution as an example of democratic triumph to be followed. This study questions how those arguments were embodied across the British Isles and why revolutionary fervor among British people manifested differently from the rest of the continent, with a specific focus on England and Ireland. Historians like H.T. Dickson or Albert Goodwin analyze the role of radical democratic movements in England, such as the Friends of Liberty, and their history of activism as a threat emboldened by developments in the continent, leading to their quick and efficient suppression by the royal government from 1792 to 1798. Others - such as Eliga Gould and H.M. Scott - argue that after the American Revolution, the British government became more authoritarian, choosing to secure political and economic stability at home and control of its overseas holdings, backing away from affairs on the continent after 1783. Others more - like Sean Cronin and James Murphy - focus on Ireland’s revolutionary moment as influenced by the French Revolution, from the formation of patriotic societies - like the United Irishmen in 1791 - to the outbreak of armed conflict against British authority in 1798 and subsequent suppression. Considering all this, and with the use of primary sources from figures like Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and Samuel Romilly from 1790 to 1799, this study concludes that the royal establishment’s distance from European affairs and shift away from a populace with political agency helped it quell revolutionary fervor and maintain order, more efficiently in England than in Ireland, the latter being definitely subdued after a failed armed rebellion.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Amy Dunagin
French Revolutionary Fervor and Its Manifestation In England and Ireland, 1790-1799
Beginning in 1789, France experienced massive political and social changes that sparked fear among the other monarchies in Europe that this revolution would spill into their borders and bring violence with it. Yet other people could see the French Revolution as an example of democratic triumph to be followed. This study questions how those arguments were embodied across the British Isles and why revolutionary fervor among British people manifested differently from the rest of the continent, with a specific focus on England and Ireland. Historians like H.T. Dickson or Albert Goodwin analyze the role of radical democratic movements in England, such as the Friends of Liberty, and their history of activism as a threat emboldened by developments in the continent, leading to their quick and efficient suppression by the royal government from 1792 to 1798. Others - such as Eliga Gould and H.M. Scott - argue that after the American Revolution, the British government became more authoritarian, choosing to secure political and economic stability at home and control of its overseas holdings, backing away from affairs on the continent after 1783. Others more - like Sean Cronin and James Murphy - focus on Ireland’s revolutionary moment as influenced by the French Revolution, from the formation of patriotic societies - like the United Irishmen in 1791 - to the outbreak of armed conflict against British authority in 1798 and subsequent suppression. Considering all this, and with the use of primary sources from figures like Edmund Burke, Thomas Paine, and Samuel Romilly from 1790 to 1799, this study concludes that the royal establishment’s distance from European affairs and shift away from a populace with political agency helped it quell revolutionary fervor and maintain order, more efficiently in England than in Ireland, the latter being definitely subdued after a failed armed rebellion.