In what ways did the French Revolution continue to influence politics and culture?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The ideas of the Enlightenment and the French Revolution were seen as having a direct relationship and causative effect, however, the general principle of the Enlightenment, that change is possible and progress is good, remained in effect in the nineteenth century. Certain ideas, such as the potential of humankind to achieve better standards of living and transform the world in a positive way, were still considered valid. Romanticism celebrated the individuals who could inspire change, including Napoleon, while recognizing that the systematic changes that allowed his rise to greatness were accomplished through the transformations of the Enlightenment and the challenging of the traditional order. Romantic thinkers were revolutionary in a cultural sense, challenging the social conventions of the day and exploring new experimental forms in art and literature. In politics, liberals and social reformers sought to achieve measures to improve life, but at the same time promoted the development of an economy in a complex commercial world that would allow individuals to succeed or fail on their own merits rather than through the intervention or imposition of traditions by the government. A series of political revolutions in the 1830s sought to expand on constitutionalism and promote national agendas, while in Great Britain, changes were made through the Parliament. Liberalism maintained an interest in promoting the good ideas of the Enlightenment and Revolution, particularly "liberty, equality, and fraternity," but rejected the extreme violence and corruption of republican ideals that occurred during the Revolution. All modern political ideologies had roots in the French Revolution, and the responses of governments to social, political, and cultural issues through the nineteenth century reflected their response to the threat of renewed revolution.