[The Politics of Change Vol. 2] The French Revolution: Equality Born from Breaking Harmony

The Aim of This Issue

The French Revolution of the 18th century was a major transformation that shattered the 'harmony' of the old regime and championed 'Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity' as new values. We will consider why people chose change when that harmony collapsed.

Main Text

18th-century France was, at first glance, a stable country.
With King Louis XVI at the top, the nobility and clergy ruled, while peasants and citizens lived beneath them.
A class system was established, and society was built upon a harmony of 'maintaining order according to one's status.'

However, that harmony was only stability for a very small number of people.
While the nobility and clergy were exempt from taxes, it was the Third Estate—the common citizens—who supported the nation's finances.
As unequal burdens continued, the dissatisfaction of the people gradually grew, and the 'old harmony' of the monarchy began to creak from within.

In 1789, the Estates-General, convened against a backdrop of financial difficulty, became the stage where that dissatisfaction exploded.
Representatives of the Third Estate declared, 'We are the nation,' and formed the National Assembly.
At this moment, the center of politics shifted from the King to the people, and the long-standing harmony finally collapsed.

Ideals Born from a Broken Order

What makes the French Revolution special is not simply that it overthrew the monarchy.
It is because it changed the very foundation of politics and put forward the new ideal that 'men are born equal.'
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which became the heart of the revolution, fundamentally overturned a society that had previously taken 'inequality born of status' for granted.

In other words, the revolution was not just an act of 'destroying the structure of rule,' but also an act of remaking the values of society.
The words 'Liberty,' 'Equality,' and 'Fraternity' had a major influence on the political thought of later Europe and the world.

The Collapse of Harmony and New Conflict

However, the process of the revolution was by no means peaceful.
After the monarchy was overthrown, opinions within the revolutionary government split, and radicals and moderates clashed.
The Reign of Terror by Robespierre, civil war, and wars with neighboring countries—the revolution that was supposed to create a 'new harmony' once again produced chaos.

Even so, this chaos was also 'proof that politics is alive.'
It was the first step toward a politics where people think, discuss, and choose for themselves, rather than maintaining a 'quiet stability' like the old regime.

After the revolution, Napoleon appeared, and while restoring order, he implemented many reforms.
It was a process of regaining 'harmony' from within the violence.
In this way, France experienced a political cycle of 'from destruction to rebirth.'

Questions Left by the Revolution

The French Revolution showed the prototype of 'change' in politics.
It was not just an event where a king was overthrown, but an expression of the will to 'seek human dignity even if it means breaking harmony.'

But at the same time, the revolution leaves us with questions.
How far is change permissible?
And how do we build harmony after it has been broken?

This question continues into modern politics.
Every time regimes and values waver, we are asked whether we choose 'stability' or 'change,' and what we will protect and what we will change.

Next time, we will look at the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Why did a nation that maintained stability through centralization and control collapse?
Let us look at the change that occurred when 'harmony through control' reached its limit.