Overview
This lecture examines the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, highlighting its significance during the French Revolution and the blend of Enlightenment ideas that influenced its creation.
Background and Context
- Passed by the National Assembly on August 26, 1789, during the early phase of the French Revolution.
- Marked France’s shift from absolute monarchy to outlining principles for constitutional government.
Influences and Philosophical Foundations
- Influenced by Thomas Jefferson, advocating classical liberalism and individual rights.
- Inspired by Jean-Jacques Rousseau, emphasizing democracy, the general will, and the role of government as an instrument of the majority.
- The document reflects a tension between Jeffersonian individual rights and Rousseau’s collective, democratic ideals.
Content and Key Points of the Declaration
- Begins with a preamble emphasizing natural, inalienable rights and the duties of citizenship.
- Invokes the "Supreme Being," reflecting the period’s civic deism.
- Men are born free and equal in rights; social distinctions are based only on public utility, not hereditary status.
- The aim of government is to preserve liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
- Sovereignty resides in the nation, abolishing privileges of the old social estates.
- Liberty is defined as the freedom to act as long as it does not harm others; limits are set by law.
- The law is the expression of the general will; all citizens have the right to participate in lawmaking, directly or through representatives.
- Law should only forbid actions harmful to society, reflecting classical liberalism.
- Some rights (free opinion, religion) are guaranteed, but limited if they threaten public order, unlike the US Bill of Rights.
Contradictions and Significance
- The document contains contradictions between liberal individualism and collective democracy.
- Foreshadows later radicalization in the Revolution, including expanding government power and the Reign of Terror.
- Represents the early liberal phase and hints at the coming shift toward greater state control.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen — 1789 document outlining rights and principles guiding the French Revolution.
- Natural Rights — Fundamental rights belonging to all humans, such as liberty and property.
- General Will — Rousseau’s concept of the collective desires or interests of the people as a whole.
- Classical Liberalism — Philosophy advocating individual rights and limited government intervention.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review the document’s full text for further details.
- Prepare for the next lecture on the Civil Constitution of the Clergy.