The French Revolution was an extended period of change inspired by the popular mentalities of social and political dissatisfaction. By analysing Robert Darnton’s “Workers Revolt” from The Great Cat Massacre, Timothy Tackett’s “When the King took Flight,” and Madame Roland’s “Memoirs of Madame Roland,” one can better understand the evolution of these popular mentalities leading up to, and during, the Revolution. These three texts are important as they offer a holistic understanding of how the concepts of human rights and legitimate political sovereignty influenced both the popular actions and mentalities of the Revolution. In “Workers’ Revolt,” from The Great Cat Massacre, Robert Darnton attempts to explain the hilarity of an orchestrated …show more content…
However, with a new government came new political dysfunction. This was evident in the Reign of Terror (1793-94), an excessively violent turn of the Revolution maintained by the new government. The Terror caused much of France to believe that the Revolution had been hijacked by politicians only interested in securing their own power. This popular mentality is clearly expressed by French Revolutionary Madame Roland in “Memoirs of Madame Roland.” Roland’s work provides an important contemporary account of the later years of the Revolution to demonstrate the continuing evolution of popular …show more content…
This was reinforced by the CPS’s ruling in 1794 that the accused could not defend themselves in trial, leading to the rapid execution of many revolutionaries. Laws like this solidified the corruption of government as “a ‘law’ was now little more than a word which was used to deprive people of their most widely recognized right.” Ultimately, Roland’s writing is so powerful because it highlights a deep concern for individual rights and political sovereignty that many of the French also shared. Not only does Roland speak on behalf of the masses but her writing provides a greater understanding of why many French had lost faith in their new