The French Revolution And Its Effect On British Political...

What, if anything, was achieved by extra-parliamentary protest in the years 1790-1819? Radicalism was alive in Britain from the late eighteenth century, yet Parliament resolutely refused to reform itself until the late 1830s. It is therefore tempting to dismiss extra-parliamentary protest during this period as having failed to bring about any substantial reform in the face of Government repression. The French Revolution had a dramatic impact on British political life from the onset of its eruption in 1789. In November 1790, Edmund Burke published ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’. Burke was not opposed to reform but he defended Britain’s existing constitution on the grounds that it had grown organically out of Britain’s unique history. In his book he maintained that government derived its authority from custom and tradition, not from the consent of the governed. He celebrated the rule of the monarchy and aristocracy, feeling that moderate reform would lead to violent revolution similar to that in France and so the system had to be defended to protect it from destruction. On the other hand, many people were excited by the events taking place in France. By far the most influential response to Burke’s book was Thomas Paine’s ‘The Rights of Man’ (first published in 1791) in which he laid out the ideological basis for republican reform. In the first volume he applauded the changes in France and dismissed Burke’s insistence on the need to follow tradition, insteadShow MoreRelatedThe Impact of the French and Indian War on Colonial America1065 Words   |  5 PagesNowitzky 1 Chris Nowitzky Professor Noyalas November 23,2011 U.S. History 121 The Impact of the French and Indian War on Colonial America The French and Indian war was fought between Great Britain and France from 1754 to 1763. 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