The Annual Besterman Lecture of the Voltaire Foundation: ‘Who were the French Revolutionaries?'
Watch the live event here: https://torch.ox.ac.uk/event/live-event-the-2020-besterman-lecture-who-were-the-french-revolutionaries-by-professor-william
When Napoleon in 1799 declared that the French Revolution was over, he said that was because it was now established on the principles with which it began. The implication was that much of what had happened over the preceding decade of upheaval had not been in accordance with those principles. Napoleon took care, of course, not to state what they were: his constitution was the first since 1789 not to contain a declaration of basic rights. Yet everyone during the Revolution claimed to be acting on revolutionary principles, or denounced their opponents for betraying them. Can we distinguish between those who held to and those who ignored or compromised revolutionary aspirations? This lecture will make the attempt, challenging some of the most enduring assumptions in revolutionary historiography.

Watch this live event here: torch.ox.ac.uk/event/live-event-the-2020-besterman-lecture-who-were-the-french-revolutionaries-by-professor-william
Date: 19 November 2020, 17:00 (Thursday, 6th week, Michaelmas 2020)
Venue: Venue to be announced
Speaker: Professor William Doyle FBA (Bristol)
Booking required?: Not required
Audience: Public
Editor: Laura Spence