Nationalism in The French Revolution

In many ways, nationalism as in the modern sense can trace some of its roots back the French Revolution. Nationalism as defined by the Mariam Webster Dictionary, is: "a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups.". Although many have argued that nationalist thought has had a profound effect on global history since ancient times, it is much more apparent that Nationalistic thought was as a general rule an idea confined to the educated elite for most of history. A French citizen would likely view themselves as a Norman, a Gascogne, a Breton, or a Parisian. Prior to the introduction of standardized language, France had many dialects and languages many of which were not even mutually intelligible. As such one person in one part of France might have very little in common with someone in another part of France other than sharing elements of the same culture and being subjects of the French Crown.

Following the conclusion of the American Revolution, much of that would change. Many of the French soldiers who served in America were inspired by the American concepts of Patriotism and Democracy, and when they returned home they were outraged at what may have seemed like the abuses of a tyrannical and arbitrary government. At the time the French government had raised taxes in order to deal with the ludicrous amounts of debt they had incurred in the war, and the monarchy still assumed many of the trappings of Absolutism. This would have been compounded by an increase in resentment of the privileges that were afforded to the clergy and the nobility. These issues were compounded by a spread of Enlightenment ideas among the general population. The people of France were now primarily concerned with events and problems on a national scale, rather than a regional point of view. These concerns were amplified by the ineffectual response of the French crown. The Revolution united the various regions of France behind a common cause, and now the French People were concerned with the principles of the French Republic, The French Culture, and ultimately the French Nation. 

As French Nationalism grew in importance, so did its symbols. Many symbols of France emerged in this period including Marianne, and the French Tricolor. The tricolor represented the values of France, with the blue stripe representing freedom (liberté), the red stripe representing brotherhood (fraternité) and the white stripe representing equality (égalité). It is interesting to note that the colors, red, white and blue, were present in French symbolism before the French Revolution. For example, the coat of arms of medieval France was a distinctive sea of lilies over a field of blue, the banner of the Capetian Dynasty (the Oriflamme) was red, and the flag of the Bourbon Dynasty which directly preceded the revolution was white.

 Marianne is an even more distinctive symbol than the French Tricolor. Marianne was a physical personification of the French Revolution, and the French nation. Marianne is almost always depicted wearing a Phrygian cap, an ancient Greek garment associated with democracy. Marianne is often holding the French flag aloft or even wearing the tricolor as a dress. Marianne is usually depicted in a position of defiance, or in a state of serene beauty. In this way, Marianne represented the French ideal of freedom which came about through revolution and the beauty of the French nation in personified form.

References:

“Cogniet, Léon (1794-1880). Scène De Juillet 1830, Dit Aussi Les Drapeaux - Cliché Orléans Musée Des Beaux-Arts, François Lauginie - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, artsandculture.google.com/asset/cogniet-l%C3%A9on-1794-1880-sc%C3%A8ne-de-juillet-1830-dit-aussi-les-drapeaux/LgE71uEaeHgdxA.

“Historical Flags of France; Index of All Pages.” Occitania, www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/fr-index.html#his.

“Marianne and the Motto of the Republic.” Gouvernement.fr, www.gouvernement.fr/en/marianne-and-the-motto-of-the-republic.

“Nationalism.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nationalism.

“The Tricolour Flag.” Gouvernement.fr, www.gouvernement.fr/en/the-tricolour-flag.