French Revolution Critical Analysis

The Looks of Liberty Revolutionary leaders during the French Revolution realized that symbols, flags, colors, and cartoons had huge impact on politics and the beliefs of the French people. The symbols, flags, colors, and cartoons provided the revolutionaries and the French people an opportunity to define themselves and their revolution while showing loyalty to the nation. The symbols, clothes, flags, and art stood for not just what their role in the French revolution was, but the symbols, flags, and colors demonstrated what the individual’s beliefs were at this time of the Revolution.This is important because the symbols obviously meant a great deal to the French Revolution and who represented the Republic.

Symbols of the French Revolution exist still today the flying of our nation’s flag, wearing the colors of our nation, and symbols that represent our nation. Revolutionaries showed these symbols for reasons I want to take a deeper look as to why these symbols, flags, colors, and cartoons meant to the revolutionaries’ lives during the French Revolution. I want to know why the Liberty Cap was symbolic and where did it come from.Why did the French citizens hang flags outside their doors to show nationalism? And what if the French citizens not show or demonstrate the Republic through symbols? Overall I want to look at why these symbols represented the French Revolution like it did and what these symbols represented to the Revolutionaries. Symbols Symbols were important to the revolutionaries in many ways. Symbols stood for liberty, nationalism, and freedom from the monarchical government that France had. The revolutionaries showed a need to eliminate the symbols of monarchy from the French citizen’s imagination.

In this process of the revolutionaries getting rid of the symbols of monarchy they had to find their own symbolic image that represented the revolutionaries during the revolution. In order for the revolutionaries to find their symbols it was thought that the monarchy symbols had to be destroyed first. With this in mind Henri Gregoire said, “ We must fully reassure the friends of liberty: it is necessary to destroy this word king, which is still a talisman whose magical force can serve to stupefy many men.I demand therefore that by a solemn law you consecrate the abolition of royalty” This quote from Henri Gregoire gives a great look into the strong hatred of the monarchy and why the symbols were so important. Flag The flag during the French revolution meant a great deal to the people of France. Taking a closer look at why the revolutionaries asked the people to raise and hang their flags outside their homes could answer questions as why the flags were important in the first place. In the article written by Fre? ron, while Fre? on is talking to the citizens of France he says “Arise then, form up in ranks, unfurl your flags, and led by La Fayette and animated by liberty, your will be invincible! ” (Peuple, 1791) This shows a revolutionary telling the people to get up and open up their flags and nothing will be able to hurt them, and that there is other French citizens hanging up their flags too.

By Fre? ron saying, “unfurl your flags and animated by liberty,” it shows that the flag has great meaning in loyalty and nationalism. Still the question arises as why the revolutionaries asked the people to raise the flag and have it be seen outside their homes?It is answered with by upholding the flag and posting it outside your house not only shows the side that the French people are on but showing loyalty and liberty to the monarchical government. To reassure this notion Robespierre delivered a speech asking some of the same things of the citizens of France. Robespierre said, “This call shall invite every citizen, men and women alike, to immediately adorn their houses with the beloved colors of liberty, either by rehanging their flags, or by embellishing their houses with garlands of flowers and greenery. (La Convetion nationale, 1794) This proves that revolutionaries just did not want to show loyalty and liberty by wearing tri colors or symbols, but the revolutionaries wanted nationalism in every way. When asking does waving the flag mean the same thing as hanging a flag outside my house today? No, during this time in the France’s history there was a revolution and by hanging a flag resembled what side citizens were on either the revolutionaries who wanted liberty or wanted the King. Liberty Tree and CapThe liberty tree and the liberty cap were both shown in many pictures of the Revolutionaries, but what did these symbols have to do with the Republic? There were many symbols and objects that represented more than just a hat, plate, or tree during the French Revolution.

Symbols and colors had a lot to do with the way people of the French revolution carried themselves. For the people of the French Revolution many things were not just things they showed what that individual represented and how the individual wanted to be perceived. Everything had meaning and stood for something.People’s dress and objects they had represented their role and beliefs towards the nation. One cartoon that shows the distinction of the two different types of citizens through the government’s view was “active and passive citizens. ” (active and passive citizen, 2001) In this cartoon it is from the anti revolutionists that want to split the two different types of revolutionaries. The two types are ones with land and ones without land.

In the cartoon the nobility are showing that the only the revolutionaries who had land could participate in political process.With that cartoon I believed the revolutionaries proved the government and the nobility work by their clothes and symbols they revolutionaries carried around, revolutionaries wanted liberty no matter if they had land or not. There were many items that the revolutionaries shared to show their nationalism. One way to show nationalism in your house hold was to have plates that resembled liberty. The revolutionaries had plates that showed very detail in what the plate represented. In the plate (“Plate: 1914–17 Quimper china”) there is many representation on revolutionaries symbols.Plates usually had the tricolors of red, white and blue.

They also very vivid art on the plates with paintings of the liberty hat for example the plate referenced. But why and how did a plate represent revolutionaries and liberty. It showed how the French citizens viewed showing patriotism. By having plates and symbols within their home, it gave them a since of pride and nationalism that they could represent. Not all people had a voice the politics and show their nationalism, but by people representing it among themselves was showing they support the revolution and liberty.