On this day, on 16 January 1793, Louis XVI of France was sentenced to death by the National Convention during the French Revolution.
Whilst the direct impact naturally concerned the French at first, revolution would spread across the continental Europe over the ensuing two decades in both revolution and Napoleon’s campaigns. Political fervour would too be felt in Britain. Whilst many Brits mocked the French revolution, proudly evoking the English Constitution of Magna Carta, radicalism was on the rise – the influence of French Republicanism still stirred ideological conflict in Britannia.
Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793, and Britian and France were at war by 1 February 1793. The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars would intermittently consume Europe and colonies (most notably spreading as far west as USA and Russia in the east).
At home, Britain saw clamours for Republicanism and reform which provoked fear of revolution, and on 23 May 1794, the government enacted the Habaes Corpus Suspension Act, allowing government to detain radicals without trial.
Whilst Great Britain in her geographical isolation was left largely untouched by the destruction of French Revolution, war brought near invasion and a campaign until 1815 (Waterloo) and political ideas spread far across boundaries, forever influencing French, British and European ideology.
Republican revolution was seen afar in the New World less than 20 year before that, but the threat of a neighbouring nation’s revolution spelled more for Britain than Imperial decline… but the threat of annihilation.
Today, the Constitutional Monarchy style government of the United Kingdom is significantly more democratic than in during 1793-1815. There are republicans in Britain, and there too are loyal Royalists as well as centralists. After 1815 until the 1920s, Britain witnessed her greatest transition towards democracy (notably with the Great Reform Acts of 1832, 1872 and suffrage given to all after the First World War). It raises the question of:
How far did the French Revolution impact Britain and British politics?
We can certainly thank those that fought wars in her defense and to preserve liberty, the Chartists, the Suffragettes, Suffragists and many more!!! But of what of the French?
Let them eat cake, let them vote
This blog was typed on a mobile phone, so please forgive any mistypes ;-)