THE ORIGINS of the Revolution of 1789 lie deep in French
history; the basic outcome of the Revolution hastened the
nation's development without altering its historical direction.
Begun by the 'patricians', as Chateaubriand remarked, the
Revolution seemed to be the final episode in the aristocracy's
struggle against the Capetian monarchy, and thereby it ended
the long history of the kingdom. Completed by the 'plebeians',
it made certain the advent of the bourgeoisie. Thus it in-
augurated the history of modern France, but nonetheless capped
the era preceding it, for the germination of that class within the
feudal world it undermined was one major aspect of a long-
term development.

Neither of these features sets France apart from Europe. All
European states were formed similarly, at the expense of the
lords, and all were sooner or later dominated by the rising
bourgeoisie. The French Revolution was not the first which
benefited a middle-class--before it, two revolutions in England
and one in America were landmarks in that evolution.

Viewed in the broad development of civilization, the Revolu-
tion has greater significance. After the barbarian invasions
ended, a passion for conquest drove Europeans towards domina-
tion of the globe, towards discovery and control of natural
forces. At the same time a bold determination to govern the
economy, society, and manners grew stronger--for the welfare
of the individual and the improvement of mankind. The bour-
geoisie of 1789 guaranteed freedom of research to the scholar,
freedom of enterprise to the producer, and at the same time
undertook to rationalize the ordering of politics and society.
The French Revolution denotes one step in the destiny of the
Western world.

Nevertheless, as its power grew the bourgeoisie could have
stepped into government without breaking with the aristocracy.

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