This course examines the history of revolutionary politics in Britain, America and France during the tumultuous 17th and 18th centuries, when the very foundations of established monarchical rule were increasingly challenged by the growing cries for popular ‘liberty’. That all three states eventually emerged as liberal power bases would seem to confirm this, the revolutions shaping and framing the triumphant ascendancy of modern liberal democracy overall. Closer examination however reveals a much more complex picture, where the championing of new liberties sat side by side with the birth of new totalitarianism and terror.
How and why this complex picture emerged will be the key focal point of this course, as we explore the nature of the revolutionary challenge in each of the three states, and how they evolved through time - sometimes in ways their original creators could never have imagined. In the process we will examine the roles played by key revolutionaries and reactionaries alike, asking how they helped shape the course of events, and how this impacted both their national, and personal, destinies. We will also explore the critical role of enlightened thought throughout, from Hobbes to Locke and from Voltaire to Rousseau, asking whether, and to what extent, the revolutions shared a common philosophical identity.