A Response to JED's post on pages 717-724

I have no doubt that in the 19th century the wheels were turning, technology and industry were growing, and institutional changes were being made in Europe; however, I feel that we must make a more specific reference to the French Revolution and the impact it had on the new political ideologies. Nationalism comes from technological innovations, yes, but also from Napoleon and the new concept of the 'nation' that he helped form. As our textbook states, "the revolutionaries built a national state, army, and legal system whose jurisdiction trumped the older regional powers of the nobility" (723). After the FR of 1789, "the nation became what one historian calls "the collective image of modern citizenry" (723). Liberalism definitely emerged from Enlightenment ideals set forth by John Locke that were in turn used as a foundation for both the American and French Revolutions. I agree that socialism emerged as a response to the industrialization and the laissez-faire capitalism, but it also emerged from the concept of equality that was so sought after during the French Revolution. Socialists believed in equality for the working/common people. Therefore the "French Revolutionary trio:liberty, equality, and fraternity" were all displayed by Liberalism, Socialism, and Nationalism (724). We cannot forget Conservatism, which was a direct reaction against the French Revolution. Conservatives wanted legitimacy, church, aristocracy, and a balance between the monarch and the nobles. All these things were not nearly as important during the French Revolution when the state was ruled by an assembly instead of a monarch.