The Impact of the French Revolution on International Relations

Abstract

The French Revolution was a critical turning point in France's history and the modern history of Europe more broadly. This monumental event or series of events began in 1789 and reached its peak during the 1790s with the emergence of Napoleon Bonaparte and his imperialistic and expansionary conquests in Europe and the Near East (Watson, 1992). The revolution's remarkable status in European history is firstly attributable to the wide-ranging and unprecedented citizen-led efforts to deconstruct and redesign the political landscape of their country, in the process uprooting long-standing institutions and traditions like the feudal system and absolute monarchy (Watson, 1992). Secondly, because such systems and institutions had come to define European culture and the European system of governance, over time, the reverberation of the revolution's consequences throughout Europe justifies the event’s characterization as a watershed moment in the history of the continent.