Reunion
This piece of crockery further demonstrates the sentiments of social unity so prevalent at the Festival of Federation. The crossed sword, pike, clerical staff, and bonnet symbolize the union of the nobility, peasants, clergy, and workers, respectively.
mfr 85.163
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/22/
22
<i>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</i>
The <i>Universal Declaration of Human Rights</i> was passed by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948 to provide an authoritative list of human rights that could serve as an international standard for all peoples and nations. An affirmation of human rights seemed especially urgent once the horrors of the German genocide against the Jews and Japanese atrocities in China became well known. Although many of the rights in this document can be found in the traditional rights recognized by the <i>U.S. Bill of Rights,</i> the <i>Universal Declaration</i> also includes a series of social and economic rights such as education, employment, and the ability to participate in the cultural life of the community that extend significantly the North American and French revolutionary conception of rights. The extension of rights to include economic and social issues has provoked continuing controversy.
<i>Yearbook on Human Rights for 1946</i> (United Nations, 1950), 466–68.
1948-12-10
https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/296/
296
Ho Chi Minh, Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Viet–Nam
Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary name of Nguyen That Thanh (1890–1969), was the leader of the Vietnamese revolution for independence from the French. He was educated in France, where he became a communist. He returned home to fight Japanese occupation during World War II and to lead resistance to the French afterward. He denounced the imperialist deformation of revolutionary principles and explicitly allied himself with the promise of the original French Revolution.
Ho Chi Minh, <i>On Revolution: Selected Writings, 1920–66</i>, edited and with an introduction by Bernard B. Fall (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967), 143–45. Copyright © Dorothy Fall.
1945-09-02
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Festival of National Unity, 14 July 1939
In this celebration of national unity, the focus on 1789 is quite apparent. The Phrygian cap at the top of the decorations recalled the Revolution, as did the date for this celebration. Of course, both symbol and date had been used and appropriated repeatedly since 1789, but this is a clear reference to the 1789 event. A "Popular Front," leftist government was in control and saw its origins in the revolutionary tradition begun in the eighteenth century.
None Identified
<span>Bibliothèque Nationale de France</span>
1939
Public Domain
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/61/
JPEG
French
61
The Marseillaise
A similar emphasis on patriotic unity can be seen in Jean Renoir’s film, <em>La Marseillaise (1938). The movie tells the story of France’s national anthem, composed by Rouget de Lisle as a way to rally the troops. The song, written for soldiers from Marseillaise, soon inspired the entire nation.</em>
mfr 85.492
1938
http://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/d/23/
23
Antonio Gramsci: Selections from <i>The Prison Notebooks</i>
Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) was an Italian intellectual who joined first the Socialist and then the Communist Party. Between 1924 and 1926 Gramsci was the head of the Italian Communist Party. In 1926 he was arrested by the Mussolini fascist government and sent to prison where he remained until 1937. The excerpt that follows comes from his prison notebooks and demonstrates his fascination with the French Revolution, especially its Jacobin phase. Although Gramsci was a devoted Marxist, he helped turn Marxism toward an interest in local conditions, particularly toward the alliance between intellectuals and workers.
Antonio Gramsci, in Quintin Hoare and Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, <i>Selections from the Prison Notebooks of Antonio Gramsci </i>(New Yorl: International Publishers, 1971) 77–80, 82–83.
1929
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562
Leon Trotsky, <i>The Permanent Revolution</i>
Leon Trotsky (1879–1940), whose original name was Lev Davidovich Bronstein, was one of the chief figures in the Russian Revolution of 1917. After years spent in exile agitating in favor of Russian communism, he put his ideas into practice as one of the leaders of the Bolshevik Revolution. After falling out with Stalin, he was expelled from the Russian Communist Party in 1927 and forced into exile once again. There he wrote prolifically about the meaning of the Russian—and French—revolutions.
Leon Trotsky, <i>The Permanent Revolution and Results and Prospects </i>(New York: Merit, 1969), 52, 54–56, 70–71.
1919
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561
Le Bon, <i>The Psychology of Revolution</i>
Gustave Le Bon (1841–1931) disparaged the Revolution and the revolutionary legacy because he distrusted the common person, particularly when making collective decisions. His analysis of revolutionary crowds pictured them as primitive animals devoid of good decision–making abilities who had to be reigned in by a "strong man" or dictatorial figure.
Gustave Le Bon, <i>The Psychology of Revolution</i>, trans. Bernard Miall (London: T. Fisher Unwin, [1895] 1913), 102–5, 158–60.
1913
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France, <i>The Gods Are Athirst</i>
One of the most widely–read authors of the late nineteenth century, Anatole France (1844–1924) saw the humanity of even the most notorious revolutionary figures such as Jean–Paul Marat. Yet, dedicated to the principles of 1789, France preferred the earlier period of the Revolution. Consequently, his treatment of the National Convention is somewhat ironic despite his general support for the Republic.
Anatole France, <i>The Gods Are Athirst</i>, in <i>The Six Greatest Novels of Anatole France</i>, trans. Wilfrid Jackson (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company, 1918 [1890]), 528–29, 537.
1912
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Sun Yat–Sen, <i>The Three Principles of the People</i>
Sun Yat–Sen (1866–1925) was a Chinese doctor who led the revolution against the Qing dynasty in 1911. Educated in Hawaii and Japan, he tried to compare Western concepts to Chinese conditions. Although his republic proved relatively short–lived, it showed the influence of the heritage of the French Revolution.
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, <i>San Min Chu I: The Three Principles of the People, </i>trans. Frank W. Price, ed. L. T. Chen (Shanghai, China: China Committee, Institute of Pacific Relations, 1927), 189–92, 201–2, 210–11, 262–63, 273, 278.
1905
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