Scotland During The French Revolution (Part Three)

The French Revolution was such a huge event that it could not be ignored. Privileged people throughout Europe were fearful that they would be overthrown by the masses. Many spoke of revolution as inevitable, claiming that as the lower classes became educated and politicised, things could never go back to the way they had been before.

The middle classes who had originally helped organise and politicise the working classes were blamed by the rich for stirring up trouble. Once it became clear that the government would not shy away from using violence to crush any form of defiance the majority of the middle classes began to distance themselves from the radical movements. It was events, such as that of April 1820 when a group of weavers were prevented from protesting by dragoons at Bonnymuir, that had scared them off. There were several arrests and even three executions.

The radical movement was effectively crushed once more. Over the next few years the middle classes went on to campaign successfully for reforms which improved their lot, but did nothing for the working classes. With the support of the middle classes lost there was little hope of achieving reform for the radicals. Society was changing, no longer landownership, but wealth of any kind was now the prerequisite for power. The middle classes had come to dominate the legal profession and took a strong role in politics. Having gained the platform to improve their lot, like the upper classes before them, they chose to do it to the detriment of the working classes.

One of the major reasons protest failed in Scotland was in fact the French Revolution. The reason for this is the fear that it generated. The terrible violence of the Terror in France combined with the enthusiasm of the industrial classes in this country towards revolutionary principles was enough to evoke a crushing over reaction from the government. The war against Napoleon served as the perfect distraction from the troubles at home and made it much easier for the government to exert control forcefully.

Ultimately during this period, although revolutionary principles had a powerful effect on the middle classes, the working classes remained politically unaware. Most of the unrest during this period was still caused by economic conditions. The fact that much of the protest coincides with the revolution in France goes to suggest a link that was not really there. At the end of this period, around 1820, after thirty years of struggle the major change had not been political or social, but economic as Britain embraced capitalism. So pronounced was the economic change into a capitalist system that it became the major force influencing both social conditions and political reform.

Go To Page: 1

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic