Europe and the world in global context

¶ … Enlightenment on the French and Haitian Revolutions

Without a doubt, the ideas expressed during the Enlightenment in the 18th century greatly influenced the beginnings and outcomes of the French Revolution in France and the Haitian Revolution in Haiti. The "authors" of the Enlightenment, like Montesquieu, Diderot and Rousseau, thus provided new and radical political, social and religious ideals that sparked one of the most important revolutions in Europe and its counterpart in Haiti which at the time was existing under conditions quite similar to those in France prior to the French Revolution.

The Enlightenment:

The saying, "The thought is the author of the deed" originated during the Enlightenment and refers to the ideals expressed during this time that served as the "authors" or creators of the French and Haitian Revolutions. The term enlightenment is usually applied to the radical philosophy that swept through Europe and especially in France some forty years before the French Revolution in 1789. In its most basic sense, enlightenment symbolizes the efforts of writers and philosophers to use critical reason to free the human mind from prejudice, unsubstantiated authority and oppression by the church and state. This entity was characterized by the questioning of tradition and an ever-increasing trend toward individualism, reasoning and empiricism. The tenets of the church were also challenged, for in France, secularism was rapidly replacing the Christian world view, meaning that the church was being pushed to the background. The ideals or authors" of the Enlightenment were therefore directed at man's right to control his own destiny and to do away with the ancient idea that man's life was guided by the power of an unseen deity Thus, the restructuring of society through these "authors" guaranteed happiness and contentment via logic and reasoning instead of superstition and fear.

The French Revolution:

In essence, the French Revolution was begun by certain "liberal" revolutionary leaders who, while under the guidance of the Enlightenment "authors," sought to end the outmoded government controlled by the French aristocracy, particularly the monarchy and the reign of Louis XVI, both of which took unbridled of the common French citizen and curtailed his "natural rights" as a free and equal person. This conservative / monarchical system was destined to be replaced by the "Declaration of the Rights of Man" which established a free and democratic society. According to this important document, the French people, under the banner of the National Assembly, believed "that the ignorance, neglect or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments" and that the declaration must "set forth... The natural, unalienable and sacred rights of man" and must "continually (remind them) of their rights and duties" (2005, "Declaration of the Rights," Avalon Project, Internet).

Thus, the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," which established a free democratic society in France, expressed many Enlightenment ideals, such as a focus on progress and reform favorable to individual freedom as guaranteed by law and secured by the governmental protection of civil liberties, open-minded, tolerant and free of traditional ideas and values. Many of the events that occurred during the French Revolution were indicative of Enlightenment thought. One in particular concerns Olympe de Gouges, "one of the most outspoken and articulate women revolutionaries" during the French revolt. In 1791, her "Declaration of the Rights of Women" which contained the warning "Woman, wake up... reason is being heard throughout the whole universe; discover your rights," led to her being charged with treason, resulting in her arrest, trial and execution in 1793 by the dreaded guillotine (1997, Halsall, "Olympe de Gouge," Internet).

The Haitian Revolution:

While all of this revolt was happening in France, the small Caribbean colony of Haiti was experiencing similar turmoil. The Haitian Revolution of 1789 to 1804 began as a political struggle among the free peoples of Saint Domingue, a French colony on the island of Hispaniola. The French Revolution of the same period provided the impetus for class and racial hatreds to come about on the island. Each of the colony's social classes, being the wealthy planters and merchants, and the lower white classes, seized the chance to address their grievances and bring about social chaos and revolt. While many colonial members sought support from the political groups in France, the struggle quickly turned violent, for in August of 1791, the slave population joined in and turned the revolution into a war for emancipation and national independence.

Part of the problem could be found in the fact that Saint Domingue was a very valuable piece of real estate. In 1780, "there were 800 sugar plantations and 2,000 coffee plantations," most of which were centered around Cap Francais, "the central region for the slave rebellion," due to Cap Francais being "where the majority of the slaves were located" (2004, Carpentier, Internet).

The success of the slave revolt was due mostly to the leadership of Toussaint Louverture, whose efforts to rid Haiti of slavery were highly bound to European rivalries and the politics of the French Revolution. However, the slaves within Haiti, following the adoption of the constitution of the Haitian Republic on July 1, 1801, continued to be oppressed, and despite the rewards of emancipation and progressive labor reforms, most of which were inspired by the "Declaration of the Rights of Man," the plantation system remained in force. Toussaint, liberated by the ideals of the National Convention in Paris, was also inspired by the Jacobins who abolished slavery in France in February of 1794.