French Revolution vs. Industrial Revolution

Revolution

Talking About a Revolution?

The word "revolution" has several meanings, all of which are closely related but that have significant and important differentiating details. The most basic and concrete meaning of the word, and the earliest usage of the word in English as derived directly from its Latin roots, is simply "a revolving," from Latin words meaning "to turn" or "to roll" (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012). From this usage there quickly sprang the meaning of an "instance of a great change [or turn] in affairs," and in the current age the word can and has been applied from major scientific discoveries that fundamentally change the understanding of the universe to a new non-stick pan available for three payments of nine-ninety-nine (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012). So when someone raises a question like, is the French Revolution or the Industrial Revolution more of a true revolution, the answer must include an analysis of the word itself.

Revolting Like the French

When the question of whether or not the French Revolution is a true revolution is raised, it is typically because the Revolution did not succeed in the sense that it neither established a new stable and democratic government in the country nor prevented a return of the monarchy (Neely, 2008). After the Reign of Terror that immediately followed the overthrow of the monarchy, a great deal of chaos continued in France's political ranks up to and through Napoleon's rule, and then through decades of war, restorations, revolutions and counter-revolutions that occur at a dizzying pace (Neely, 2008). All this activity means there was not a single definitive "turn" of events.

Is such a distinct and singular turn of events truly a prerequisite for an event to be dubbed a revolution, however? It is unquestionable that, as ill-defined and impermanent as the period following the beheading of Louis XVI was in French politics and power hierarchies, this period certainly constituted a major change in the course of that country's history and development (Neely, 2008). Perhaps the resulting subsequent leaders of the nation were not better than the monarchy when it came to abuses of personal and civil liberties and the running of a tyrannical and perhaps even despotic government, but they were very different and irrevocably altered the course of European and world history -- "a great change in affairs" -- making the French Revolution truly revolutionary in one of the oldest meanings of the word (Online Etymology Dictionary, 2012). one could even argue that, due to the cyclical nature of monarchs and other leaders that followed the initial Revolution, this historical pattern was more truly revolutionary based on the oldest roots of the term.

Manufacturing a Revolution

If the French Revolution can be considered a true revolution based solely on the grounds that it caused a major change in the course of world history, then it would seem obvious that the Industrial Revolution must also be considered a true revolution. This social revolution has fundamentally altered civilization on a worldwide basis far more directly, extremely, and pervasively than any single nation's change in administration ever could (Goloboy & Mancall, 2008). There might be another criterion that excludes industrialization from this moniker, however.