SHOCKWAVES OF REVOLUTION

1 Reform appears on the horizon

When reports of the early stages of the French Revolution reached Britain in May 1789, the news was welcomed by many different sorts of people. Whig politicians, idealistic middle-class reformers and working-class agitators all saw reasons to believe that constitutional change in France was an indicator of a wider spirit of reform. Organisations that had been calling for the extension of the parliamentary franchise in Britain for some years, such as the Society for Constitutional Information, were inspired to take up their old struggle with renewed vigour. Corresponding societies were newly founded in London, Norwich, Manchester and other large towns with the aim of giving ordinary people representation in parliament. “Annual parliaments and universal suffrage” was the call of the London Corresponding Society.

Gradually, however, as events in France unfolded, first with the deposition of the monarch in 1792 and then the execution of the king and Marie-Antoinette the following year, the optimism dissipated. With the advent of the Terror, people were forced to reassess their views. Those of a moderate disposition distanced themselves from revolutionary ideals. Diehard reformers found themselves on the back foot as the government arrested several key campaigners who wanted to see a French-style Convention in Britain. Nevertheless, although it was many years before parliament finally agreed to reform, the revolution never ceased to be an inspiration to those seeking political change in Britain.

2 Britain goes to war

The leaders of the French Revolution initially disassociated themselves from warfare. They decreed in their constitution: “The French nation renounces the undertaking of any war with a view of making conquests, and it will never use its forces against