Alexis de Tocqueville, "The June Days"

Rob Edwards

Alexis de Tocqueville, “The June Days”

• To the workers, the June 1948 revolt was one against poverty and for a fairer distribution of property

• The rest of france rallies against the workers in hope of preventing this radicalism

• Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) makes a speech on January 29, 1848, in front of the French chamber of deputies where he warns the French officials about the mood of the laboring poor

• Speech says that although there isn't yet any actual physical disorder, these revolutionary ideals are firmly engrained into the minds of the workers

• They are concerned with social passions instead of political ones, and it is a very dangerous and powerful threat to french society itself

• A most formidable revolution is right around the corner

• speaks about the june days, where in the span of 4 days almost 100,000 men participated in a revolution

• He says that the military capacity demonstrated by the lower class during those 4 days shocked even France's most officers, and that the upper classes should be afraid that the same thing will happen again, but possibly on an even bigger scale

• It is different from the other revolutions in that it wasn't trying to change the form of government, but rather it tried to alter the entire form of society

• It also wasn't just led by a few powerful people, it was an entire insurrection by one class against another

• The upper class barely escaped this last revolt, and must be on their guard this time lest they be destroyed

"The Odious Ideas of the Philosophes" by Klemens von Metternich

Metternich's beliefs regarding the philosophes and the French Revolution:

• the progress of the human mind has grown more rapidly than wisdom which has created a revolution created by false systems
• The philosophes, who abandoned the moral laws of God, created odious ideas which they placed into the minds of other men
• France was unfortunate to have the most philosophes. In France, religion, morality, and authority were all attacked most fervently by the philosophes
• The revolution was created by downgrading the name of God and his divine powers. The social contract also contributed to the Revolution.
• The French Revolution created chaos with many victims
• With the French Revolution, its seeds spread all over the continent of Europe. These revolutionary sees were further developed by the despotic reign of Napoleon.

The Spread of Liberal Ideals to Russia - Myles Anderson

I. The French Revolution sharpened the differences between Russian and western Europe
A. Russia had little national unity and was held together by force
B. The Russian army reached Paris and brought back western ideas to Russia
1. taste for a better life
2. wanted to improve Russia and make it look more like the west
II. Tsar Alexander I originally raised hopes for liberalism but later became more autocratic
A. He granted a constitution in Poland and talked of one in Russia
B. Followed Metternich's reactionary example

The Revolution against Tsarist Autocracy
I. Beginning in the army and Decembrist uprising
A. Officers formed secret societies
B. Open rebellion after Alexander's death

Extract from a Letter of Kakhozsky to General Levashev
I. Nicholas is looking for members of these societies
A. It will not work because they were liberal before they joined the society
B. Most soldiers, even those not in the society, do not oppose it
II. People want a government for the people
A. Although governments resist, they cannot defeat the ideas of freedom

Metternich: The Odious Ideas of the Philosophes

Adam Hawiger

Thesis: As a conservative and borderline reactionary, Metternich offers a harsh critique of the doctrines of the philosophes, not merely as a political opponent, but as a religious conservative opposed to the irreligiousness of the philosophes and the resulting upheaval of their Revolution.

1. Metternich begins by describing the progress which broke out as too rapid to be rationally carried out.
o He stated that the progress grew faster than wisdom in recent years. According to Metternich, wisdom is the “counterpoise to passions and to error”
o As a result, according to Metternich, revolutions of false systems broke out.
2. Metternich criticizes the philosophes ideals revolving around irreligious themes, rather than their liberal philosophy.
o He states they were given great talent in order to sway men in order to achieve their enterprise.
o This enterprise consists of rejecting God and His laws, without consideration about the result.
 Metternich described the situation in France as the result of such religious mockery and sacrilege.
 He also condemned the social contract as conducive to these sentiments.
o Metternich went further to describe that the revolution had already broken out among the nobles, and that the lower classes were only preparing for their revolution
3. Metternich saw in Napoleon I the seeds of this revolution, not only pointing out the errors of France, but also their spread throughout Europe, and the lack of satisfactory results.
o The Revolution in France had been short, thus easy to spread according to Metternich
o Napoleon only spread it through military conquest
 Metternich disparagingly claimed that the upheaval caused by the French destroyed the institutions which could resist the effects of time, replaced with less stable and certain new institutions.

Karlsbad Decrees

In 1819, Metternich and other representatives from German states met in Karlsbad to stifle liberalism and nationalism through several decrees. These Karslbad decrees dissolved Burschenschaften, and censored books, newspapers and professors who spread liberal doctrines. Here are the stipulations to the decrees:

· Sect. 1 – The sovereign shall make choice for each university of an extraordinary commissioner, who will observe carefully the spirit with which professors guide their lectures

· Sect. 2 – The governments of the states can remove professors whom they believe to spread propaganda, and any professor released from their original institution cannot be admitted to any other public institution.

· Sect. 3 – Any secret of unauthorized associations at universities are still not permitted. The government shall mutually engage to not hire any person belonging to such an association.

· Sect. 1 of Press Rules – No writing appearing in the form of a daily paper shall be issued without consent of public authority

· Art. 1 – In fifteen days from this decree, an extraordinary commission of inquiry, appointed by the Diet, shall assemble in the city of Mentz

o The object of this commission is to make careful and detailed inquiries respecting secret revolutionary and demagogic associations, and the members thereof.

Liberal Ideas Spread to Russia

Liberal Ideas Spread to Russia

Thesis: As a result of Russia army reaching Paris, the Russian officers were able to bring home ideas of French Revolution and taste of free life, compared to the gloomy and repressive life of miserable serfs, corrupt official, tyrannical landlords.

• Therefore, these French ideas of constitutional government and individual liberty threatened the old customs of the Russian empire
• For Russia lacked unity as a whole
• Theses officers desired to create a Russia that could be compared to that of France and western Europe
• Tsar Alexander I raised hopes of officers by making “vague promises of reform and by granting a constitution of sorts to those parts of Poland that had been annexed by Russian Empire
• However by 1820, Alexander, following reactionary methods, strengthened his autocratic rule
• Kakhovsky, a member of the Decembrist revolutionary circle
• Govt will struggle to find out members of the secret societies
• Origin and root of society – seek in spirit of time and in our state of mind
• Membership is not very large
• Have discovered that they do not lived for the govts and that the govt are organized for them
• After experiencing enlightenment principles and better govts, people strive towards them
• Govts try to bring these people back into “darkness of ignorance”
• Liberty “will emerge from primitive ignorance”

The Spread of Liberal Ideas to Russia

Thesis: Kakhovsky,a member of the Decembrist revolutionaries in Russia, makes the argument in a letter to a Russian general that no matter how hard you fight to keep the people ignorant and enslaved, if they have already received impressions of freedom, oppression will never succeed.
1. Russian officers, once they had returned from conquering France at the end of the Napoleonic Wars, brought back with them the ideals of the French Revolution and the experience of the good life in Western Europe. They believed their own country was lacking vitality and freedom
2. Alexander had held out hope of a Russian constitution and an end to serfdom
3. But Alexander instead strengthened his autocratic rule
4. Westernized officers formed secret societies and engaged in conspiracy
5. In December 1824, following Alexander's death, some Russian officers and soldiers openly rebelled but failed.
6. The government's attempt to root out the members of the secret society will be futile
7. Thousands of young men now agree with Kakhovsky's opinions and long for freedom
8. The people have conceived a truth: they do not exist for governments, but that governments are organized for them.
9. Efforts to drive the people back once they have experienced freedom and enlightenment, will never triumph.
10. They are unable to live like slaves and barbarians like their ancestors.