How Did The British View The French Revolution

A research paper on the British reaction to the French Revolution will focus on the following question: How did the British view the French Revolution? The question implies that there is a homogeneous group called by the name "British." The question belies the multitude of religious theologies and controversies, the social classes, which had been ingrained for hundreds of years, and the range of economic status across the population. How could there have been a "British" viewpoint regarding the French Revolution, with so many variables called "British?" You will need to answer this in your research paper before looking at the actual answer to the question of how the British reacted. It turns out there was indeed a uniform viewpoint from the British regarding the path and the outcome of the French Revolution, and it had significant implications to Anglo-French relations for years.

British Parliament

The British road to constitutional monarchy was an evolution. One step at a time, an independent parliament was formed. Power moved away from the Crown and was shared among the people, both Lords and Commoners. This evolution was logical, slow, and bloodless. The British shift in power from the despot to the parliament presented a road to "rule by the people" which would be a model to other monarchies.

The French Revolution

The American Revolution was largely a war to guarantee the same rights to British colonists that citizens in England enjoyed. There were those in Britain at the time of the Declaration of Independence who understood the colonists' concerns, and agreed that they should have representation in Parliament. Many of these same people were alive and active in British Government when the French revolted in 1789 just six years after The Treaty of Paris ended the war for American independence.