Concepts of Revolution in England and France in the Eighteenth Century

C o n c e p t s o f R e v o lu t io n in E n g la n d a n d ZYXWVUTSRQPONMLKJIHGFEDCBA E r a n c e in t h e E ig h t e e n t h C e n t u r y PONMLKJIHGFEDCBA P E T E R M A T H IA S It is a w ell-tried fact th at foreign observers brin g p ercep tion s an d in sig h t to th e u n d erstan d in g of cou n tries oth er th an th eir ow n w h ich d efy in d igen ou s com m en tators. Jam es B ryce sou gh t to exp lain th e A m erican C om m on w ealth for E u rop ean read ers— and fou nd the book's recep tion in th e U n ited States "eq u ally gratifyin g an d u n exp ected ." T h ere w as D en is B rogan m ore recently, in terp retin g u s both to each other. Su ch p ercep tion s by th e extern al eye have n ot b een sh arp en ed by th e salt sp ray of th e A tlan tic voyage alon e: th e C h an n el h as alw ays offered a fascin atin g series of su ch altern ative p ersp ectives betw een E ngland and France. V oltaire and B u rke p rojected visions of their ow n p olitical h op es an d fears th rou gh th e com m en taries th ey m ad e u p on their n eigh bou rs. Fau jas d e St. Fond rep orted m ore p ercep tively u p on th e stirrin gs of th e factory system in L an cash ire in th e 1780s th an an y local E n glish traveller. A rth u r Y ou ng's travels in Fran ce (in th e sam e d ecad e) p rod u ced d escrip tion s u n m atch ed by con tem p orary Fren ch observ ers. T h e list con tin u es th rou gh d e Sau ssu re, G abriel Jars (in th at sp len d id ly titled jou rn al of a tou r V o y a g e s M e t a llu r g iq u e s ) , T ocqu eville , T aine, an d F au ch er— to take on ly th e m ost celebrated before th e m id -n in eteen th cen tu ry ; an d on th e w h ole th e Fren ch travellers to E n glan d observed rath er better (or w rote an d p u blish ed rath er m ore effectively) th an th e equ ivalen t E n glish travellers in Fran ce. So it h as also p roved w ith observations and insight m ed iated throu gh h istorical sch olarsh ip . E lie H alevy is still h on ored as on e of th e m ost 29 30 / M A T H IA S p rofou nd p olitical and intellectu al historians of th e n in eteen th -cen tu ry E n glish scen e in h is ow n gen eration . P au l M an tou x en joy s equ ivalen t statu s in th e h istoriograp h y of th e B ritish In d u strial R evolu tion . Sir D en is B rogan , in h is secon d m ed iation , an d Sir Joh n C lap h am m ain­ tain ed th is trad ition on th e E n glish sid e. In ou r ow n g en eration— it w ou ld be in vid iou...