Definition of revolution ( Thu, 25 Apr 1996 12:24:25 EDT)
I am a graduate student working on a dissertation about historical writing on the American Revolution in the early nineteenth century. One of the issues I'm trying to address are changing definitions of the term "revolution." I've come across discussions about the transformation from the notion of revolution as a return, or cycle, to the notion of revolution as something innovative and new. What I'm having more difficulty with is the question of when revolutions became associated with the qualities of romantic fervor, enthusiasm, and single-minded devotion to a cause. I've looked at the Oxford English Dictionary, and at Raymond Williams' Keywords, but I would appreciate any other suggestions on this issue.
Eileen Cheng
Yale University
Besides Burke's Reflections on the Revolution in France which is sort of the classic on those themes you might try Reinhold Kossellek's _Future's Past_ which has studies of the changing nature and notions of time. Michael Meranze
For the fundamental ambiguity of the "passions"--as both the source of patriotism and the zealotry associated with "parties" or "factions--you might look at something like Trenchard and Gordon's Cato's Letters. In an American context, see Noah Webster's "The Revolution in France" (1794), which is collected in Ellis Sandoz, ed., _Political Sermons of the American Founding Era_. Good luck with your work.
Philip Gould
Department of English
Oakland University
On Thu, 25 Apr 1996, Eileen Cheng (GD 1997) wrote:
> I am a graduate student working on a dissertation about
historical
> writing on the American Revolution in the early nineteenth century.
One
> of the issues I'm trying to address are changing definitions of the
term
> "revolution." I've come across discussions about the transformation
from
> the notion of revolution as a return, or cycle, to the notion of
> revolution as something innovative and new. What I'm having more
> difficulty with is the question of when revolutions became
associated
> with the qualities of romantic fervor, enthusiasm, and
single-minded
> devotion to a cause. I've looked at the Oxford English Dictionary,
and
> at Raymond Williams' Keywords, but I would appreciate any other
> suggestions on this issue.
>
> Eileen Cheng
> Yale University
On Thu, 25 Apr 1996, Eileen Cheng (GD 1997) wrote:
> I am a graduate student working on a dissertation about
historical
> writing on the American Revolution in the early nineteenth century.
One
deleted bits...
> difficulty with is the question of when revolutions became
associated
> with the qualities of romantic fervor, enthusiasm, and
single-minded
> devotion to a cause. I've looked at the Oxford English Dictionary,
and
> at Raymond Williams' Keywords, but I would appreciate any other
> suggestions on this issue.
> Eileen Cheng
Just a suggestion, but two books that I found helpful are Arendt's and John Dunn's books on revolutions. Others that I've enjoyed: Micheal Walzer's The Revolution of the Saints, is a good look at devotion to cause as a part of revolution in the 17C, and his book _Exodus and Revolutions_ was simply wonderful. A classic on devotion to a cause and change in government would be Algernon Sidney. An interesting motif, to me anyway, is the way which republican theories in the 17 and 18C seemed to need somebody in particular to lead with devotion; founding fathers, Harrington's Archon etc, stuff that I think the second book of Walzer deals with very well (the maintence of the revolution after the initial change). I gather from the way you described it, however, that you are talking more about mass or popular devotion to a cause. On the lighter side, Terry Pratchett's recent book has a great take on social change. :)
Anyway, these are just some suggestions, I'd better stop procrastinating and get back to work.
yours,
David
David J. Mikosz
PhD Student
Churchill College
Great Britain
email: djm1006@cam.ac.uk
www homepage: http://www.chu.cam.ac.uk/home/djm1006
An article that may be of interest to your topic is "American Historians and the Military History of the American Revolution" by Don Higginbotham in the American Historical Review of October 1964. Best of luck.
jules sweet
graduate student
University of Richmond
On Revolution, you might consider a classic Hannah Arendt's, _On Revolution_ (1963). R. Gildrie gildrier@apsu01.apsu.edu
On Tue, 30 Apr 1996, JEFFREY H. RICHARDS wrote:
> One book I have found helpful in thinking about the term revolution
is
> Christopher Hill, _The World Turned Upside Down: Radical Ideas
> during the English Revolution_ (1972).
>
> Jeffrey H. Richards
> English
> Old Dominion University
Another Hill book you might find helpful is _The Ideological Origins of the English Revolution_. Of course, the hot book right now would be Gordon S. Wood's latest The Radicalism of the American Revolution I believe it's called. Hope this helps.
Brian Thornton
Seattle University School of Law
Another interesting take on the definition (and undoing?) of revolution from the 1770s to 1820 or so is provided in Larry E. Tise's book, PROSLAVERY: A HISTORY OF THE DEFENSE OF SLAVERY IN AMERICA, 1701-1840 (1987). Chapters 7 and 8 are entitled: "Death of America's Revolutionary Ideology, 1776-1798" and "Launching the Conservative Counterrevolution, 1795-1816."
Doug Deal
History/SUNY-Oswego