Revolutionaries of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Revolutionaries of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, such as those who led the American and French Revolutions, argued for the necessity of popular sovereignty - the idea that political power should reside with the people. This was a rejection of the old order in which power was held exclusively by monarchs and aristocrats. While some may have accepted certain aspects of the ancien régime or traditional authority, the overall thrust of revolutionary ideology was towards challenging existing power structures and creating greater political equality. Marxist ideology did not emerge until much later in the nineteenth century and was not a major influence on most revolutionary movements of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The idea of gender equality was also not a major focus of the early revolutionary movements.

Revolutionaries of the Late Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Century