The Foundations of Revolutionary Thought
There is no question that the revolutions of the eighteenth century, both fought in the name of "freedom" and "rights," two modern inventions, were deeply indebted to the thinking of John Jacques Rousseau. The American Revolution, in large part, was based on ideas derived from John Locke as well as radical ideas from England–these radical political thinkers were heavily influenced by Rousseau. The French Revolution, on the other hand, was almost completely indebted to Rousseau–it is no exaggeration to call the French Revolution "Rousseau in action."
One of the important consequences of Enlightenment discussions of individuality, politics, , economics, and a mechanical, deistic view of the universe, was a new type of discourse called "liberation discourse." The Enlightenment from its beginnings saw itself as "liberating" Europeans: from superstition, from arbitrary authority, and from ignorance. The premiere work of liberation discourse was, of course, Rousseau.
Your Assignment: This assignment is about tracing the character of revolutions–those of the eighteenth century and those now–to one of their origins: Rousseau. You should compose a three to four paragraph essay in which you reflect on the thought of Rousseau, the characteristics of an eighteenth century revolution (either French or American), and a revolution of the modern age.
To make this happen, you first need to compose a thesis that relates Rousseau to one of the eighteenth century revolutions, and then relates both of those to any "modern" revolution or liberation movement that you're familiar with (the sexual revolution, the women's movement, the gay/lesbian rights movement, the human rights movement, the right to life movement, the freedom of choice movement, the civil rights movement, the militia movement, etc).
After you've composed your thesis, you need to outline what aspect of Rousseau's thought was most prominent in the eighteenth century revolution that you're talking about (French or American). Use specific examples (either paraphrased or quoted) from the Discourse on Inequality to show the relationship to the eighteenth century revolution.
The final part of your discussion will be to relate a modern liberation movement to your overall discussion. The common thread will be Rousseau. The same ideas that you applied to the eighteenth century revolution should be applied to your discussion of a modern day revolutionary movement.
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Updated 6-6-1999