State of Law or Free State?

The Constitutional Experience of the French Revolution

Authors

  • Pablo Escalante National University of San Martín, San Martín, Argentina

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35305/prohistoria.vi40.1800

Keywords:

French Revolution, State of Law, Free State, Constitution of 1791, Constitution of 1793

Abstract

This article aims to explore the theoretical and political differences between classical republicanism and modern liberalism by analyzing the concepts of the “state of law” and the “free state” as they were developed by the constitutional thought during the French Revolution. The analysis thus begins by specifying the terms in which legal thought has interpreted the Constitution of 1791 as the founder of the rule of law in France. The circumstances leading to the failure of the Constitution of 1791 are analyzed next, to then examine how the radical factions coped with the political experience of 1789-1792. Finally, the constitutional projects of 1793 are analyzed as a response to the issues identified by the radicals as having caused the political crisis of the summer of 1792 that had ended in the popular storming of the Tuileries.

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Published

2023-12-28

How to Cite

Escalante, P. (2023). State of Law or Free State? The Constitutional Experience of the French Revolution. Prohistoria. Historia, políticas De La Historia, (40), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.35305/prohistoria.vi40.1800

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Articles. Special section

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