British Spectators of the French Revolution: the view from across the Channel

Abstract

The British public were fascinated by the French Revolution from its outbreak. However, commentary on revolutionary events in France was heavily influenced by British domestic political debates. Most British observers saw what they wanted to see: conservatives saw a worked example of the disadvantages of republicanism, while liberals and radicals were more enthusiastic. The war against France from 1793 intensified the tendency of the British to view the Revolution more in terms of how it affected them than on its own terms.