Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity as the Revolution Motto

Introduction

The motto “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” is the Age of Enlightenment’s legacy, which first prevailed at the time of the French Revolution. Nonetheless, numerous questions arose concerning the motto, although it eventually gained recognition during the time of the Third Republic. Composed into the Constitution of 1958, it presently serves as part of the national heritage of France (Llewellyn & Thompson, 2018) . For the “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” motto, the Revolution embodies these concepts in various ways.

Liberty

In the 18 th century context, liberty featured oppression, especially one by the government or the state. The typical oppression instruments prevailed in the event of the orders that the king signed would imprison or detain persons without due process or trial. Oppression also prevailed in instances publications would be censored, especially the ones criticizing the king, the Church, the aristocracy (Llewellyn & Thompson, 2018) . The idea of liberty facilitated in eradicating these issues.

Equality

Equality underpinned the French Evolution ideas in such a manner that the social structure was unfair and uneven especially on matters related to taxation. The Third Estate citizens needed equality, although certain persons wanted increased equality levels as opposed to others, including the bourgeoisie, who wanted social and political equality with the Second Estate’s nobility (Llewellyn & Thompson, 2018) . For the equality idea, in this case, it created room for proper sharing of equality, especially under the universal voting rights.

Fraternity

The concept of fraternity suggested that the citizens of the nation were bound together in unison. It merged nationalism with concern and love for the love of fellow citizens. Fraternity was the most idealistic, abstract, as well as unachievable ideals during the time of the Evolution. It was mostly prevalent during the initial Revolution phases at a time that the new government was eradicating the positive reforms in the country (Llewellyn & Thompson, 2018) . However, via the adoption of the fraternity ideal, the populations worked together in an effort to improve the country.

Conclusion

For the “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” motto, the Revolution embodies these concepts in various ways. The liberty concept facilitated in eradication of oppression by the state or government. The equality ideal ensured that the political and social structure became fair while fostering equality within the society. The idea of fraternity ensured that the citizens worked together to build the nation. Thus, the “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity” motto played a critical role in fostering societal reforms during the revolution.

Reference

Llewellyn, J., & Thompson, S. (2018). The ideas of the French Revolution. Retrieved from https://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/revolutionary-ideas/