French Revolution

Question

Does the French Revolution tie into the Russian Revolution?

Answer 1

The power of the precedent is a strong phenomenon observed and talked about by many historians. Such a drastic change of society as the 1789 French Revolution, obviously generated the interest of the first movement of Russian opposition against tsarism, in their quest of change. According to some historians, the Russian Revolution ignited with the spread of French Revolutionary ideas in Russia at the beginning of the 19th century. The first one to dare spread revolutionary thoughts was the writer Alexandre Radiščev (1749-1802), notorious to every Russian scholars. Known to be an admirer of the French Revolution, Radiščev does not sacralized Revolution itself but recognize, from the precedent of the French Revolution, the right of people to revolt themselves. However, as much as the French Revolution was an inspiration for the Russians, the sanguinary and tyrannic regime of Robespierre showed flaws in the Revolutionary process and the dictatorial society resulting from it. Even if in 1905 Lenin comes to the conclusion that a 1789 type -revolution is necessary for Russia he refuses to follow the French model. He wishes to transform "the bourgeois democratic revolution into a socialist revolution".

To answer the question clearly, the French Revolution allowed the Russian opposition to conceive the idea that a Revolution was feasible in practice and not only in theory. Nonetheless, the Russian revolutionaries and their ideas drastically differentiate themselves from the ideas of the "Lumières". Having the example of the past in his mind, Lenin explicitly wanted to separate himself from the French model and draw a new, unique path for the future of his country.