The 19th Century definition of liberalism in adopts the realms and principles of capitalism.The first core assumption of liberal theory in political aspects is that the fundamental actors in politics are members of domestic society, understood as individuals and privately constituted groups seeking to promote their independent interests.
In philosophical aspects, special conditions, limited competition, individual autonomy, and individual behavior are intertwined together to create a defined social order that seek for the promotion of individual welfare.
The most basic tenet of liberal theory is that politics is mixed into the social context, which acts as an effective measure to curtail the powers of the government. In economic aspects, liberalism is a composition of individual who possesses different interests and identities that push them to form economic ties to further their social, political, and economic goals. While this theory is individualistic, its 19th century view is pluralist.
The contributions of the work of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton to notions about natural law began with the theories of Copernicus to the modern scientific world-view. The theories of the these scientists changed the worldview from medieval explanation to proven scientific views.
Copernicus in his Ptolemaic system explained gave an analysis of reason behind an appearance of reverse motions adopted by planets. The impact of the work of Copernicus on man’s conception of the universe and rational thought in scientific disciplines is firmly entrenched in notions about natural law. The development of the first Heliocentric theory of the universe and the Pythagorean system had profound revolutionary implications on man’s conception of the universe and natural law.
Kepler focused on the application of platonic solids to provide explanation on orbit spacing in planets.In his work, Kepler placed the sun at the center of the universe and provided a groundbreaking foundation through which future works in astrology were to draw inferences. This was the premise behind Kepler’s Law’s that had immense impact of natural laws and formed the basis of Newton’s law of gravity.
The impact of Galileo’s work on the universe and natural laws was majorly on mechanics. His outstanding contribution in the classification of acceleration, velocity, and instantaneous motion widely influenced natural laws of science. Isaac Newton on the other built on the concepts of instantaneous motion but Galileo and others. However, his work on dispersion, nature of color, wave nature of lights greatly influenced the view of humankind on nature and significantly contributed to notions about natural law.
Building upon the work of Kepler on the position of the sun at the center of the solar system, Newton developed the law of gravitational pull. His discoveries on the movement of the speed in relation to that of the sun and the Inverse Square Law showed common basis and remained defining discoveries on natural laws.
The importance of Newton’s work for eighteenth century philosophy revolves around their impacts on worldview. Newton’s laws of motion managed to achieve a shift from medieval explanations to proven scientific laws with common basis.
The origin of the natural rights philosophy draws its origin form liberal political philosophy of John Locke. Constitutions of most democracies of the world draw their existence from this philosophy. Natural rights philosophy proposes that men are free, equal, and independent. The government has the moral duty to respect the rights of individuals.
The “natural rights” played a key role in the development of American Constitution and form the key principle in which the constitution is based. The fall and disintegration of the French monarchy and its replacement with principles of equality, citizenship, nationalism, and inalienable rights draw roots from the philosophy of natural rights.
The French revolution was more radical because of the existence of radical elements that exploited government’s problems and weaknesses to seize power and changed system of governance.
In French revolution, the radical elements were the Girondins. Furthermore, the fear of neighboring countries about the prospects of the revolution spreading added fuel to the already turbulent situation in France. This created more internal turmoil and gave the radical movements more resolve to seize power as observed in Jacobin’s case in France.
The difference in characters of George Washington and Napoleon in their contribution to the different ends of the American and French Revolutions revolve around the fact that whereas Napoleon spread the revolutionary ideals of liberalism and nationalism across Europe, he failed to live the spirit of liberalism and natural rights for all in France.
George Washington on the other solved domestic challenges in America and ensured entrenchment of natural rights, thereby appealing to the American majority at the time.
The legacy of the French revolution and the Napoleonic Empire had profound impact in the entire Europe. The ideas of revolution remain embedded in Europe’s law codes and spread to Europe’s colonies across the globe. The non-Europeans were later to use the revolution ideas of French revolution and the Napoleonic Empire to overthrow European’s colonial powers in the rest of the globe. In summary, the French revolution remains a powerful force in modern history.