Abstract

The popular classes burst onto the political and social scene with the coming of the French Revolution, a unique set of circumstances which mark the beginning of the modern era, and which were to bring about dramatic cultural change founded on the ideals of liberty and equality. The people were to play the central role in this process, which was also to lead to a new political regime. However, after the events of Napoleon’s rule, that new system was to enter a period of decline, which demanded – for the sake of peace and order – that this revolutionary ideology be to some extent forgotten.