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First, Second, and Third Estates
During the French Revolution, which spanned from 1789 to 1799, common people overthrew the French monarchy and established an egalitarian republic (although only after a significant period of absolutist turmoil and violence).
The French Revolution Quotes in Why Nations Fail
The Why Nations Fail quotes below are all either spoken by The French Revolution or refer to The French Revolution. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10
Quotes
The leaders of the French Revolution and, subsequently, Napoleon exported the revolution to these lands, destroying absolutism, ending feudal land relations, abolishing guilds, and imposing equality before the law—the all-important notion of rule of law, which we will discuss in greater detail in the next chapter. The French Revolution thus prepared not only France but much of the rest of Europe for inclusive institutions and the economic growth that these would spur.
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The French Revolution Term Timeline in Why Nations Fail
The timeline below shows where the term The French Revolution appears in Why Nations Fail. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 10: The Diffusion of Prosperity
...institutions in other ways. For instance, Britain did so through the Glorious Revolution. Similarly, the French Revolution brought inclusive institutions to France, while its aftermath did so to the rest of Western...
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In the section “Breaking the Barriers: The French Revolution ,” Acemoglu and Robinson explain that France was an absolutist monarchy from the 1400s to...
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The French Revolution occurred because of several historically contingent factors. In the late 1600s, Louis XIV greatly consolidated...
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In “Exporting the Revolution,” Acemoglu and Robinson explain how, from the Middle Ages to the French Revolution , Jewish people faced draconian restrictions across Europe. For instance, in Frankfurt, they were confined...
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...eliminated medieval institutions—like serfdom and guilds—throughout all of the territories he conquered. By exporting the French Revolution , he made inclusive institutions and economic growth possible throughout much of Europe.
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Meanwhile, France built inclusive institutions during the French Revolution and exported them through military conquest. This allowed much of Western Europe to industrialize very...
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Chapter 11: The Virtuous Circle
...acceptable to elites and less likely to throw society into chaos or violence (like the French Revolution did).
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Chapter 12: The Vicious Circle
Acemoglu and Robinson ask why radical change sometimes works—like in the Glorious Revolution and French Revolution . These revolutions were unique. During both, businessmen pushed for inclusive economic institutions while broad...
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Chapter 14: Breaking the Mold
...Robinson suggest that Botswana, the US South, and China (as well as the Glorious Revolution, French Revolution , and Meiji Restoration) prove “that history is not destiny.” It’s possible to escape the...
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Chapter 15: Understanding Prosperity and Poverty
...help citizens coordinate and demand reform. For instance, pamphlets helped drive the Glorious Revolution and French Revolution , while social media and the Internet drive political change today. This is why authoritarians...
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