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Conclusion
Get accessProfessor of History Emeritus
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Published:February 2025
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Abstract
The promulgation of the Constitution of 1791 ended nearly two centuries of monarchy-centered government in France and set the standard for constitutionalism by making a constitution a compact between monarch and people. Moreover, at a time when the United States Constitution accepted and institutionalized slavery, making it a weapon of control, the Constitution of 1791 conferred civil and natural rights on all citizens, making it an instrument of liberation and rights. In addition to endowing citizens with civil and natural rights, the Constitution of 1791 also created the broadest franchise in Europe, the Atlantic world, and perhaps the entire world, replacing the factional Court politics of monarchy-centered government with participatory citizen politics. Despite its legacy of leading the way on fundamental values of the modern world, the Constitution of 1791 has received little acknowledgment or recognition outside of France. The Constitution of 1791 inspired constitutionalism on a global scale, becoming the aspirational model for Europe and the world. In addition, with its enumeration in its preamble of the principles and institutions that had been repudiated, the Constitution of 1791—and the French Revolution—were a proclamation of the right to change. The legitimation of that right has continued to inspire down to the present.
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