Primary Source Analysis: The French Revolution Of 1789

Connor Holohan

Western Civilization

Professor Schandler

14, October 2015

Primary Source Analysis

The French Revolution of 1789 led to an emphasis on simple flag designs that conveyed the fundamental changes being introduced into social, political, and economic life. The French flag was influenced by a number of things in the French Revolution and I believe it would be very interesting to dive further into the connections between the two.

Before the revolution, France had been traditionally represented by a plain white flag, which signified purity and strength. In the early days of the French Revolution, the three colors, blue, white and red, were initially brought together in the form of a cockade. In July 1789, just before the taking

of Bastille, Paris was in a state of high anxiety. That’s when a militia was formed with its distinctive sign, a two-color pattern made up of the ancient colors of Paris, blue and red with the Bourbon royal white often added (Whitney). Eventually the Storming of Bastille took place and this was seen as a symbol of victory of the French people against the Monarchy. What started as a small revolt escalated into a Revolution that would change France's policy forever. The National Guard was quickly formed, composed of more than 40,000 people directed by a military officer named Marquis de Lafayette (Klos). To give the blue and red a national appeal, Lafayette suggested including a white cockade to the uniform of the National Guard. Lafayette was probably responsible for inventing the red, white and blue cockade, which soon became required for revolutionaries in 1789. They adopted the tricolor rosettes as the new symbol of the Revolution. The blue and the red, the colors of Paris encircle the white, the color of the Monarchy. The official flag of France was initially established after the French Revolution of 1789. The revolution produced a great deal of influences that helped shape the French flag that we see today. The revolution called for liberty and equality, and the simple tricolor flag design went against the traditional, more extravagant flags used by members of the nobility.
In 1790 three equal vertical stripes, arranged red-white-blue within a frame of the same colors, were added to the white flag of the navy. In July, 1791, an all red flag was being flown by the authorities as a declaration of intent to impose martial law and order hence "the people's blood in 1791 and 1793". The followers of the radical Jacobin movement protested the authorities actions of July, 1791, by flying a red flag to honor the "martyrs' blood" of those killed as a result of developments following on from the imposition of martial law. Still many people after the fact often flew red flags to signal their revolt against authority. More than half a century later, in 1848, Socialism had emerged, in various forms, as a societal and political force and the red flag had been adopted, by sections of the people, as the banner of socialism. Nevertheless, a politician named Lamartine was able to point to the authorities' repressive actions of 1791 and 1793, conducted under a Red Flag, in his efforts to gain acceptance for the tricolor as the flag of the emerging French state (Doyle).
Four years later the tricolor, with stripes now ordered blue-white-red, was made the official national flag for use by the common people, the army, and the navy. This flag was seen to embody all the principles of the revolution— liberty, equality, fraternity, democracy, secularism, and modernization (Whitney). During the reign of Napoleon I the tricolor became prominently used. The Bourbon dynasty, however, did away with the tricolor and replaced it with the plain white flag of earlier times. The July Revolution of 1830 brought another turn. Louis-Philippe, the king of the French from 1830-1848, renewed the use of the tricolor and this time the French identified with the flag, which became a national ensign. The establishment of the Third Republic in 1870 did nothing to diminish the stature of the tricolor flag. Later, the French constitutions of 1946 and 1958 officially instated the current tricolor flag of France (Sache). Many other nations, such as Italy and Ireland among many others, copied the tricolored flag idea, replacing its colors with their own. This is one of the ways the French flag has become one of the most admired and influential national flags in history.
There are several theories regarding the symbolism and position of the colors of the French Flag.

It is said that white color is associated with the Virgin Mary, the patroness of France, and was the color of the oriflamme. The blue was to be the color of Saint Martin who was a Gallo-Roman officer who ripped his blue coat with his sword and gave one half of it to the poor. This is meant to be a symbol of care and of the duty that the rich had to help the poor. The color red was said to be the color of Saint Denis who is the patron saint of Paris. The colors of the French flag may also represent the three main estates of France at the time, the clergy: white, the nobility: red, and the citizens: blue. Blue, as the symbol of class, comes first and red, representing the nobility, comes last. Both extreme colors are situated on each side of white referring to a superior order (Davis). Today, most French people agree that they serve three beautiful colors: the blue of their history, the white of their hopes, and the red of the blood of their

ancestors.

The influence and symbolism of the French Revolution had on France’s tricolor flag was based on how the citizens wanted to be represented.

Their flag was a symbol of their nation’s values and ideology and each color is unique in it’s own way. The tricolors symbolize its history and how things were before the revolution. During times of conflict, the tricolor was used for such things as uniforms and banners to represent their country. The development of the colors and shape of the flag took a lot of time and thought and rightly represents France’s rich history. Today, the French flag can be seen on all public buildings and on national commemorations. It is a national symbol of France’s rich history and points forth to their hopeful future. Therefore, France’s tricolor flag held great importance in the French Revolution.

Works Cited

Smith, Whitney. "Flag of France." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

Klos, S. (2001, November 6). Marquis De Lafayette. Retrieved October 14, 2015.

Sache, I. (2013, November 25). Kingdom of France: 1830-1848. Retrieved October 14, 2015.

Davis, J. (2012, December 12). Why do many flags look so similar?FAQ. Retrieved October 14, 2015.

Doyle, W. (2005, September 7). The French revolution of 1848European history summary France. Retrieved October 14,

2015.