'There never was a time when so great a drama was being played out in one generation': John Stuart Mill and the French Revolution of 1848

McCabe, Helen

Abstract

The events of 1848 in France had a profound effect on John Stuart Mill, marking both an important change, and emphasising an important continuity, in his radical political thought. Mill had always had a strong interest in French politics, and a long-standing committment to the call for 'Liberty, Equality, Fraternity!'. However, his previous view of how these aims could be achieved underwent a transformation after 1826, and the events of 1848 made him realise his views were 'under the general designation of Socialist'. This article explores Mill's reaction to 1848 as events unfolded and his continued defence of the Provisional Government, showing what this reveals about his growing knowledge of, and committment to, socialism.

Citation

McCabe, H. (2019). 'There never was a time when so great a drama was being played out in one generation': John Stuart Mill and the French Revolution of 1848. Revue d'Etudes Proudhoniennes, 5, 119-162

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 9, 2019
• Online Publication Date: Mar 17, 2020
• Publication Date: 2019
• Deposit Date: Sep 24, 2019
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Journal: Revue d'Etudes Proudhoniennes
• Print ISSN: 1242-9570
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Pages: 119-162
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2350801
• Publisher URL: http://www.proudhon.net/helen-mccabe-there-never-was-a-time-when-so-great-a-drama-was-being-played-out-in-one-generation-john-stuart-mill-and-the-french-revolution-of-1848/
• Additional Information: For the proceedings of the latest conference from the Pierre -Jospeh Proudhon Society.