Egalitarian revolutions

Abstract

In this lecture, I show that the Atlantic Revolutions of the late eighteenth century were not just democratic revolutions, as R.R. Palmer put it; they were also egalitarian revolutions. American, Dutch and French revolutionaries were convinced that their experiment with democratic government could only succeed in societies with a more or less equal distribution of property. Hence, they introduced a host of laws designed to create or maintain greater social equality. Second, I explain why the social egalitarianism of the Atlantic Revolutions has been more or less forgotten by historians and the broader public. I conclude by reflecting on the extent to which the Atlantic Revolutions constitute a "usable past" for contemporary egalitarians.