The perception that everyone, by the virtue of his or her humanity, is entitled to certain human rights is fairly new considering the long history of human beings. However, the roots of the Human Rights Movement lie in earlier documents, traditions, and revolutions of many cultures. The French Revolution, which began in 1789 and fizzled out in 1799, was a key catalyst in propelling human rights onto the global stage and into global conscience. World War II also played a key role in creating global awareness of human rights. Prior to these two key events, people acquired responsibilities and rights through their membership in a group such as a family, community, religion, class, state, or indigenous nation. Peace and harmony were maintained through a golden rule that was pervasive across most cultures that emphasized treating others as you would want them to do unto you. In the 18^th century, the French Revolution yielded the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, which established the precedence of recognition of Human Rights in subsequent human rights documents of the 20th century.

Influence of the French Revolution on Human Rights

            Human rights is a fairly new concept because throughout history, until the French Revolution, people acquired responsibilities and rights through their membership in a group such as family, religion, state, community, class, or indigenous nation. Peace and harmony were maintained through a universally accepted golden rule that emphasized “treat others as you would want to be treated”[1]. The golden rule was promoted and propagated through various documents such as the Babylonian code of Hammurabi, the Hindu Vedas, the Quran, the Bible, and the Analects of Confucius. These five documents represent the oldest written sources that addressed the concepts of people’s rights, duties, and responsibilities. Indeed, in all societies across the long history of human civilization, written or oral traditions established systems of justice and propriety as well as the appropriate ways of tending to the welfare of others.

            The French Declaration on the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789 is among the key precursors of the 20^th-century human rights documents. The document is regarded as one of the important achievements of the French Revolution that began in 1789 and ended in 1799. The French Revolution was characterized by a period of political and social upheaval in France and its colonies[2]. The Revolution resulted in the establishment of a republic after overthrowing the monarchy through violent periods of political turmoil. The political upheaval culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon, who spread the enlightenment principles of the French Revolution to areas that he conquered in Western Europe and beyond. The enlightenment principles of the French Revolution were inspired by radical and liberal ideas instigated by the American Revolution a few years earlier. One of the key enlightenment principles was equality before the law, which led to the collapse of absolute monarchies and the rise of liberal democracies and republics. As such, the American Declaration of Independence was utilized by the National Assembly of France as a template for drafting the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen in 1789.

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen

            In 1789, the French National Constituent Assembly enacted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The document was highly influenced by the doctrine of natural rights, which emphasized that the rights of man are to be held as universal. That is, valid at all times and applicable in any place. It established the fundamental principles of a nation of free people protected equally by the law. Its influence on the Human Rights Movement is evidenced by its incorporation in the fourth French Republic Constitution of 1946 and the Fifth Republic Constitution of 1958[3]. Inspired by the thoughts and ideas of Enlightenment philosophers, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen reflected the core values of the French Revolution. These values had a major impact on the development of ideas about democracy and individual liberty in Europe and across the world. To a large extent, the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen together with the 1689 English Bill of Rights, 1215 Magna Carta, 1776 United States Declaration of Independence as well as the 1789 United States Bill of Rights, inspired the fundamental values and principles of the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

            The impact of the 1789 Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen is unmistakable because the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights passed by the United Nations in 1948 are strikingly similar. The only alteration is the replacement of “men” with “human beings” in the UN document. The French Revolutionaries drafted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen with the primary objective of overthrowing institutions surrounding hereditary monarchies to establish liberal democracies and republics based on the principles of the Enlightenment[4]. The principles of Enlightenment empathized utilizing the methods discovered by the scientific revolution to address societal problems. This is besides committing oneself to the principles of liberty and reason. Therefore, knowledge should be acquired through the careful study of the environment and application of individual reason rather than relying on traditional beliefs and religious inspiration. Consequently, liberty meant freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and freedom from unwarranted government censorship and torture.

            The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen of 1789 established the fundamental principles of reason and individual liberties that were an essential precursor for the Human Rights Movement of the 20th century. The American traditions of constitutional and legal guarantees of individual liberties coupled with the enlightenment values of reason established the fundamental principles of guiding human affairs. Therefore, the authors of the Declaration of Rights envisioned it as a model that could be replicated across the world to bring about change.

            The horrors of World War II strengthened the idea of human rights promoted by the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. The world was shocked and horrified by Nazi Germany’s extermination of over 6 million Jews, Sinti, and Romani (Gypsies), persons with disabilities, and homosexuals (Wasserstrom, 2007)[5]. The aftermath of World War II forced governments to commit themselves to establish the United Nations with a core objective of improving international peace by preventing conflicts. In addition, the United Nations charter was to ensure that no one would ever be unjustly denied freedom, life, shelter, food, and nationality. As a result, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by 56 member states of the United Nations on December 10, 1948. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights extended the revolution started by the French in international law by providing guidelines on how governments should treat their own citizens. As a result, human rights are no longer a national issue but an international concern with governments being held accountable and responsible through legal organs such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Conclusion

The French Revolution yielded the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen, which established the precedence of recognition of Human Rights in subsequent human rights documents of the 20th century. It set a precedence that ensured that human rights are indivisible and interdependent. As a result, today human rights are no longer a national issue but an international concern. Since the French Revolution established the principles of individual liberties and reason to inform human affairs, human rights are not only nationally but also internationally recognized and protected. The increasing recognition of the rights of minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ community is evidence of the positive influence the French Revolution had on the Human Rights Movement.

Bibliography

Israel, Jonathan I. Democratic enlightenment: philosophy, revolution, and human rights 1750-1790. New York: Oxford University Press, 2013.

Martin, Xavier. Human nature and the French Revolution: from the Enlightenment to the Napoleonic Code. New York: Berghahn, 2001.

Wasserstrom, Jeffrey N. Human rights and revolutions. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007.

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[1] Xavier Martin, Human nature and the French Revolution: from the Enlightenment to the Napoleonic Code (New York: Berghahn, 2001), 148.

[2] Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, Human rights and revolutions, (Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007), 257.

[3] Jonathan I. Israel, Democratic enlightenment: philosophy, revolution, and human rights 1750-1790 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 273.

[4] Jonathan I. Israel, Democratic enlightenment: philosophy, revolution, and human rights 1750-1790 (New York: Oxford University Press, 2013), 183.

[5] Jeffrey N. Wasserstrom, Human rights and revolutions, (Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2007), 228.