Write 8 page essay on the topic French commentators often see in 'republican values' a universal path towards modernity. Define these values in the french context and comment.Although it was often cal

Write 8 page essay on the topic French commentators often see in 'republican values' a universal path towards modernity. Define these values in the french context and comment.

Although it was often called into question, it finally established itself under the Third Republic6. It was written into the 1958 Constitution7 and is part nowadays of the French national heritage. Linked by Fénelon8 at the end of the 17th century, the notions of liberty, equality and fraternity became more widespread during the Age of Enlightenment.

At the time of the French Revolution, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was one of the many mottoes in use. In December 1790, Robespierre9 advocated in a speech on the organization of the National Guards10 that the words "The French People" and "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" be written on uniforms and flags, but his proposal was rejected. From 1793 onwards, Parisians, soon to be imitated by the inhabitants of other cities, painted the following words on the façades of their houses: "Unity, indivisibility of the Republic. liberty, equality or death".