The Cause of French Revolutions

by Frédéric Bastiat

　　This contradiction in ideas is, unfortunately but logically,reflected in events in France. For example, Frenchmen have led allother Europeans in obtaining their rights -- or, more accurately,their political demands. Yet this fact has in no respect prevented usfrom becoming the most governed, the most regulated, the most imposedupon, the most harnessed, and the most exploited people in Europe.France also leads all other nations as the one where revolutions areconstantly to be anticipated. And under the circumstances, it isquite natural that this should be the case.

　　And this will remain the case so long as our politicians continueto accept this idea that has been so well expressed by Mr. LouisBlanc: "Society receives its momentum from power." This will remainthe case so long as human beings with feelings continue to remainpassive; so long as they consider themselves incapable of betteringtheir prosperity and happiness by their own intelligence and theirown energy; so long as they expect everything from the law; in short,so long as they imagine that their relationship to the state is thesame as that of the sheep to the shepherd.