Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online

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Counter-revolution
(1,744 words)

1. Concept

Counter-revolution denotes the spectrum of political forces, inside and outside France, that opposed the changes brought about by the French Revolution (1789), and sought to prevent it or reverse it. Groups from the revolutionary side instrumentalized the term counter-revolution to discredit rival pro-revolutionary movements, but such usage is not tenable in scholarship.

The distinction between an arist…

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Wagner, Michael, “Counter-revolution”, in: Encyclopedia of Early Modern History Online, Editors of the English edition: Graeme Dunphy, Andrew Gow. Original German Edition: Enzyklopädie der Neuzeit. Im Auftrag des Kulturwissenschaftlichen Instituts (Essen) und in Verbindung mit den Fachherausgebern herausgegeben von Friedrich Jaeger. Copyright © J.B. Metzlersche Verlagsbuchhandlung und Carl Ernst Poeschel Verlag GmbH 2005–2012. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2352-0272_emho_COM_019688>
First published online: 2015
First print edition: 20170206



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