This is a podcast from the archives of the BBC Reith Lectures.

This lecture in the series Beyond the Tunnel of History, given by Jacques Daris, was originally broadcast in 1989.

Last time I celebrated the bicentenary of the French Revolution in my very peculiar way by camping, as it were, on the squares of northern Europe

and establishing the connection between those squares and the sense of democracy on this side and

that side of the channel. Well, today I would like to proceed beyond and through the French Revolution and by centenary

to get to the roots of Europe, as it were.

Yet I must confess that with the digging up of information and data on the French Revolution,

we tend to lose a sense of perspective.

We tend to become a bit perplex. That

publicity I have found reflected best in a quote. I read the other day in the newspaper Le Monde,

which was telling about that strange figure of the sad when he said in 1791 these words.

He said,

I adore the royal,

but I detest the ancient abuts.

I am an infinite of the constitution.

Dothr me revolt.

I don't want to assembly national,

but two chambers, like in

England.

What I am I present, aristocrat or democrat?

You me let me say, if you please, because for me, I don't know what, I don't know

it, which literally translated sounds a bit like, I worship the king, yet I loathe the

...