European Fears and the French Revolution: Was There a Turning Point?

The essay addresses the issue of the birth of the concept of "European fears", meaning fears for the survival of Europe and its values. It locates the origin of this concept in counter-revolutionary thought. The French Revolution – by overturning the political and social arrangements of the old regime and by destroying the European political balances - seemed to bring Europe to the brink of catastrophe. Faced with the tragic prospect of the dissolution of Europe, counterrevolutionary thinkers reacted, on one side, by reflecting on the constituent features of Europe and, on the other, by transforming Europe into a polemical concept, a rhetorical weapon to wield against the supporters of the nation and the sovereignty of the people. The historiographical myth of medieval Europe - model of peace, harmony and social cohesion – was born in the framework of this heated controversy.