DOI: 10.22281/2413-9912-2024-08-01-84-91

Samsarov A.I.

SOCIO-POLITICAL IDEAS AND SOCIAL CIRCLE OF TALLEYRAND

ON THE EVE OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION

The article characterizes a little-known period in the life of one of the major figures of the Great French Revolution — Charles Maurice Talleyrand. That was the time of his youth and the beginning of his career as a clergyman. At the same time, the formation of socio-political ideas took place. The study of this figure is undoubtedly important, since Talleyrand played one of the key roles in such crucial events of the revolution as: the abolition of seigneurial privileges, the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, the secularization of church property, the formation of diplomatic and financial initiatives of the Constituents. He entered world history primarily as an outstanding diplomat. The machinations of corrupt officials, hostility towards the church and Masonic intrigues — all this was attributed to him. He was presented as a certain deputy — a businessman closely associated with the so-called new bourgeoisie. A careful study of his youth does not seem to fit well with such ideas and versions. This was a man with a difficult childhood and a congenital disease. His behavior was reminiscent of the lifestyle of many young nobles of his time. Just like them, he was a member of the Masonic lodge, visited salons, and was attentive to new social trends. Already under the Old Order, this nobleman and bishop was inclined towards change. The outbreak of the revolution accelerated this process. In this study, primary attention is paid to previously little-studied aspects of Talleyrand’s biography and the formation of his socio-political ideas. The article also talks about the young man’s extensive connections in financial and diplomatic circles. Characterized through the prism of Talleyrand’s activities and social life in Paris before the revolution.

Keywords: French Revolution, Talleyrand, Mirabeau, diplomacy, Freemasons, Paris, Physiocrats, Enlightenment.

Academician I.G. Petrovskii Bryansk State University (Russia)

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