Title page from An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution

An Historical and Moral View of the Origin and Progress of the French Revolution

An optimistic and rationalist account of the French Revolution based upon first-hand, eyewitness experiences. It was intended to defend the Revolution against critics like Burke. Wollstonecraft explained the violent excesses of the Revolution as an over-reaction caused by the degraded character of the French people which was in turn the result of the despotism of the old regime.