On Lafayette: The Thought And Practice Of "the Hero Of Two Worlds"

In modern history, the American Revolution and the French Revolution are the world's major events. French aristocrat Marquis de Lafayette (1757-1834) who has a good name "the hero of two worlds", not only set military exploits for the American Revolution, but also was the important leader of the initial stage of the French Revolution. When the American Revolution happened, Lafayette went to the American battlefield as a volunteer. He led his men in the act and went through fire and water, established a profound fighting friendship with the American founding leaders: Washington, Jefferson and Hamilton. His bravery, sincerity and outstanding contribution won the praises of the people of the America and the world. After the American Revolution, Lafayette returned to France and became a leader of the Feuillant at the initial stage of Revolution, who had played a key commander in chief of the Garde nationale. However, Lafayette was venerated, but also suffered the human to revile in his own motherland, and ultimately withdrawed from the keenest struggle of the Revolution. Although he did something at the Restoration period and in July Dynasty, in comparison with the past, that was negligible.Lafayette accepted the Enlightenment's education in petticoats and after the baptism of the War of Independence established a will that he would support freedom and democracy for his lifetime. As the main leader of the Feuillant after Lafayette came back to France, he strongly advocated the establishment of constitutional monarchy and protested to practise the compromised and moderated policies in order to reconcile conflicts among the King, the Assemblee Nationale and the Nation; Inwardly, Lafayette protected the natural and inalienable human rights which he regarded as his responsibility. There are some academicians believed that he not only supported the natural rights, but efforts to reconcile the conflict in all social groups, and this is the reason why he was controversial. In this paper, through the analysis of Lafayette's thinking and practice, I believe that his advocator of the natural rights and mediator which the two identities are not inconsistent. Because Lafayette deemed that he appeared to the identity of national unity just serviced for the safeguarding of the inviolability of the natural rights of human.