《旧制度与大革命·卷三·第七章·国民议会召开前夕民智何以大开而精神何以振起》第2节
Nowadays when the calamity of revolutions has rendered us so humble that we scarcely believe ourselves worthy of the freedom enjoyed by other nations, it is difficult to form a conception of the proud anticipations of our sires. The literature of the time shows to our amazement the vast opinions which the French of all ranks had at that time conceived of their country and of their race. Amongst the schemes of reform just brought to light, hardly any were formed on the model of foreign imitation. They were not received as lessons from the British constitution, or borrowed from the experience of American democracy. Nothing was to be copied; nothing was to be done that was not new. Everything was to be different and more perfect than had been seen before. The confidence of the French in themselves and in the superiority of their own reason was unbounded--a great cause of their mistakes, but also of their inimitable energy. What was applicable to themselves alone would be equally applicable to all men. Not a Frenchman but was convinced that not only was the government of France to be changed, but new principles of government were to be introduced into the world, applicable to all the nations of the earth, and destined to regenerate the sum of human affairs. Every man imagined that he held in his hand not only the fate of his country, but that of his species. All believed that there existed for mankind, whatever might be their condition, but one sovereign method of government, dictated by reason. The same institutions were held to be good for all countries and for any people. Whatever government was not approved by the human reason was to be destroyed and superseded by the logical institutions to be adopted, first by the French, and afterwards by the human race.
注释摘要
托克维尔在这一段里写出了一个看似矛盾、实则致命的心理事实：1789年的法国人之所以敢把旧世界全部推倒重来，恰恰是因为他们从未经历过革命。他劈头就说，我们今天被革命的灾难弄得如此谦卑，几乎不敢相信自己配得上别的民族享有的自由，这种心态本身就构成了理解过去的障碍。经历过革命的人学会的是恐惧、算计和自我保护，而1789年的那代人恰恰相反。他们还没有被革命教育过，…