Yes, the original quote, in context, was: "Vous avez voulu une République ; si vous ne vouliez point en même temps ce qui la constitue, elle ensevelirait le peuple sous ses débris. Ce qui constitue une République, c'est la destruction totale de ce qui lui est opposé. On se plaint des mesures révolutionnaires ! Mais nous sommes des modérés, en comparaison de tous les autres gouvernements." (From his report of 8 Ventôse Year II, p. 659 of his Oeuvres complètes, edited by A. Kupiec and M. Abensour, and published by Gallimard in 2004.)
To compare both quotes in the same language, an English translation of the sentence in bold in the preceding paragraph: "What constitutes a Republic is the total destruction of that which is opposed to it." If Schama's version were translated into French, it would probably go something like this: "Ce qui constitue la République, c'est l'extermination de tous ceux qui lui sont opposés." ...Which is really not the same thing at all.
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2009-07-13 06:44 pm (UTC)To compare both quotes in the same language, an English translation of the sentence in bold in the preceding paragraph:
"What constitutes a Republic is the total destruction of that which is opposed to it."
If Schama's version were translated into French, it would probably go something like this:
"Ce qui constitue la République, c'est l'extermination de tous ceux qui lui sont opposés."
...Which is really not the same thing at all.