The Declaration was significant for several reasons. First, it helped to establish the French Revolution as a struggle for universal human rights, rather than simply a political or economic rebellion. Second, it provided a framework for the creation of a new, more democratic French government. Third, it inspired other revolutions around the world, including the American Revolution and the Russian Revolution.
Here are some of the specific principles set forth in the Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen:
* All men are born and remain free and equal in rights.
* The aim of every political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.
* The principle of all sovereignty resides essentially in the nation. No group or individual can exercise authority that does not emanate from the nation.
* Liberty consists of being able to do anything that does not harm others. The exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those that ensure to other members of society the enjoyment of these same rights.
* Law is the expression of the general will. All citizens have the right to participate in the making of the laws, either personally or through their representatives.
* The law is the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all public offices, positions, and employments, according to their ability and without any other distinction than that of their virtues and talents.
* No man may be accused, arrested, or detained except in cases determined by law and according to the forms which it has prescribed.
* Every man is presumed innocent until he has been declared guilty. If it is judged indispensable to arrest a man, all severity that is not necessary to secure his person must be strictly prohibited.
* No man may be unduly interfered with in his religious opinions or observances, provided that his manifestation does not disturb the public order established by law.
* The free communication of ideas and opinions is one of the most precious of the rights of man.
The Declaration of Rights of Man and of the Citizen was a radical document that challenged the traditional order of society. It inspired people around the world to fight for their own freedom and equality. Although it has not always been fully implemented, the Declaration remains an important symbol of human rights and democracy.