Vindiciae Gallicae: and Other Writings on the French Revolution

‘Vindiciae Gallicae’ was James Mackintoshs first major publication, a contribution to the debate begun by Edmund Burkes ‘Reflections on the Revolution in France’ (published by Liberty Fund in 1999). The success of Mackintoshs defence of the French Revolution propelled him into the heart of London Whig circles. The turn of events in France following the September 1792 Massacres caused Mackintosh, along with other moderate Whigs, to revise his opinions and to move closer to Burkes position. ‘A Discourse on the Law of Nature and Nations’ was the introduction to a popular course of public lectures at Lincolns Inn in 1799 and 1800. These lectures provided Mackintosh with an opportunity to complete the evolution of his political thought by expounding the principles of a Scottish version of the science of natural jurisprudence dealing with ‘the rights and duties of men and of states’, to announce his withdrawal of support for the French Revolution, and to criticise former allies on the radical wing of the reform move.