The Adoption of the Citizen-Soldier Model in French and Caribbean Revolutionary Identities (1789-1848)

This study examines the influence of the citizen-soldier model on revolutionaries from the French Revolution, the Guadeloupean Resistance, the Haitian Revolution, and in Georges, a literary text written by Alexandre Dumas. The history of the citizen-soldier concept goes at least as far back as ancient Greece and has been implemented in a variety of ways since then. The citizen-soldier model combines the civic and political engagement of citizens with the martial attributes of a soldier. Throughout these different contexts, revolutionaries were inspired by the citizen-soldier model and incorporated it into their identities in different ways. This study reveals the different interpretations of the citizen-soldier model among individual and groups of revolutionaries. These findings expose insights into their beliefs and identities. From French women, to Guadeloupean and Haitian revolutionaries freed from slavery, to French literature, the ideals of the citizen-soldier appeared in the identities of these marginalized voices who advocated for a universal approach to the citizen-soldier model.