For the most part, the Romantics were initially quite supportive of the French Revolution and its ideals. Wordsworth, for example, was in France at the time and became a devoted adherent of the revolutionary cause. As the French Revolution took a more violent turn, however, Wordsworth became radically disillusioned, eventually becoming quite reactionary in his social and political views. Coleridge followed a similar trajectory; the violent Jacobin phase of the Revolution had a profound impact upon him, its de-Christianization offending against his religious beliefs.

In general terms, the Romantics were inspired by what they saw as a new birth of liberty. However, in due course many came to feel that the notion of liberty at the heart of the French Revolution was somewhat narrow and one-dimensional. For the Romantics, liberty wasn't just related to politics; it was the expression of an individual's true essence. The institutions of politics and society needed to be reformed so that they could allow for the maximum amount of individual self-expression, especially through the medium of art.

The Romantics' understanding of liberty was spiritual, and though the French Revolution initially seemed a manifestation of such liberty, it soon became apparent that it was no such thing, based as it was on abstract reason. As such, a profound disillusionment set in, and many Romantics turned to reactionary politics or religion to remedy the spiritual deficiencies of the age of revolution.