What is the significance of the French Tricolour?
I’ve been reading about the French Revolution and was wondering why the French settled on the blue-white-red combination for their flag. Were these colours chosen because they were already prominent in symbolism that represented revolution, or did it come to represent revolution because of the association with France. Why did the Italians go for similar in the 1790s? I also noticed that when the Bourbons were restored they got rid of the Tricolour, but it was brought back after the 1830 Revolution. Why was this, did it remain very popular in France? My perception was that there were not that many republicans in France by this point Are there any good books on the history of flags, particularly the Tricolour?
To answer your first question, the French Revolution didn't initially embrace blue, red and white.
Back during the storming of the Bastille, the Parisians originally adopted the colour green to show their support for the revolution and their opposition to the government’s coup d'etat (Citizens, 1989). The chestnut trees of the Palais royal were stripped bare as everyday people wore the green leaves to signify their allegiance. However, it was soon pointed out that the colour green, the colour of hope, was also the colour of the King’s much-hated younger brother, the Comte Artois.
As a result, the colours of Paris, blue and red, were adopted instead. Subsequently, the colour of the King (white) was added by Lafayette. This was done for two reasons.
Firstly, adding the colour of the nation's monarch helped make these colours more 'national' and representative of France.
Secondly, blue and red were the colours of the King’s popular cousin, the Duke of Orléans. To have kept the National Guard wearing just blue and red cockades would have implied both an unwarranted and an unwanted linkage between the two (a linkage Lafayette and others certainly desired to prevent given the fact that many suspected the Duke of wanting to use the revolution as a means of replacing Louis XVI on the throne).
Thus, with the addition of the bourbon white, we end up with the famous tricolours of France.
If you're curious about more French Revolution symbolism and traditions, check out Episode 1.18 "A Popular Revolution" of the Grey History Podcast (this specific episode is quite 'stand-alone' and covers Federations, Liberty Trees and Liberty Caps amongst other things).
Sources:
S. Schama, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution, 1989.