Hegel believed that the "contradiction" inherent in the relationship
of lordship and bondage was finally overcome as a result
of the French and, one would have to add, American revolutions.
These democratic revolutions abolished the distinction between
master and slave by making the former slaves their own masters
and by establishing the principles of popular sovereignty and the
rule of law. The inherently unequal recognition of masters and slaves is replaced by universal and reciprocal recognition, where
every citizen recognizes the dignity and humanity of every other
citizen, and where that dignity is recognized in turn by the state
through the granting of rights.