The French Revolution And The Revolution

The initial impulse of the French revolution was destructive. For those who lived through all, or even part, of these vast upheavals, the shock was overwhelming. Maximilien Robespierre was a proud disciple of the enlightenment and declared that no political writer had foreseen this revolution. Robespierre (1758-1794) was one of the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety, the effective governing body of France during the most radical phase of the revolution. The leaders of this revolution attempted, perhaps more than any other revolutionary leaders before or since, to totally transform human society in every way. (Supreme Being) Although Robespierre began with patriotic intent he still was the face of the Reign of Terror and was viewed as being a radical person.

Just about any country that one can name has some history of civil unrest, class issues, rioting in the streets, and outright warfare. These patterns of behavior are common denominators for most civilization in the world. The names, faces, and places may change, but the motivations are generally the same, because of the need for change and the willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve it. In contrast to the United States, which was in the process of freeing itself from British colonial rule, France was working to free itself from royal absolutism. This period is historically known as the French Revolution. Many scholars do not agree on the chronology of the French Revolution; some scholars suggest that the Revolution took place between 1789 to 1799 while others feel that it did not end until Napoleon lost power in 1815. To better understand the history of the French Revolution it is necessary to discuss the causes, major events, significant figures, and the outcomes associated with these political developments. Without this uprising, that changed the face of the entire country and influenced local political life in many countries in Europe, in all likelihood the France we know today would never have existed.

A revolution is not an event that comes around every few years. In fact, for an event to be considered a revolution that event must bring about significant political, social, ideological, religious or even technological change. Throughout history there have been some very noteworthy revolutions such as the Agricultural Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution. Of all the revolutions in history, it is perhaps the French Revolution that remains the most romanticized in the minds of the people. The French Revolution was, at its core, a revolution of the masses, for the masses. It was a long, violent affair, lasting from 1787 to 1799. Like most periods of historical importance, the French Revolution was not caused by a single, specific event in history. It was rather the result of the accumulation of many events spread all through the 18th century. Some of the most important causes of the French Revolution were the economic crisis, the rising tensions between the social classes, the shortcoming of the rule of Louis XVI, and the Age of Enlightenment.

During the 18th century, the flow of Enlightenment ideas helped spark many political movements. The French Revolution refers to a period in which citizens call for reforms due to the political, economic and social differences between them and the monarchy. The absence of political representation and empathy from the nobility, the financial crisis and the desire for equality between all the classes inspired the people of France to start a revolution. In France, the third estate had almost no political representation while the first and second estate had totally power over everything that happened.

The French and American Revolution do have some similarities although, ultimately, the two wars are completely different. One of the main differences is that the American Revolution was sparked by the American people who were unhappy with the way the British were controlling them. As a result, the Americans were looking for independence.The French Revolution, on the other hand, was centered on putting an end to the monarchy and implementing a new style of government while also changing the social structure which favored the hereditary elites. Another difference is in relation to how the revolutions were fought. The Americans elected representatives who assumed powers of government and created their own currency which effectively cut off payments to Britain while the US organized an official army (495). The American Revolution initially put together two military powers which fought throughout the thirteen colonies. Although the British won most of the battles, the Americans would be able to form a competent military, with civilian support networks, that provided supplies and financial support (495). Although this was not quite enough, it took until the French intervened, as allies to the Americans, the British finally surrendered granting independence to these colonies.

At this point, many people were upset on how unequal life was. The oppressed knew if a king had all the power to do anything he wanted, the people would would constantly be governed unfairly. In revolting against the king the people wanted to the power in the hands of the people by overthrowing the monarchy. Many members of the middle class, part of the third estate,(specifically the bourgeoisie) were not happy with the special privileges held by the nobles. (textbook pg. 5-6) Educated people were drawn to the ideas of the enlightenment. With the exposure to these new ideas, individuals were upset with the monarchy and its system. They became interested in the ideas that spoke of balance of power. This was a very important factor for the revolution. These new ideas propelled people to think about the amount of power the government should have, what rights should be given to the individual, and whether or not their current government uses its power fairly. The French people began to see that they were being abused by their

The American Revolution, along with many revolutions occurring throughout Central America, were all directly inspired by the French Revolution of the late 1700’s. Evidence of this can be seen simply by looking back at world history. History shows that many philosophies of the American Revolution were actually ideas that either closely parallel or are directly taken from the writing of various French scholars, such as Voltaire and The Baron De Montesquieu. The very essence of American politics, Democracy, is in actuality, a French concept as well. Democracy was originally created following the French Revolution to replace the Monarchy.

French Revolution was a horrifying event that was from 1789 to 1799. The revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic and created political chaos. The french revolution started because most people were denied basic rights because the King and Queen cared only for themselves, the economic crisis in France, and social injustices.

For my book review, I have read and evaluated Sylvia Neely’s history book entitled A Concise History of the French Revolution published in 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Neely’s purpose is to gives an overview of the French revolution with the most important events, the most prominent people and the essential terms. We can see that the author proved her thesis by explaining the background causes of the revolution such as the ancient regime with Louis XVI. Also she described all important events in chronological orders which made it easier for the reader to understand. Neely’s book is at the same time an history book, but also an kind of encyclopedia because she included all essentials terms which were use during that time period, such as “dérogeance”, which means the loss of nobility.

This barred the bourgeoisie from progressing socially and politically. The semi-feudal system found in France was not only disliked by the bourgeoisie, but it was also resented by peasants and typically any person with an income. By 1789 many French people had become critical of the monarchy, which led to a common bitterness towards royal absolutism among the French people. The people disliked this political theory because it argues that a solitary person should hold all the power in a government. The Frenchmen resented the increasing and irregular taxes, government intrusion in their personal lives, and the maltreatment of religious minorities. An uncontrollable national debt was created due to the huge saddle from the unbalanced system of taxation. On July 14, 1789, the storming of the Bastille immediately became proof that power no longer resided in the King, but in the people, in accordance with the theories developed by their philosophers of the eighteenth century. These great thinkers' philosophies were influenced by the age of Enlightenment. The age of Enlightenment, while occurring simultaneously alongside the pre-war era, played a major role in shaping peoples' negative newfound opinions of their country and their king. The age of Enlightenment is depicted as an increase in the use of reasonableness to institute morals,

During the eighteenth century there was one central political cause for the French Revolution. King Louis XVI was a weak ruler who endured a lavish lifestyle. He disregarded the people’s needs, leaving much of the French population in discontent. Prior to the revolution the form of government was Absolute monarchy led by Louis XVI. The problem with absolute monarchy was that people were denied basic rights, and a say in government because the divine right theory was abused. The King ruled by the divine right of theory which

Liberté, égalité, fraternité was the cry of freedom that countless people used to propel them through, and to the end of the French Revolution. This long period of social, political and economic change in France lasted 10 years, starting in 1798 and ended with Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Revolution greatly affected all of Europe at the time and continues to represent the embodiment of revolution to this day. This constant struggle between the heavily taxed, burdened, and unrepresented third estate and those higher created an environment of monumental change for everyone. In the years leading up to the French Revolution, new beliefs and ideas were reaching every corner of Europe creating the thought that men should live free of oppression. However, in France the leader Louis XVI lead like a tyrant leaving the people impoverish and angry. Through the analysation of numerous circumstance present during the Ancien Régime, such as an inferior fiscal leadership, massive debt, and the forthcoming of new ideas during the Enlightened period, it can be concluded that the means for this revolution were justified as it is in our essence to revolt for a change.

Revolutions are a common occurrence throughout world history. With the amount of revolutions in history, there are those that get lost and those that are the most remembered or well known. One of the well known revolutions is the French Revolution which occurred in the years 1789 to 1799. Before the French Revolution, France was ruled by an absolute monarchy, this meaning that one ruler had the supreme authority and that said authority was not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs, a definition given by wikipedia.com and the feudal system, which was a system that said a peasant or worker would receive a piece of land in return for serving under a king, a definition given by vocabulary.com. Those who opposed the, then

In the late eighteenth century one thing was very clear; the world was drastically changing. Inspired by the efforts of the American revolutionist, and fed up with the poverty and injustice, the common people of France made the noble decision to band together and fight for freedom and equality. While this did come eventually, it came with many sacrifices, upwards of 17,000 were executed in a chaotic time known as the reign of terror (History.com). When the French peasants gained equality in 1799 Europe was never the same again (Emerson Kent.com). It showed neighboring countries that liberty is not only obtainable but also is a right that everyone should have, and soon

As a result of the radical French Revolution, many new changes ensued such as the establishing of a republic, the collapse of the Ancien Régime, and the weakening of the Coalition. After the royal family was found trying to escape to Austria in Varennes, they were seen as traitors to France and put on trial. At Louis’ execution, “The executioners seized him, the knife struck him, his head fell at fifteen minutes after ten. The executioners seized it by the hair, and showed it to the multitude, whose cries of ‘Long live the Republic!’ resounded to the very bosom of the Convention...” The execution of the king and queen allowed for the monarchy in France to be abolished. This resulted in the commoners developing France into a republic that was more civil and democratic. Furthermore, the executions permitted members of the Third Estate to abolish the social structures of the Ancien Régime. In order to overturn the system of the Ancien Régime, “The National Assembly hereby completely abolishes the feudal system. It decrees that, among the existing rights and dues, both feudal and censuel, all those originating in or representing real or personal serfdom shall be abolished without indemnification.” Abolishing feudalism allowed for the Third Estate to no longer be under the control of the upper-class nobles, and prevented peasants from being bought and sold with the land. This gave the nobles less power over the Third Estate and gave its members more freedom in the workplace. The