French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799. Although
there were several factors that made the French Revolution
possible, such as population growth, the expansion of the
middle classes, and the rise of an informed public, there
were three immediate causes of the Revolution. One was the
diminished authority of the royal government. Another was
the revolt by the nobility, who sensed a weakening
monarchy. The third cause was the crop failure.
The government of France was in a financial crisis. The
country was deeply in debt from the financing of the wars of
Louis XIV. To deal with the nation's economic problems,
Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estates General in
1789.
The Estates General was made up of...show more content...
As he stationed his army in
and around Paris, crowds of Parisians stormed the Bastille
on July 14, 1789. There they hoped to find weapons and
other ammunition to use in resisting and fighting the troops of
the king. The Bastille was captured and torn down.
This event and numerous other tumultuous events made
Louis realize the urgent need for reforms. The National
Assembly met in August of 1789 and considered feasable
changes. By the end of the month, the Constituent Assembly
(the name the National Assembly renamed itself) adopted
the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen" as a
preamble for the new constitution.
In 1791, a new constitution was written by the Constituent
Assembly. It left the monarchy with little control of France,
and put into effect a separation of powers. The monarchy
was powerless against the Constituent Assembly, which had
power over the government.
Louis and his family's attempt to flee the country made it
clear that the king was not loyal to his country. When the
National Convention, the new Assembly, met on September
21, 1792, it proclaimed France a republic, and Louis was
put on trial for treason and for being a member of the
monarchy. He was found guilty of treason and other crimes,
and died under the guillotine on January 21, 1793.
The death of the king opened the revolution to more
tumultuous change led by the radical groups.
French Revolution
French Revolution The French Revolution last from 1789 to 1799. This war had many causes that began the revolution. Its causes ranged from the American Revolution, the economic crisis in France, social injustices to the immediate causes like the fall of Bastille, the Convening of he Estate–General, and the Great Fear. As a result of this revolution there many effects , immediate and long term. The immediate effects were the declaration of rights of man, abolishing of olds reign, execution of king and queen, the reign of terror, and war and forming of the citizen–army. The long term effects were the rise of Napoleon, spread of revolutionary ideas, growth of nationalism, and the conservative reaction. The contributing factors to the French...show more content...
One of the causes was the economic problems of many common people had become worse, because poor weather conditions had ruined the harvest. As a result, the price of bread, the most important food of the poorer classes had increased. Violence grew in both the cities and the countryside during the spring and summer. While hungry artisans revolted in urban areas, starved peasants searched the provinces for food and work. These vagrants were rumored to be armed agents of landlords hired to destroy crops and harass the common people. Many rural peasants began to panic, known as the Great Fear. They attacked the homes of their landlords to protect local grain supplies and reducing rents on their land. Also Lewis XVI gave in so reluctantly, for example, taking months to approve the Declaration of Rights, which made hostility of the crown only increased. The immediate effects of the French Revolution Was the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This was one of the most constructive achievements of the French Revolution. The Rights of Man said that there would be equality of all persons before the law; equitable taxation; protection against loss of property through arbitrary action by the state; freedom of religion, speech, and the press; and protection against arbitrary arrest and punishment. Another effect was that France first transformed and then dismantled the Old Regime and replaced it with a series of different
French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution was a time for expansion in human freedom. It was a way for the French to re–invent their government to give some sort of equality for their people. There were many successes the French Revolution made, such as creating public schools for children and making it mandatory for them to attend. The French Revolution had the intentions to create a better government and lifestyle for their people, such as Jacobins who believed in the poor having their turn to rule. Though, others opposed the ideas of the revolution. Those people did not go unpunished by their beliefs. This was known as the Reign of Terror, which was not completely necessary for their society.
The French Revolution was held in order to stop...show more content...
"Part I: All children will attend school, boys between the ages of 5 and 12, girls between the ages of 5 and 11. (Draft of Law on Public Education, by Citizen Robespierre)" This showed how the government was serious in making sure all people in France had some education. This was a great success because every person could at least read and write. Lastly, women were finally given the freedom of equality. Woman had always been oppressed by men because of physical capability, they were not as physically strong as men. But, they were finally able to pass a law of equality in a written declaration. "Article 1: Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her rights. Social distinctions can be based only on the common utility. (Declaration of the Rights of Women, by Olympe de Gouge)" This clearly shows that the French Revolution aided women in the right of equality with men. These successes clearly show how the French Revolution helped to expand human freedom.
The people who supported the Revolution were known as Jacobins. They were people who believed that the poor should have the turn to rule, they represented the lower class people. This group was made up of anyone who believed in their ideas, even women. Two men who were part of the Jacobins were Georges Danton and Jean–Paul Marat. They highly believed in the poor being in control. Danton once stated "The Rich used to rule Paris. Now we cry: "Make way for the
French Revolution Essay
Why was there a French Revolution?
Between, 1789 ¡V 1799, many events occurred in France that caused an outbreak within the people thus leading to a revolution. This culminated in the France becoming a democratic government. This essay will argue that the resentment of absolute government, financial difficulties, the famine, rise of philosophes and the ongoing feud between the estates are all the major causes of why there was a revolution in France.
Firstly before going into the topic, the word ¡§revolution¡¨ must be defined. ¡§A revolution is a relatively sudden and absolutely huge change. This may be a change in the social or political institutions over a relatively short period of time, or a major change in its culture or economy .¡¨...show more content...
If the king was interested in the opinions of the people, all he had to do go to the Estates General and ask for their vote on any issue he put forth. The last time the Estates General had been in meeting was in 1614, therefore it is evident that by the late 1700s, that the king was no longer interested in the influence of the French people . This sort of ignorance to the people was a major factor in why there was a revolution in France
The famine killed many people during the late 18th century and was caused by the other underlining factors such as financial trouble and arguments between the estates. Different crop failures in the 1780s caused these shortages, which of course led to high prices for bread and other food substances. With the prices going up people grew angry with the government and waged for a revolution . There were poor conditions in the countryside which made residents to move into Paris, and the city was overcrowded and filled with the hungry and disaffected people who desperately needed more food to live. The peasants, who were the worst of the lot, suffered from the economic and agricultural problems . With all this added up, there was no other way to fix these problems but to have a revolution
Another cause of the French Revolution was in the financial difficulties of the government. King Louis XV and King Louis XVI both led extremely
The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution
Why was there a French Revolution? This is a question of continual interests not only to professors and philosophers, but to everybody who takes an interests in the history of the world. Genuinely, therefore, it is also a subject of much contention. The statement citing the fundamental cause of the French
Revolution as the collision between a powerful rising
Bourgeoisie and an ingrained aristocracy, defending its privileges it had for centuries, has great relevance in reiterating the great conflict of 1789. However, it was the financial debt of the government, and the financial crisis it caused, which was at root of the actual course to revolution. Many factors played a role in the
economic...show more content...
They had the right to ascendancy on public occasions, the right to exercise seigniorial rights over most of the lands they did not own, the right to wear a sword in public, and, most importantly, the exemption from taxes.
The third estate could have been broken down into two categories. One was a new middle class that emerged during the Louis XVI era, called the Bourgeoisie. The rest of the estate were poor peasants and artisans that
–3–
made up about ninety–six percent of France's entire population. The Bourgeoisise were highly educated bankers and investors, or other business elites. They made their money in refining and processing plants, finance and insurance, and other advanced industries. A good share of the nation's debt was due to the uneven taxation of the estates. The nobles were exempt from the main direct tax, or taille, as were the clergy.
That meant most of the burden lay on the third estate, who also possessed the least amount of wealth. The
Bourgeois were wealthy and were able to afford such taxation, but nonetheless, their aim was civil equality and to destroy the tax privileges of the nobility and clergy. The peasants, too, were laden with extensive amounts of taxation that was nearly impossible for them to pay. Burrowing France deeper into debt and economic crisis was the persistent drought followed by massive storms, ravaging the
The French Revolution Essay example
The French Revolution
The French Revolution evokes many different emotions and controversial issues in that some believe it was worth the cost and some don't. There is no doubt that the French Revolution did have major significance in history. Not only did the French gain their independence, but an industrial revolution also took place. One of the main issues of the Revolution was it's human costs. Two writers, the first, Peter Kropotkin who was a Russian prince, and the other Simon Schama, a history professor, both had very opposing views on whether the wars fought by France during the Revolution were worth it's human costs. Krapotkin believed that the French Revolution was the main turning point for not only France but for most...show more content...
He also began one of the bloodiest periods in French history, the Reign of Terror. During the Reign of Terror, more than 30,000 people were executed, mainly for opposing Robespierre's views. Late in 1794, Robespierre was put to death and a new leader was looked for; this of course turned out to be Napoleon. With many conquered lands under his belt by 1798, Napoleon had a huge following and planned a coup d'etat. On November 18, 1799, Napoleon became the First Consul of France, or in his mind the dictator. Napoleon then crowned himself Emperor in 1804 and conquered many countries including Austria, Prussia, and Russia in 1805,06, and 07 respectively. Such a strong ruler is bound to fall eventually, this happened in 1815 with his death. Even with the many improvements to the country of France in the late 1700's and early 1800's, some still believe that the French Revolution was not worth it's human costs. Detailed below are two opposing viewpoints on the topic. Peter Krapotkin, a revolutionary Russian prince, argues that the French Revolution paved the way for expansion and democratic growth. Krapotkin's first argument is that the French monarchy before the Revolution deprived the lower class citizens of food and necessities. There was a shortage of food at the time, and the prices were too high for the lower class to afford. The monarchy also taxed the lower class, which made it even harder for them to afford the food that they needed. During the