Essay On The Role Of Fear In French Revolution

The French Revolution began in 1789 as an attempt, by the revolutionaries, to form a new government that would give the people more liberty, equality and value people’s rights. Between 1793 and 1794 the government used extreme ways to achieve their goals. This period of time, led by Robespierre, was called the reign of Terror because between 20,000-40,000 french people were killed by the government forces. The Reign of Terror was not justified for three reasons:The external and internal threat did not deserve it, they denied natural rights against people who opposed them and the methods of the Terror were too extreme.

The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political change in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799. Before the revolution there was a period of time called the Enlightenment. The Enlightenment was a philosophical movement in which followers considered that human reason brought a move from theory to practice and criticism to reforming education, household administration, social reactions and politics. Voltaire, a French philosopher and contributor to the Age of Enlightenment, expressed these ideas utilizing his intelligence, wit and style to mark his name as one of France’s greatest writers. The Enlightenment influenced the French Revolution to a great extent by introducing new ideas that encouraged questioning of authority and religion, advancing people’s outlook on commodities, and forcing citizens to compare their need with the Republic’s needs. This further brought an uprising of people wanting more such as equality and civil rights. In the process to do so there were 250,000 casualties in the Reign of Terror followed the Thermidorian Reaction which implemented an oligarchy government called the Directory. Royalist riots prompted the Coup d’etat of Fructidor which brought Napoleon into Directory which he later overthrows and creates an Authoritarian Republic.

The topic that I will be writing about is the French Revolution and how it affected France as a nation. The book that I read was "The French Revolution, A tale of Terror and Hope for Our Times", by Harold Behr. This book gave a very large and broad overview of what transpired during the French Revolution, which occurred during the years of 1789-1799. Though the book covered a lot of material that happened throughout those years, I will be covering the main topics, such as what were the events leading up to the revolution, how the revolution affected the people of France, how the revolution affected the country as a whole, how the revolution affected the world, and whether or not the revolution in the end helped or was more detrimental to the country. All of the topics will be covered from my point of view and how I interpreted the author, there is another point of views on the revolution but this will be from what I felt the book meant to me.

The Great Fear was a period of extreme fright and riot that became a massacre in the French Revolution. France's peasants began to hear wild rumors about the nobles who were hiring outlaws to terrorize them and overthrow the Third Estate. The peasants responded by arming themselves with pitchforks and other farm tools to defend their property. "The peasants soon became outlaws themselves." Although it seems the peasants feared those people who broke the law, they became the ones creating bigger damage such as destroying federal documents and stealing millions of private property's. Along with several deaths because of the lack of food. Thousands of Parisian women caused trouble over the rising price of bread. These big strong woman marched

With labor shortages apparent, people began to starve due to a lack of farming because people had abandoned their farms and villages. The *Serfs at the time were the main laborers, and due to the inevitable plague they were no longer tied to their masters of land. Due to the economic strain at the time, Serfs who survived were able to demand higher wages and better working conditions from their new landlords (Utah State University). Therefore, worker’s wages had skyrocketed. It was known that “a reaper was not to be hired for less than eightpence [a day, 50-75% up], plus his meals,” (The Economist). This eventually led to the end of Serfdom and the start of workers rights in Europe. This in turn socially changed the way people felt about the different socioeconomic classes due to the Peasant's Revolt (Utah State University). The need for better working conditions and situations for Serfs forever changed Europe.

The French Revolution was a result of influence and inspiration gained from the American Revolution. This event occurred in 1789 and continued until the late 1790’s due to bloodshed and disagreement. During this time period the people with nothing began to have a voice and the people with power were rapidly executed leading to democracy, which meant every man was free with equal rights. The French’s method was named the Reign of Terror because of the French’s unique scare tactics. This event was not justified due to the oppression of the guillotine, the Tribunal system, and Declaration of the Rights of man.

Also, it often included spontaneous rioting and craziness which included many women in the popular insurrections. In 1791, the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen” echoed many of the ideals of the Enlightenment. This progressive document helped further the rights for many and pushed forward the agenda of equal rights; however, many women, including de Gouges, saw this document as portraying the failure of the French Revolution. The next phase, the Republican Revolution, clamped down and cut many of the progressive laws and ideas that were characterized by the Liberal Revolution. Women were banned from the political sphere; many who spoke out against those in charge were executed for their opposition. Included in those who were executed were Olympe de Gouges in 1793. Therefore, the rest of the French Revolution is not necessary to understand her as a historical figure.

Was the Terror of 1793/4 inherent from the revolutions outset or was it the product of exceptional circumstance?

to get all the power of France. It should also be said that not all the nobles

The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of the King’s harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie-Antoinette and about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system.

When prices got so high that peasants and other third estate citizens couldn't afford food there was an inevitable uprising. The peasantry became a class with the ambition to counteract social inequity and put a stop to escalating food prices. This unrest caused a riot, known as the bread riot, which became a central cause to the French Revolution.

Revolution? The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The French Revolution of 1789-1799 was one of the most important events in the history of the world. The Revolution led to many changes in France, which at the time of the Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe. The Revolution led to the development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism. It questioned the authority of kings, priests, and nobles. The Revolution also gave new meanings and new ideas to the political ideas of the people.<br><br>The French Revolution was spread over the ten year period between 1789 and 1799. The primary cause of the revolution was the disputes over

In this way the privileged classes had combined to outvote the third estate, which included more than 90 percent of the population. Another cause was the fall of Bastille. The falling of the Bastille marked a turning point-attempts at reform had become a full-scale revolution. 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.

De Gouges expressed that women were born free and equal to men in their rights and that property belonged to both sexes. She felt it necessary for the nobility to realize the injustice of refusing to sit with the Third Estate, later writing a letter to the convention asking that the king's life be spared. De Gouges claimed the present king, Louis XVI, should not have to pay for the mistakes of his ancestors. Viewing France's situation from both sides she presented them with a compromising attitude and a level head, which was greatly needed in a country full of radicals. With these contributions she paved the way for other women idealists. Marie-Jean Roland was another visionary who combined political action with respect for gender norms. Her three main roles were "inciting revolutionary action, formulating policy, and informing other of revolutionary events." She believed that due to the restrictions placed by the male society, leading to a lack of education, women were frivolous and vain. Men, therefore inhibited women from achieving their intellectual potential, who in turn limited the contributions women could have made to society. Roland also declared what she felt was necessary conditions for the success of the revolution. These conditions were for the national assembly to be returned to Paris, the importance of

The French Revolution led to reconsidering women’s place in society because the idea of the French Revolution was to find new ways to govern a society. Pre-revolutionary, the social norms for women was to stay home, take care of the children, and be dependent on their husband. Although women had some form of political rights, they were insignificant compared to men. During the French Revolution, women hoped that there would be social, political and economic change away from social norms, but it is seen that women were still experiencing inequality. Feminists like de Olympe de Gouges and Marquis de Condorcet had such difficulty persuading men to recognize women as equals. Even with the influence of ideas of the Enlightenment period, women’s rights were still ignored due to the perception of women being unfit in politics and being more fit in the role of a mother and a wife. The Declaration Rights of Women (1791), published by Olympe de Gouges, challenged the social norms and countered the declaration for men. Soon after, women again were backlashed for trying to obtain rights after Napoleon came into power.