French Revolution A Tale Of Two Cities

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.

Before the revolution France was ruled under the Ancien Regime system, meaning the country and all its people were under the reign of an absolute monarch. This was a tradition that had been upheld through the years and the Royal family had enjoyed a life funded by the people of France, the royal family’s lifestyle unaffected by the situation outside their palace. The Palace, Versailles, was built by king Louis XIV and the expenses for building this “village” was very high, and in later years the cost for its upkeep would play a significant role in Frances financial difficulties. In order for these difficulties to be overcome France needed a tax reform. The government had a very high tax rate on the poorest of their people, the Third Estate, and they were still not getting enough money to get out of their

According to an excerpt from Miss Betham-Edwards, ed., Arthur Young’s Travels in France During the Years 1787, 1788, and 1789, it states that “there is an injustice in levying the amount each person must pay… they had to pay a tax of 42 pounds of wheat, and three chickens, to one noble and 168 pounds of oats, one chicken and 1sou… (Doc. E)”. This quote shows that the amount of the tax that the 3rd estates have to pay is excessively abundant. Also, they are the ones making the least money compared to other estates. The people of the 3rd estates had a difficult time paying the taxes, eventually, they couldn’t take it and planned to change the taxation system.

In the late eighteenth to the early nineteenth century, France was undergoing major changes. Before the French Revolution, France was experiencing political, social and economic problems. During this time period France was unstable, and wasn’t able to keep up with the new arising Enlightenment ideas. In addition, there were high taxes, unequal power distribution and social inequality. The French Revolution not only impacted the citizens of France, but people from other countries as well.

The third estate’s citizens had the lowest income in France, yet they were the ones who were supporting the government. The burden of the countries taxes was nearly impossible for the third estate to carry. One peasant woman said that the taxes were “crushing” her and her fellow third estate members. (Document 2).The first and second estate made up the wealthiest portion of France, yet they paid next to nothing in taxes. This obviously and rightfully angered members of the third estate. Why should the only people who can afford to pay taxes be exempt from them? This kind of inequality resulted in violence from the third estate. As a form of rebellion, peasants attacked tax collectors whom they owed money. They also burned land registers and court records. This example, along with the formation of the National Assembly show that the first actions of the revolution were a result of not giving the third estate the voice that it’s members felt it

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.

Throughout history, there have been many Revolutions. The French Revolution was a revolution that changed France history completely. The French Revolution did not only changed history, but changed France’s historical monarchy government to a more republic government. The poor French citizens got the courage to start a revolution from the American Revolution. The French Revolution started at 1789 and ended at 1799. It was the most important event that changed the Western Civilization history. The French Revolution was caused by its “Economic hardship, its absolute ruler: Louis XVI, international struggles, and political conflict.”1 The French Revolution started with an absolute ruler and ended with an absolute ruler.

French society was ingrained with the ideology of a three class or estate society. The First Estate consisted of clergy who owned approximately ten percent of France’s land. The Second Estate contained the rich nobles who only occupied two percent of the French population, but had ownership of twenty percent of the country’s land. The Third Estate encompassed ninety-seven percent of the French population. The First and Second Estates had many privileges in French society, and they paid little to no taxes. Unfortunately, the tax burden fell upon the Third Estate, which caused them to yearn for political change. Hefty taxes fell upon business owners within the Third Estate who were unable to conduct a profitable business. On top of the tax crisis,

Taxing systems in Pre-Revolutionary France were disproportionate and unfair to the third estate as they paid a majority of everything, although they were the less wealthy. The third estate was taxed more than any other estate, they paid for all of the kings functions and his queens bad habit. This is supported by a source that shows the income and the spending of the French Crown. It states that only 14.9 million livres were spent on public works, whereas 42 million livres were spent on the royal household. The taxing systems in Pre-Revolutionary France provided a significant reason for the downfall of King Louis XVI and the French Monarchy.

Time proceeds its infinite journey we mark great developments commemorating the discoveries and changes that have led to our modern day world. Many new developments we sought to exist shape our world through acceptance and creativity. Beneath all this humanity, the 17th and 18th century signifies an important period that influenced many others, the French revolution. This was the time the French gained control of their rights and went against absolute monarchy. These unconventional approaches lead to many positive uprisings yet downfalls as well. Consequently, as many new discoveries had been born, people gained a new, secular perspective of the world, allowing them to realize their desire for change. This change, known as the French Revolution and numerous reasons caused this significant event in history such as the social and political conflicts of the Old Regime, financial difficulties and deficit spending of King Louis, and the influence in philosophers of the American Revolution in France.

The French Revolution was arguably one of the most important events in history. While it changed the social structure in France it also affected many different countries across the world. “The tree of liberty must be watered with blood.” Vasvari (Bender 102). This is an example of the common mind set found in these metaphoric times. The 1700s were the beginning of the “era of modern revolution”, full of social and political change. Most were inspired by other acts of transformation. The French Revolution was one of the most catalytic events in history, it prompted many other revolutions in the world. In the French colony of Saint-Domingue, there was the most successful slave revolt , The Haitian Revolution in 1791. In 1821 Greece fought the Ottoman Empire for their freedom(Richards 85). There was a rise in German nationalism in 1794 that lead to the execution of Hungarian Jacobins. Later on in the mid nineteenth century Italy also had their national unity movement. Many of Latin America’s republics

The French Revolution (1789-1814) was a period that affected the outcome of world history tremendously. This is considered a major turning point in European history which has led to dramatic changes in France and other regions of the world. Various social and political issues led to the start of the revolution. Politically, France suffered under the rule of Louis XVI, who ruled by absolute monarchy. Many people had their natural rights renounced and weren’t able to have a political voice. Socially, France had divided its population within 3 estates (classes). French citizens took it upon themselves to remodel their country 's’ political structure. The French Revolution had encountered both positive and negative effects. However, many Europeans viewed the Revolution as much more than just a bloody massacre. The French Revolution was used to demonstrate new ideology that would emphasize the principles of liberty and equality throughout Europe.

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