The French Revolution And The May-June 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.

France was under extreme turmoil because of its structure and King Louis XVI, there were many growing tensions throughout France that needed to be dealt with before the revolution was to take over. The three estates in France were under a very unequal system where the majority vote and majority of wealth came from less than 10 percent of the country; many privileges were the given to them like minimal taxes and all authority. The other 90 percent of the country was living in extremely poor conditions and were spending 90 percent of their wages on bread. King Louis XVI continued to charge the third-estate excessive amounts of taxes to pay for his contribution to the American war. Moderates believed they could change these issues through minor reforms, but when that failed the radicals realized it would take a revolution to change the problems that persisted in France. Because strict government control during the Radical stage of the revolution (1792-1794) was placed in society, a dictator of the Radical stage, Maximilien Robespierre was able to achieve more than the moderate stage (1789-1792). There were many great ideas in the moderate stage but they were pursued with the dedication of the leaders in the radical stage, while they were already achieving many of their own goals.

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.

Beginning in 1789, the French Revolution was a time of rebellion, passion, betrayal, death, violence, and perseverance. Before 1789, King Louis XVI was taxing his poorest people heavily, whilst the rich were hardly taxed at all. The socioeconomic system in place at the time, known as the ancien regime, ruthlessly upheld the status quo. When the tension in France rose to a boiling point, fiery, young rebels to rose up against the Monarchy, the Ancien Regime, and the Clergy. These revolutionaries desperately wanted change, and they had three main principles around which their movement centered: Liberté, Égalité, and Fraternité. Liberty is the freedom to do as one pleases so long as one’s actions do not unjustifiably harm others. Equality is being considered the same. Fraternity is a sense of brotherhood and companionship. The goals of the French Revolution were initially achieved with alacrity, however they were abandoned with relative quickness as malcontented leaders quested for, and abused, power and authority.

The extent the ideas and objectives of men and women who participated in the French Revolution changed dramatically over time. People's thoughts were greed, anger, and the pridefulness they got when they created a new France. Especially because at this time they were recovering from the revolution which meant the people were more important than ever before, and it also meant that many new changes had to come. People were also prouder of the things they had done in the revolution and were also determined to make sure they got the equality they deserved as well as make sure they had no enemies to threaten all they had accomplished.

Since 1789, increasing discontent for food shortage and dire living conditions in France triggered massive protests against the Old Regime. By overthrowing Louis XVI and absolute monarchy, French citizens began to march toward democracy. However, the desire for participating in political decisions became so radical that fueled by internal and external conflicts, people shifted away from the principles they drew up. To restore stability and enforce laws, the government turned more centralized. Unlike what the revolution intended initially, its ending with Napoleon’s dictatorship totally resembled what it was like before. Such turmoil throughout the revolution merely undermined democracy despite its original aim to increase the public voice in politics.

One of the major problems with the old regime was the Nobles, Clergies and Aristocrats owned all the money and land, they did not have to experience what 98% of the population of France is experiencing – Starvation. They did not take in an account of the lives of the lives of those majorities either, which caused a shift in their perspective towards the absolute monarchy. This shift perspective has separated the first and second Estates and the third Estates into two separate “nations” in terms of the social aspect. During the period of the first war of Coalition, people was often blinded by the fact they’re trying to overthrow an old regime – the king, and form an equal society, but they did not think for themselves, the definition of patriotism was not clear. At the time being patriotic does not simply mean to support the French revolution, but to be willing to die for the French Revolution, even if an individual is against the ideas. For instance, neighbours was spying on neighbours, and friends was bailing friends out; it was not enough to just support the idea of French Revolution but to be a radical like Marat and

In many revolts and reforms the people were fighting for three things Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. These rights of every frenchman fueled the revolution so well that it ended up burning up. The achievement of uniting hundred of thousands of people for a ideologies is still unimaginable in today's world. Even though some of these ideologies did more harm than good does not make the achievement of unitation null because success is only a measurement that every person has their own definition for. An example of this is when the national convention abolishes the monarchy and declares France a republic. Although this is than overruled by napoleon it still shows how france united under one main cause. The abolishment of the monarchy makes every man closer to Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity because it gives everyone a chance to voice their opinion to a representative instead of being ignored by one superior being. All in all the french revolution was a minor success due to the improved socialistic ideologies and abolishment of the three

As one can expect from the very nature of political and social revolutions, there were some very unhappy people during the French revolution. The question here is why the French citizens of this time so upset were and was their discontent so great that a revolution could be justified? Furthermore, who and what will be the ultimate vehicle to bring the necessary political, social and economic dreams to realization?

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.

The Royal Family of France’s attempted escape on June 20th, 1791 made many people very unhappy with the King. The mob, ever ready to exercise the uncontrolled Rights of Men, made a mock parade of the King’s Arms in the market places, and, dashing them and the figure of a crown to the ground, they trampled upon them, crying out, “Since the King has abandoned what he owed to his high situation, let us trample upon the ensigns of royalty” (Ascherson 48)! The Royal Family not only lost many of its followers through their attempted escape, but also because King Louis XVI kept making bad decisions, ones that had no benefit to France or its people. The people wanted someone who would lead them into a revolution and change France for the better, not because they wanted the power, but because they believed in France and wanted it to become a great nation. That man was Robespierre, who after the flight of the King followed the Jacobin club in its move toward republicanism. He called for universal male suffrage and the end of property qualifications for voting and office holding (Blumberg 290). Robespierre wanted to make France a republic, a government for the people and by the people, a country where everyone had the freedoms and rights they deserved. In January of 1793, Robespierre voted on whether or not he thought that King Louis should be executed for his actions. At the Convention on the trial

Let us go back to Europe in the Nineteenth Century were ideas of democracy and no kings began to emerge and series of revolutions began. All of this was a cause of the French Revolution that had just taken place at the end of the Eighteenth Century and that event showed for one of the first times that a monarch could be over thrown and the common people such as peasants could have a say in the government. Even though Napoleon took control of the government in France after the revolution he still did not have the role as a king and did not possess all the power that came with that role. So the French people still felt like it was step in the right direction especially with new bills that protect a person’s human rights. Here France is without a king and a new government and for the first time certain rights given to a person so the government could not control their every move. All the other European countries see this and it sparks a wildfire of

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.

France was where the revolutions first started, when its people sought suffrage worldwide. After the King discharged François Guizot, aiming to “outlaw the banqueting campaign”, it led to the radicals protesting which caused violence as troops shot at the protesters. This brutality amplified the anger of the French people. Refusing to release the protesters also just fueled the fight for reform even more, which led to the organization of a second government after the King’s resignation. In the end, the disaster increased as the constitutional government experienced challenges. Later, the people failed to assert a new government and eventually young workers