The French Revolution is often seen as one of the most influential and significant events in world history (Voices 9). The surge of rebellion present in those against the old regime, or Ancien Régime, inspired reformers for generations to come. Nevertheless, the French Revolution would not have occurred without the aid of the Enlightenment Thinkers, or Philosophés. These Philosophés’ ideas sparked the French Revolution. Prior to the French Revolution, France was radically different. It was the state of France before the revolution that the Philosophés owe their effectiveness to. Prior to the revolution, French society was divided into three categories, or “The Three Estates”. They were, the clergy, or First Estate, the nobility, or Second Estate, and the common people, or Third Estate (The Rights 9). These three estates divided France. The First and Second estates only held collectively two and a half percent of France’s population, but held almost all the power and almost all of the wealth. The king, Louis XVI, was the successor to the Sun King, Louis XIV. At this point in time, France was an absolute monarchy with an astounding gap between the social classes. The Third Estate ranged from the extremely poor to the moderately wealthy. However, most of the Third Estate consisted of the extremely poor. One of the primary industries in the Third Estate was the bread industry, which was heavily regulated by the Police. Occupations in this industry range from the bakers, to
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 french revolution was very different from the American Revolution. In Fact the French lend money to the U.S.A during the American Revolution. That was sorta the spark of the French the Revolution. That's not the only thing that is strange about the french revolution. Some people were killed in guillotine for no reason. A guillotine is those things that you put someone's head in, then you pull a string and the blade slices their head off. Actually that is how the King of France was killed. Along with his queen Marie Antoinette. Let’s head right into the Topic of the French Revolution.
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.
In 1789, an event would take place that would shake a nation. This event further altered the country of France’s history and drastically changed its future. This event was known as the Storming of the Bastille, the first violent instance to instigate the French Revolution and the formation of a rebel alliance to overthrow French monarchy. However the motives of the renegades is far and wide. The question must be asked; What were the major reasons for the French Revolution? Many elements of France’s infrastructure were created to suppress the qualms of the people. However, the major influences that caused the French Revolution were the new ideas of the enlightened thinkers, powerlessness of the Third Estate, and famine crises. Without these factors within French society, a governmental collapse may not have occurred.
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.
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.
The French and American Revolutions were pivotal in setting up new societies. Economic, social, and political tensions leading up to the revolutions caused citizens to want change in the way their government worked and functioned within society. Those who wanted the most change within the government were called the radicals; those who wanted the least amount of change were called the conservatives (Baradat 19; 24). The amount of change in their government was a part of the political spectrum which grouped events and people into five groups according to how much change they wanted. Both of the changes resulting from the two revolutions can be classified within this political spectrum as well. While the changes in government resulting from
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.
1. At the end of eighteenth and start of nineteenth centuries, the Atlantic World was transformed by a series of revolutions on both sides of the Atlantic. What were they? How were they related? How were they the same? How were they different?
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.
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.
When people think of the French Revolution, they immediately think of the country of France and how the Revolution affected it. What most people do not think about however, is how the Revolution affected other countries, specifically the country of England. England was affected positively and negatively by the Revolution in that there was an increase of political involvement, but there was a collapse in the economy due to war declared by France.
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.
The French Revolution was a failure because after all of the blood shed, the laws, civil rights, and codes did not get instituted effectively and did not represent the values that the citizens fought for, examples of this were the Napoleonic Code, Declaration of Rights of Man. Another reason it was a failure was because during the revolts and reforms more than 40,000 men and women died, this enormous massacre of people went against Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, all of which the national assembly declared were every man's right. Much of the killing can be related back to Robespierre and King Louis XVI. Although it was mostly a failure, some achievements can be seen through the revolution, the French revolution helped the french people become a more equal and socialist state, this showed Europe that the french
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