The French Revolution

The French Revolution began in 1789 due to the discontent of the Third Estate being unequal to the First Estate, who were exempt from taxes and held special privileges. Although, Louis XVI attempted to tax the First Estate in order to fix France, who is on the verge of bankruptcy. However, the First Estate refused to be taxed because it goes against the traditions imposed years ago. Louis XVI attempted to solve this by calling the Estates-General, where all three estates could meet and attempt to settle issues. The Estates-General failed to solve any problems, with that the Third Estate decided to separate and form the National Assembly. The liberal phase was primarily focused on turning France into a constitutional monarchy, where the National

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.

Source one has shown enlightened thinking of generally the third estates, also known as the National Assembly and represented the people of France. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is a social factor which shaped French Nationalism. It’s an enlightened idea which was spread through media, to motivate commoners to fight for their rights, which has questioned the divine right of the king. Even though the Declaration of the Rights did not create a new Country, but it did give the people of France a sense of belonging, and their rightful rights. As a result of the Declaration, was the Storming of the Bastille, where political prisoners were freed from the Bastille, and a significant “victory” towards

From document 4 it is clear, that the common man who was suffering for many years and was looking at the changes that are taking place around him and started thinking about the natural rights. The working class started to read and with the ideas of new philosophies and the declaration of American Independence ignited the spark in the middle class which decided to revolt against the French government according to the document 5. It was the idea of the American Revolution which had a major impact on the third estate which caused the French revolution. The American and French revolution changed the governments of the world which created many forms of

The French Revolution had three phases which were constitutional monarchy, radical republicanism, and military consolidation. Each phase played an important role of the French Revolution and what the outcome was. As it say in the book, “The Bill of Rights provided a model for nearly all the worlds constitutions that followed”. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen states, “The representatives of the French people, organized as a National Assembly, believing that the ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities and of the corruption of governments, have determined to set forth in a solemn declaration the natural, unalienable, and sacred rights of man.” They were tired of all the unfair treatment from there king. Enlightenment was another major influence in both revolutions. It inspired people and gave ideas on what is right and what is wrong. The transition from subject to citizen meant you no longer were under someones rule you are not there subjects. A citizen represents there country and is free who also has a say in there government.This transition was big because people were finally free and weren’t ruled by a crown they ruled

The French revolution started in 1787 and ended in late 1799 with the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. This was also known as the Revolution of 1789, the reason it is called that instead of the Revolution of 1787 is because the climax was 1787. Some of the reasons for the French revolution are; international, political conflict, the Enlightenment, social antagonisms among two rising groups: the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie, the weak ruler: Louis XVI played a big part in it and economic hardship. The revolution seemed necessary for the idea of the enlightenment era. The main people who the French were trying to meet the ideas were Montesquieu, Voltaire, or Rousseau.

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

Millions of French people suddenly revolted against a society that their past families had accepted forever. Ways of life that once worked well for people became rigid and not suitable over time. New conditions/thought changed the minds of many people across the country. Suddenly, what had seemed so reasonable before had become outrageous and unnecessary. In the French’s case, it was the institutions of feudalism and monarchy that stopped working. There was great divide between nobility and commoners which further perpetuated the process of conflict. By the 1770’s, France was on the edge of a full on war. People were unhappy. There is political corruption everywhere. The clergy and aristocracy owned 30% of French land even though they were only 2% of the French population. Many enlightenment thinkers give up on the operation of their country. Montesquieu, a French scholar once said, “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” While most people are suffering through poverty, the government is spending on luxuries and over taxing. The Third Estate barely gets any say and gets worse when Louis XVI locks them out of the assembly. The debt was made worse from spending in both the Seven Years War and The American Revolution. These events added up and eventually seemed impossible to fix and impossible to be prevented. However, several things could have been done to stop the

When the situation in France was not getting any better the French people did the what anyone else would which was to start a revolution. The American's had already done it so the French knew they could do it. The American Revolution held from 1765 through 1783. From this revolution the Declaration of Independence rose, as the American colonist wanted freedom they obtained it by revolving against the British. When the government and economy wasn't doing very well in France the french decided to revolve against their government. From 1789 to 1790 we see the events of the French Revolution. The Declaration of Rights of Man came from this revolution. Through these two revolution we have gotten two important pieces

The French Revolution was a time rife with violence, with many revolutionaries using extreme actions to overturn the French Monarchy and create a government based on equality and justice, rather than tyranny and despotism. This violence reached gruesome and terrible heights throughout the revolution, but was justified by the revolutionaries, who believed that their goals of total equality, the end of tyranny, and the return to a virtuous society, allowed them to use means necessary to attain these sublime and holy goals. Their goal of total virtue for France was a good goal, but the methods in which they attempted to achieve it were tyrannical. Additionally, nationalism was used as method of convincing the French that pure and virtuous thoughts that drove the revolutionaries to such terrible heights. The Committee of Public Safety believed that personal freedom should be foregone in order to protect France from foreign monarchies in Europe who wanted to reinstall the monarchy. Although their original intention was to better France through overthrowing the monarchy, their methods in eradicating the ideology of the monarchy were cruel and extensively terrible.

America and France are two of the most famous countries on earth. They are first-world nations sitting at the forefront of this century. In order to achieve this, both had to endure periods of revolution and social restructuring. The American and French revolutions took place within forty years of each other, giving rise to these changes. A major catalyst for both revolutions lay in the philosophy of the Enlightenment. People of all social classes were beginning to protest the weight of absolute monarchy. From these two country’s revolutions came three documents that attested to these ideas. America’s Declaration of Independence, The Constitution of the United States, and France’s Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen cried that all of Mankind was equal. No man should rule with unconditional authority. These two revolutions had much in common, including the eventual outcome of the revolutions. The differences between the two lay in geography, social changes, and the actions the revolutionists committed.

Without the revolution happening who knows what kind of a situation france would be in today. They were fighting for freedom and equality of the male citizen before the law. European rationalism had changed how many Europeans viewed the world, government and individual rights. However, French monarchs paid little attention to demands from the public. After the Revolutionary War and the formation of the United States, many French people felt that overthrowing the monarchy would allow them to set up a rationalist government that would serve the French people better than any monarchy

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.

During the French Revolution, King Louis XVI was in charge of the monarchy and was deposed in 1792 and later executed in 1793 (The French Revolution (1789-1799)). King Louis XVI fell into massive debt which forced him to give into the Parlement of Paris and the Estates-General, this then leading to the Revolution. After the absolute monarchy was disbanded, the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen was adopted. As reported by The French Revolution by history,com, the declaration proclaimed the Assembly’s commitment to replace the old system with one that was based on equal opportunity, freedom of speech, popular sovereignty, and representative government. The National Assembly soon learned that it wasn’t easy to govern or be in charge of a country, this shown by the months it took to draft a constitution for France (The French Revolution). According to this article, many questions were asked when it came to creating the constitution such as “Would the clergy owe allegiance to the Roman Catholic Church or the French government?” or “Who would be responsible for electing delegates?”