The French 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.

The high costs of maintaining the army and navy exacerbated the situation, along with the lavish lifestyle of King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie-Antoinette. Louis appointed Charles de Calonne as comptroller-general to solve France’s financial crisis. Calonne knew that the only way to get France out of debt was to fairly distribute the tax burden among the three estates. Of course, this did sit well with the nobility and Calonne was dismissed after giving his presentation at the Assembly of Notables. In a desperate act, Louis called the Estates General. The Estates General was an ancient practice that had not been called since 1614. Events there would prove to be the beginning of the revolution proper. France suffered under years of inept and self-serving monarchs. Louis XVI was preceded by his grandfather, Louis XV. It was his loss of public opinion and war spending that put his grandson in such a precarious position in the years after his reign. The rule of Louis XVI would prove to be a doomed one. He was ousted after a comparatively short 17 years. The outdated political system gave way to a constitutional monarchy, and when that failed, the French Republic. This Republic however would not prove to last. Feudalism was the whole of existence for rural commoners in the time before the revolution. Farmers had no right to the land they worked and lived on. Serfs were beholden to their manor lord

The aristocracy wanted to play a greater part in the country's future; the middle classes wanted lower taxes and a better representation while the lower classes wanted not to be forced to give up their incomes to the king, whom they did not see much of or even benefited from him. Though it seems like all the attention is put on the French Revolution and the predicament of the working conditions of the poor, it can be said that this rebellion was very effective mainly because of the widespread support it received. Even though there were undoubtedly conservatives amongst the French, their whole focus to crush the revolt was mainly self-centered. The thoughts of the Enlightenment had soon died down but still might have had an impact on the agricultural system and the

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 3 main causes if the French revolution are social classes , Enlightenment Ideas, and a financial crisis in France. Social classes and Enlightenment Ideas caused the French Revolution because it was the 1st and 2nd estate controlling everything. They owned all the land and put it on the 3rd estate like taxes. Enlightenment Ideas helped cause the French Revolution because the 3rd estate got ideas from England and America revolting against their leaders in government and making a new government. These 3 causes gave the people of France ideas to have basic human rights.

One of the most important causes of the French Revolution was the French system of taxation. According to document one, there was an “injustice in levying the amount each person must pay. Lands held by the nobility were taxed very little. Lands held by commoners were taxed heavily.” This means that the third estate was responsible for paying most of the country’s taxes, while the first and second estates, were responsible for very little. Since the third estate was responsible to pay the most in taxes, they began to suffer the most. The taxes caused them to not be able to afford simple necessities in life, such as bread. This injustice caused the people to want to reform their economic situation by finding a way to avoid strangling taxes and make the first two estates contribute to a failing economy.

There are many reasons for the late edification of the French people after the Revolution had started, one of these being that the more educated people saw the anger of the poor as an opportunity to justify the total reform of their presently corrupt government. So, what we have are these secret societies that would meet together and essentially philosophize about what basic human rights are, and the role of a government in protecting those rights.

At this point, many people were upset on how unequal life was. The oppressed knew if a king had all the power to do anything he wanted, the people would would constantly be governed unfairly. In revolting against the king the people wanted to the power in the hands of the people by overthrowing the monarchy. Many members of the middle class, part of the third estate,(specifically the bourgeoisie) were not happy with the special privileges held by the nobles. (textbook pg. 5-6) Educated people were drawn to the ideas of the enlightenment. With the exposure to these new ideas, individuals were upset with the monarchy and its system. They became interested in the ideas that spoke of balance of power. This was a very important factor for the revolution. These new ideas propelled people to think about the amount of power the government should have, what rights should be given to the individual, and whether or not their current government uses its power fairly. The French people began to see that they were being abused by their

In the early 1790’s during The French Revolution a series of laws and policies were put into decree. They were put into command overtime because the burden of governing the country of France was becoming too high risk. Thus, the sans-culottes, with The Committee of Public Safety, ushered the Convention into “The Terror,” all while trying to fulfill the principles of liberty, fraternity, and equality. These laws and policies of the radical republic attempted to fulfill the revolutionary principles through things such as: more stringent economic measures, cracking down on manipulation of the marketplace, and the elimination of women’s clubs. These policies, among others, will be discussed in further detail throughout the paper. It was believed by revolutionary thinkers that a period of state sanctioned terror was necessary because without it there would have been fear of counter-revolutions getting in the way of

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

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.

Those who fought in the French revolution to for social justification, where there were zero classification based on color, cast and or creed. Demanding the differences or class to be prohibited, and that each citizen should be allowed equal rights as well as opportunities within the country. Where within the earlier stages of the society had isolated itself due to the basis of class, which conclusively proved, the catalyst needed to bring change. Ever since king Louie the XVI took power the economic conditions continued to worsen, which soon brought the people on the streets in Paris.

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