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.

Revolutions are often characterized under two dominant schools of thought, either the structural or the cultural viewpoint. The structural approach favors causes that are of inherent forces in the system of sovereign nations, whilst the cultural view favors individuals actions and ideas as rudimentary to revolution. Skocpol and Trimberger’s essay Revolutions: A Structural Analysis modernizes the ideas of Karl Marx and reconciles them with the modern revolutions that have occurred to form a new viewpoint; the structural school of thought. Consequentially, the French Revolution’s long list of factors and participant’s carry differing levels of weight in either school of thought, yet the structural approach is more pronounced in the summation of them all. As an extension of internal strife, the Haitian Revolution also plays an important role in highlighting this structural overtone of the French Revolution. The duality between the Haitian revolution’s class of slaves and the Third Estate of the French Revolution proper as well as the reactions they both had to international and internal strife are best classified under the structural school of thought. This analysis begins with looking at the logical first aspect of structural analysis; the status of the peasantry.

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.

the French revolution began in 1789 and ended in 1799. Louis XVI was King of France in 1789. Louis was a kind man, but he was raised to be a king and had little knowledge of common people. There was a story in France that when Louis' wife, Marie Antoinette, heard that the people had no bread, she said, "Let them eat cake." Marie Antoinette never said that, but it shows how little she knew (and some say cared) about life for the common people of France.

The French Revolution began as a result of the French monarchy not caring about its citizens. The monarchy taxed the third estate 50% of their income and letting them starve as they give them little food and the food they do give them was expensive. While the second and first estates paid little to no taxes and lived a lavish life. When the French citizens learned that the king was going to send his army to Paris the citizens were done with their unjust government and attacked the bastille, starting the

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.

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.

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.

The American Revolution and French Revolution were unique in world history because they used the ideas of freedom and equality from the Enlightenment, but understood them differently at the same time. Both revolutions occurred around the same time- the 18th Century, the American Revolution began on the 4th of July when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence (Dr. Taylor). The French Revolution then follows in 1789, provoked by “...a greater demand for food and consumer goods” and “ the social structure of the West” (Encyclopedia Britannica). Although they ended with different results, France later reverted from a republic back to a dictatorship when Napoleon rose to power (Acemoglu, Cantoni, Johnson, Robinson 13 ; Godechot). This merely one example of how France differed from the patriotic colonists of America.

The Law of the Maximum was an enactment ordered by the National Convention that imposed general price controls on all of France’ products. This was a result of the Convention’s response to the mass demonstration in Paris that demanded new polices to ensure food supplies for the sans-culottes on September 5.

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.

Modern historians frequently write that the French Revolution was designed to destroy the Old Regime of France. Though the French Revolution did destroy this regime, its leaders’ ultimate goal was to obliterate the Catholic Church in France and the faithful within it. Before the beginning of the revolution, France had the most widespread culture in the entire world. From its fine arts, stylishness, clothing, and language, everything that was popular in France was also prevalent all over the world. However, all of that changed after the start of the Revolution. “Since France was such a cultural model, the French Revolution there would fall under the scrutiny of nearly nation-state” (Armenio, 616). This essay will describe why and how the

By providing a mostly chronological style to her text, Neely seeks for her book to act as an “introduction to the French Revolution” by acquainting “the reader with the most important events, the prominent people, and the essential terms (xvi).” In her introduction, Neely discusses how the Revolution is still a hot-topic discussion amongst French-people and even how at the Bicentennial, there was still no definitive answers as to the “how” and “why” of the Revolution. Neely’s text is a great supportive source for a typical undergraduate French Revolution survey course. Neely utilizes a variety of general history sources, such as the Oxford History of the French Revolution and dictionaries such as Samuel Scott’s and Barry Rothaus’ 1984 text Historical Dictionary of the French Revolution. She also utilizes a variety of sources focusing purely on King Louis XVI, the French armies, and the various revolutionaries. I believe this combination of general and specific sources allowed for Neely to provide the reader with the most complete introductory narrative of the French Revolution.

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