It was thanks to the power of language that revolutionaries in France influenced the population to unify and embrace their movement and new ideas. The belief in the freedom of language, of expression, and of the press that grew out of Enlightenment philosophies strengthened the creation of new publications that challenged the status quo and spread revolutionary concepts. By 1791 there were 150 newspapers, some of which sought to rally the people toward violent action. Jean-Paul Marat, who published a daily paper called The People's Friend, notably declared: “The political machine can only be wound up by violence, just as the air can only be cleared by words” (Vidalenc). While violent language did inspire violent action in the name of revolution, the hopeful language of equality celebrated in the writing of the Enlightenment also paved the way for the revolution, like Montesquieu's “Spirit of Laws” of 1748 that talked about liberty and Rousseau’s “Social Contract” of 1762 in which he wrote that "the person of the meanest citizen is as sacred and inviolable as that of the first magistrate," declaring equality between men (Rousseau 36). As the revolutionary movement grew, so did the danger for those who believed in it. Because of the conflict, confusion, and complication inherent in the political and cultural upheaval of the French Revolution, it was difficult for people to know who to trust. Codes became critical. OpenLearn’s article on Art in the French Revolution shares that
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.
Was this Violent Period During the French Revolution Necessary? Robespierre, the most famous French Revolutionary, believes that the citizens of France should extinguish the threats inside and outside of France or meet one’s death. Began in 1789, the French Revolution began as an attempt to form a new government in France. This gruesome period, that lasted about ten to eleven months, was the Reign of Terror.
Another example of the French Revolution not embodying Enlightenment principles is by denying the citizens the right to overthrow the government with the Reign of Terror. The Reign of Terror was a period from 1793-1794, and during that period of time, “the committee often had these “enemies” tried in the morning and guillotined in the afternoon...The “enemies of the Revolution”...were fellow radicals who challenged his (Robespierre) leadership...Thousands of unknown people also were sent to their deaths, often on the flimsiest of charges. For example, an 18-year-old youth was sentenced to die for cutting down a tree that had been planted as a symbol of liberty” (Modern World History textbook, pages 226-227). This horrendous act of mass murder during the French Revolution was caused
If this world was not justified then we would be nothing. Revolution is justified when the people become dissatisfied with the lack of leadership or even the leadership of one’s country. Violence can range anywhere from murder to suicide or even homicide. Violence is one of the leading causes of death but still even in war this is unacceptable. One way to look at all of this violence is to blame society.. People are logically violent and that's why we live in such a uncontrollable world. When you get angry or get violent
The Great Fear was a period of extreme fright and riot that became a massacre in the French Revolution. France's peasants began to hear wild rumors about the nobles who were hiring outlaws to terrorize them and overthrow the Third Estate. The peasants responded by arming themselves with pitchforks and other farm tools to defend their property. "The peasants soon became outlaws themselves." Although it seems the peasants feared those people who broke the law, they became the ones creating bigger damage such as destroying federal documents and stealing millions of private property's. Along with several deaths because of the lack of food. Thousands of Parisian women caused trouble over the rising price of bread. These big strong woman marched
The French Revolution was a turning point that changed Europe and its history completely. It changed the composition of society and how France is run today. It was looked at as a possibility for different varieties of societies later on in the future. There were multiple causes that led up to the French Revolution. One cause was considered to a be political battle between the monarchy and the nobles.
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.
The French Revolution was a huge turning point in European history, and characterized the modern European society we know today. The French Revolution was a moment of demarcation in government between the pre-modern and the modern world. This essay will examine the effects of the French Revolution by analyzing the changes in government before, during, and after 1789.
Montesquieu, a philosopher who lived in France during the reign of absolute monarchs, experienced the unjust division of political power between the wealthy nobles and king living in Versailles and the citizens of the third estate. He believed that instead of an absolute monarchy, political power should be divided between three branches of government, the legislative, executive, and judicial, with a system of checks and balances to ensure that one group would not overpower the others. (Doc. 3) Montesquieu’s ideas would become the basis of the United States’ government and serve as an inspiration to the French third estate to support the decline of absolute monarchies. Another French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who wrote The Social Contract in 1762 during the reign of French monarchs, stated that absolute authority removes the natural rights of humanity. (Doc. 5) As a firm believer of individual freedoms, Rousseau explained that a leader must gain the citizens’ consent to rule, as all citizens are equal due to logic and reasoning. Like Montesquieu, Rousseau’s ideas would inspire the French to overthrow its monarch during their revolution. His reasoning encouraged the French to accept a democratic government, where citizens elect a leader to rule them, unlike before where monarchs inherited political power. Frederick II,
The French Revolution produced countless influential politicians throughout its tumultuous course. As a political figure in the French Revolution, Jean Paul Marat began as a nonentity and became a martyr to the revolutionary patriots of France. His influence is often misconstrued, and sometimes overlooked. Although he was not a political leader like Robespierre, his influence was substantial in that he motivated many people through his writings and powerful personality. Through his involvement with the Cordeliers’ Club and his journal Ami du peuple, started September 1789, Marat was able to express the indignation of the bourgeois class through his hopes for social revolution. His
The topic that I will be writing about is the French Revolution and how it affected France as a nation. The book that I read was "The French Revolution, A tale of Terror and Hope for Our Times", by Harold Behr. This book gave a very large and broad overview of what transpired during the French Revolution, which occurred during the years of 1789-1799. Though the book covered a lot of material that happened throughout those years, I will be covering the main topics, such as what were the events leading up to the revolution, how the revolution affected the people of France, how the revolution affected the country as a whole, how the revolution affected the world, and whether or not the revolution in the end helped or was more detrimental to the country. All of the topics will be covered from my point of view and how I interpreted the author, there is another point of views on the revolution but this will be from what I felt the book meant to me.
Was the Terror of 1793/4 inherent from the revolutions outset or was it the product of exceptional circumstance?
One of the most important writers of the Enlightenment was the philosopher and novelist Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778). The work of Rousseau has influenced a generation and beyond and it is argued that the main ideals of the French and American revolutions arose from his works, for example The Discourse on Equality. The main concept of Rousseau's thought is that of 'liberty', and his belief that modern society forced humans to give up their independence, making everyday life corrupt and unfree. One of the central problems Rousseau confronted is best summed up in the first line of arguably his most important work, The Social Contract.
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.
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.