The French Revolution is notorious, for being one of the most sanguinary and unsuccessful revolutions. The French Revolution is in stark contrast to the American Revolution. During the American Revolution, America declared its independence from Great Britain, fighting for democracy, and unalienable rights. This Revolution was successful because the colonies had leaders that made decisions for the future of the “country” based on God and moral values. However, the French Revolution was sparked by the Enlightenment, this movement was based on humanistic ideals. This idea of man always being correct and deciding what is moral and just led to an outbreak of violence and led France into total anarchy.
In the 1700’s France was very close to be in bankrupt. There was a climate of social unfairness because taxes and laws were different in each province, and the country was immersed in big debts which were left by Louis XIV and Louis XV when they died. In 1789, France was in the worst economic and social situation. The social structure of France was a key factor that could be considered as an indirect cause of the French Revolution. French society was divided into legal categories known as the three orders or states. The discontent among the lower and middle classes was one the reason the revolution originated.
The French Revolution or the Revolution of 1789, was a movement that shook up the foundation of France, a country that was already in a state of crisis. During this time, France was dealing with one of its most major problems that were plaguing the country’s financial downfalls; not being able to collect enough taxes to repay their debts. Some additional causes of the Revolution, other than France’s financial struggles, were the resistance of the nobility and clergy towards any type of tax increase, the increased growth of the philosophies from the Enlightenment, and the not so amazing efforts put forth by their ruler at the time, Louis XVI, who was attempting to impose an absolute monarchy on the country.
With political tensions rising high throughout France, the revolution was well on its way, manifesting dark and liberating years for the people of France. Moderately conservative; the French revolution started out with a bang of ideas from the Enlightenment, strong but not yet active. It quickly took a turn to a bloody and devastating attempt by the citizens to revoke old Absolutist power. Power struggles between the people and oppressive government, class resentment, enlightened thinking, unstable leadership, and savage affairs caused a series of events to take place and shift the Revolution violently. Starting with an unsuccessful meeting piloted by a clueless leader, the lower class fought for equal representation.
During the 1700s France's economy attained great wealth, however, the wealth was unevenly distributed among the classes. Nobles and Clergy used their elevated status to manipulate the political system in order to detain them from paying taxes. As a result, the lower class was forced to pay an obscene amount of taxes, which caused great suffering for the people who were part of that class. In addition to those absurdly high taxes, France had major debt due to all the wars they took part in, along with the lavish spending of Louis XIV.Furthermore, the countryside was experiencing a drought which led to bad harvests, therefore, bread shortages, causing the lower class to starve.French Revolution was primarily caused by the strong hatred the common people had against the upper class, the unlimited power of the
The Reign of Terror was a period of violence that succeeded the beginning of the French Revolution; it was caused by conflict between two rival political parties, and tens of thousands were executed by guillotine on account of being ‘enemies of the revolution’. The French Revolution started with the storming of the Bastille, and since then the government had been in a state of constant turmoil. Civil war broke out in multiple regions and various foreign countries started attacking France on all sides; a man named Maximilien Robespierre, who belonged to a radical group known as the Jacobins, saw his chance and seized the government along with his fellow extremists. The Jacobins felt that “it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror” which
The French revolution which is also referred to as the Revolution of 1789 was a period characterized by both social and political upheaval that span close to a decade in France. It was during this period that the country’s political landscape was redesigned and it involved
The French Revolution began as an expression of rebellion against centuries of absolute rule in France. After an interim of experimental liberalism under the rule of Jacobins and Girondins and then the infamous reign of terror, the people of French were drawn to a man who promised them a return to stability, and honor through the expansion of empire. France and it’s people had long yearned for this sens eof honour, it had seemed, and could finally sens eit in a lasting rpesence under the rule of their prodigious, unbeatable general, Napoleon Bonaparte. He would soon take the reigns of civil government as well and become yet another Absolutist ruler, yet this
France in Middle Ages era was ruled by the arbitrary monarch. Besides the king, the clergy and the nobility, which were the officials of the church and the group of aristocrats respectively, had supreme power than the society. In the way it ran, there were many problems in the social and economic section, such as poverty and taxation issues. Thus, French Revolution is one of the turning points of French public life. It is popular with the slogan “liberty, equality and fraternity” that brought French to be a new revolutionary country. While many people are still arguing whether French Revolution is the main effect of the Enlightenment ideas emergence or social economic disruption, I will argue that this revolution was an ultimate outcome of the social and economics disarray by looking at the details of foreign and internal aspects.
The French Revolution was a monumental historical event. Somehow, however, the causes of this conflict are often forgotten among all of the chaotic events. However, the causes of this revolution are exactly what will be discussed in this essay. The three most paramount issues which caused the French Revolution were the inequality in estates, the ignorance of King Louis XVI, and the political system.
France during the 18th century, was a country of great progress of society and established Paris as an urban powerhouse. When talking about the causes of the French revolution, many will point to a variety of factors that they believe to have been the root cause of the ordeal. Some might focus on the growing number of the farm employees who were contracted to keep order in areas of business, some might focus on the blurring of class lines that occurred in France as new venues of income transformed every portion of society, and some might point to implementation of these unfair taxes that were placed on the people to repay debts that had been occurred in previous administrations. The ideas previously mentioned played a key role in the development of revolutionary Paris and many other topics that weren’t mentioned also played a critical role in the changing of France, but arguably the most significant of these causes was that of the desacralization of the French monarchy and how aspects such as literature and secularization would lead to the eventual downfall of the once great colonial power.
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.
The French Revolution started in 1789 and is contemplated to be one of the most symbolic events in world history as a result of it drastically modified the face of France, which at the time of the revolution was the most powerful country in Europe, as well as altering the traditions of the culture and government. Various factors led to the cause of the revolution, which necessarily modified the appearance of France’s economic and political conditions. The french revolution was a sequence of political and social acts by people within the french government to defeat the power of the King as well as the rich landowners and develop a government that was chosen by the voters living in the city. The revolution would initiate the act of liberty and
Throughout history revolutions have been essential to making change in governments and countries. The French Revolution of the late 18th century was critical to making France how it is today. The people of France and Europe were the ones involved in the revolution. The people of France were one of the causes for the start of the revolution and the riots throughout. The other Europeans were involved because the French tried to spread their revolutionary ideas to the rest of Europe. The revolution was important to the people of France because the Third Estate or lower class were severely under represented and many lead lives full of poverty, while the upper class lead a lavish lifestyle. The French Revolution was caused by the decline of the French political structure, economic struggles, and debt
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.