France, for the last centuries, had always been a powerful and prosperous country. Social division existed always existed, and serious problems arose as the ideas of Enlightenment and ideals of revolutions became widespread. Division between three estates became broader and more unacceptable, the wealthiest seize their income from the pockets of the poorest, and the upper classes exercise exploitation on the commoners without any respect. By the sequence of events, the French Revolution was inevitable. It is the cumulative of all the problems in France and it erupted into a huge Revolution. France both gained and have many losses throughout the years. French Revolution was ultimately successful and it did reconstruct France for a better place of liberty, equality, and fraternity. However, none of the early revolutionaries imagine that it would turnout to be this big, big enough to be a world’s order’s turning point. …show more content…
In the big picture, France started out bankrupted because of the disrupted estate system of the government, and many unfair laws that the commoners, 96 percent of the popularity needed to endure. The poorest third estate have to pay all the taxes while the wealthy upper classes enjoy the pleasure of money flowing into their pockets. By 1815, the terrible system of three estates no longer exists, and every men are equal before law. Nationalism also rose tremendously due to the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The event that every historian who is against the French Revolution will talk big on the Reign of Terror. Yes, it was the darkest period of the Revolution and tens of thousands people from different social classes suffered under the guillotines’ sharp blades.
People were even corrupted to think that guillotines are symbols of equality, which is an unbelievable concept
The third estate, the class with the largest population in France during this era, was treated extremely poorly. The third estate was heavily taxed and barely had any land amongst themselves. They were forced to live together in a small amount of space. On top of that they were starving. They were hungry and so poor that they could barely afford the most basic of food, bread. The lords and nobles had no respect/compassion for the third estate. They completely disregarded the fact that those in the third estate were humans and treated them with no sympathy. Property tax was so heavy that no one could afford to pay (Document 1). This poor treatment and lack of compassion and basic decency from the first and second estate towards the third gave the initial momentum to the wheels of the revolution, long before it actually begun (Document
The French Revolution is often seen as a bloody mess. Just like most other revolutions, in the in exchanged an authoritarian regime for an authoritarian regime. The ideas of the revolution changed the human history around the world. The French Revolution started on July 14,1789 the revolution had many flaws but it the end it was still successful. Before the revolution third 3rd estate was burdened with taxes while the 1st and 2nd didn’t have to do anything.
Not only people apart of the revolution but innocent people who didn’t even want to take part of it. The main person behind this is Maximilien Robespierre. He was a leader of the revolution and is responsible for many deaths. In document E France established the Revolutionary Tribunal. The Tribunal was established for crimes against the state, also to expel anyone who is expected of counter revolutionary activites. This basically means if you are not for the revolution you have the possibility of being jailed or murdered. No one could speak their views or opinions without being prosecuted. In doc E the final sentence “A careless word of criticism spoken against the government could put one in prison or worse”. This is basically telling that if you speak out against the revolutionist you have the chance of having your life taken away. The item that would take people’s life away was the Guillotine. The Guillotine is a very large blade responsible for may decapitations. During the french revolution it was used to kill people in a humane way. What made this very inhumane was the fact that it was a public display. Over 16,000 people were killed by this executioner. Not every single one of these people deserved to die, most of them didn’t follow the revolution but were not even counter revolutionary. This is just the first explanation for why the Reign of Terror wasn’t
The French Revolution began in 1789 as an attempt to form a new government in France.For quite a long time absolute rulers had ruled the French country with little thought for most of the people.The execution of Louis XVI offered path to a year-long stretch of the French Revolution known as "The Reign of Terror". An excess of 20,000 French individuals were executed with the guide of the guillotine.The new government continued to execute substantial quantities of people whom it thought to be enemies of the revolution. The reign of terror was not justified because it went against the rights of man and it cost a lot of people their lives.
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.
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.
Between 1789 and 1814 the French Revolution astonished and impacted the world. The Revolution has been talked about for years because of its contributions and the way it affected the world. The significant figures from the Revolution also played important roles in history and in areas outside of France. King Louis’ absolutism and the unfair treatment between classes were political, social, and economical causes of the French Revolution. This Revolution impacted the people of France by terrorizing and affecting their rights, yet at the same time the French Revolution served as a template for other countries when it came to radical changes and Revolutions.
(Doc. A) This would be contradicted when the Law of Suspects would pass in September 17, 1793. (Doc. B) The Law of Suspects limited the rights of the accused and made no one safe from suspicion. Criticism of the government could put one in prison or put to death by guillotine. (Doc. E) This means the privacy and freedom of speech that they established were slowly diminished as they tried to keep these established privileges. In order to make sure those who were the counterrevolutionaries would be able to see the consequences, there were public guillotine demonstrations that expressed equality in death and how fast executions could be enacted. (Doc. F) Those who were to be executed were not allowed a lawyer as they had no patriotism to be justified. Anyone who had defied the Revolution could be compared to those who defied the Roman Catholic Church during the Protestant Reformation or the Scientific Revolution; they were condemned and executed. Unjustified, the Reign of Terror gave rights to patriotic Revolutionaries and took them away from those who were
Robespierre and his group named themselves The Committee of Public Safety, and introduced several laws such as the Law of Suspects which proclaimed that “anyone who was even suspected as an enemy of the Revolution was to be arrested” (French Revolution). These outrageous laws promoted the deaths of many innocent people, men and women alike, and led to an increase in paranoia as all anyone had to do “was accuse someone, and they were considered guilty” (French Revolution). One of the first people to be executed during the Reign of Terror was Marie Antoinette, the wife of Louis XIV and the former queen of France. Her death and the death of many other aristocrats greatly increased the public’s desire for bloodthirstiness since the people felt as though they were finally getting the justice they deserved and righting the wrongs that were done by the nobility. The public guillotine executions were seen as a form of entertainment and education; women were “encouraged to sit and knit during during trials and executions” and kids would be brought along with their parents to view the gruesome beheadings (The Reign of
People have a need to be heard, and so they naturally speak louder when their needs are overwhelming until their voice is distinguished from the crowd. On the contrary, the individual who does not speak their opinions boldly already imprisons themselves beneath the comforts of silence. For years, the British Crown unknowingly encouraged the frail beginnings of what would become a great empire. Although, the British did not intend to establish a sovereign sister nation, but rather, expand its realm of commerce and capital through merchant settlers and religious pioneers. From my point of view, a nation has never been so provoked by its oppressors to question sovereignty as the final solution like the United States of America did.
During the French Revolution heads rolling off bodies were a sign of liberty; rather than death . Was the chopping of heads on the ravished colored guillotine justified ? Were the peoples struggles and oppression by the french government not enough .
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.
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.
The French Revolution was the anger of a nation that was suppressed under unfair laws and rules for decades. The revolution happened for a good purpose, but ended as a disasters in Europe’s history. The French Revolution is an important event in history because it spread the idea of democracy even though it did not gain democracy for its own. While the French Revolution spread ideas of democracy and helped other nations, it was not a positive happening in French history because it did not achieve most of its goals. I will consider French’s politics, economy, social structure, religion before and after the revolution, and also talk about the achievements of the revolution, such as the Napoleonic Code. In neither of those fields the revolution