How revolutionary was the French Revolution? Did the Revolution simply replace the old ruling elite with a new bourgeois one? What were the major effects on different groups of people, including nobles, priests, peasants, urban workers, slaves, and women? This essay will address the French Revolution and the degree to which it can be aptly described as “revolutionary.” How revolutionary was the French Revolution? Was the storming of the Bastille, the destruction of feudalism, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen of a fundamental and radical and revolutionary nature, or, alternatively, simply a series of historical events that results in the supplanting of one authoritarian regime for another and at great cost in …show more content…
These include the transition of an absolute monarchy to a constitution one (and ultimately, in the mid-19th century, to no monarch at all), a migration of belief from the asserted divine right of kings to one of popular sovereignty, the jettisoning of corporate privileges of the nobility and church, and with it, a civil equality in taxes and rule of law and in religious belief, and the establishment of merit and talent in lieu of birth hierarchy as the basis of societal structure. The French Revolution had major effects on different groups of people including the monarch, the nobility, the clergy, peasants, urban workers, slaves, and women. The tumult of the last decade of 18th century France had profound effects on these different groups, some gaining political equality, others political freedom, and others pronounced suffering, loss, and even public execution. There were winners and losers as a result of the French Revolution. Nobles lost their advantaged position in French society causing, among other things, loss of life, a perceived forced emigration to other lands, loss of property, and the end of seigneurial rights and income. Some of these advantages were subsequently recovered during Emperor Napoleon’s reign but many pre-Revolutionary rights were forever
The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform.
Contents Page Contents Page 1 Timeline 2 Brainstorm 3 Overview Page 4 Question 1: What were the main causes of the French Revolution? 5 Question 2: How did the French monarchy react to the Revolution? How was he removed from power? 7 Question 3: How did the French Revolution affect the rest of Europe at the time? What were the responses of other governments to this uprising?
French Revolution “The children are terribly ragged…the lack of bread is terrible... the price of bread has risen above people's ability to pay...feudal dues are crushing us.” (Document 1) Arthur Young gives a vivid image on what life was like for the third estate in France. The French Revolution occured around the same time as the American Revolution.
The French Revolution had the French in debt with bad leadership and financial corruption. Absolute monarchies were the accurate ways to run a country. They caused many problems with the people. One main family passed on leadership through generation to generation known as the Louis family. Louis XIV left France in debt when he created Versailles and attempted to make the most powerful nation.
The French Revolution is often considered to be the watershed moment of the modern Era. During the 1700’s there was plenty of issues going on around the world that would impact it greatly. One of the most important thing that I’d say went on around the world would be the French Revolution. The French society was fairly simple it consisted of three levels in the social system. Once you are placed in a social group you are there for life regardless of what events happen in your life.
When Louis XVI came to power he was weak. The nation was nearly bankrupt, and though it seemed irreversible Louis had different ideas than just taking advantage of what little the nation had and using it for the rich. When he first took the throne he had decided that nobles and clergy should pay taxes like the rest of the people. It was unfair that the aristocracy had advantages that the others did not. Not only because it was unjust but it was hurting the country.
During the Eighteenth Century, France had an absolute monarchy with Louis XVI as king and Marie Antoinette as queen. In that time period, French society was based upon a system of Estates where the clergy made up the First Estate; the nobility comprised the Second Estate, and everyone else including professionals, peasants, and the bourgeoisie made up the Third Estate. The Third Estate was immensely unhappy with the old regime, the Estates General, and Louis XVI’s leadership. France was also in the midst of a fiscal crisis due to the American Revolution, Louis XVI’s lavish lifestyle, the Seven Years War, and the tax exemption of the First and Second Estate. Following the surge of new ideas and impactful philosophers from the Enlightenment,
The second estate had to pay taxes but not as much as the third. Also, the spending of money carelessly by the king and queen, further damaged the country. Their expenses were made up with goods and keeping and building the royal palace. this shows all the financial problems France faced during the revolution. Overall, the arrival of Napoleon Bonaparte made things
People of all classes, especially the middle and lower classes, began to use these ideas to formulate an ideology of resistance and insist on the implementation of new measures that would guarantee the natural rights of all citizens. To different parties, the French Revolution might refer to specific events, like the capture of the Bastille, or to a vast personified force, or to an abstract cause for which the French or others might be fighting. It could mean taking titles away from dukes, giving bread to the poor, or mean the teachings of Jesus or Voltaire. Like in the case of the American Revolution, the French Revolution and the years leading up to it saw increasing dissatisfaction with the absolute monarchy, especially in terms of his unwillingness to bring in a meaningful parliament or engage with demands of the citizens. There was also a difference in class participation in the Revolutions in America in France.
The actions taken against the oppression of the monarchy demonstrate that the French Revolution challenged the traditional value of social inequality to a near-full
This completely challenged Frances current system of an absolute monarchy. France also suffered through several years of poor harvests further increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The years before the French Revolution would trouble both financially and socially, influenced by many more factors than the decisions of King Louis
Opening paragraph The French Revolution was a major failure and a minor success. After all of the blood shed, the laws, civil rights, and codes did not get instituted effectively and did not represent the values that the citizens had fought for. Examples of this were the Napoleonic Code and Declaration of Rights of Man. Another reason it was a failure was because during the revolts and reforms more than 40,000 men and women died.
The French Revolution all began after people in France decided it was time to fight for their rights and freedom and escape the tyranny that took place and give the people more power. At the time King Louis XVI was the French king and had power from 1774 to 1792 and was later executed in 1793. In France, the people were divided into three separate social estates, clergy, nobility, and the commoner as the lowest and the highest above all of course would be the king. The Enlightenment was a movement by intellectuals who promoted reason and science, and they began to question the system in place at the time in France and they began to spread revolutionary ideas that got people thinking about change. The “French Revolution was influenced by Enlightenment ideals” and when the ideas began to spread people were newly educated about something they never thought about, and after
The French revolution is considered to be the most significant and effective event in the history. It changed the lives of many peoples and changed the future. Since people of France were under the control of the King they wanted to get rid of French government to eliminate power of the king. There were numerous other factors that also lead the French to the revolution. There were also many social unfairness among the taxes between the estates.
It was dominated by social antagonism between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. The paper aims at providing an insight into the factors that caused the French revolution and the themes that emerged during the revolution. It further explores the significance of the revolution and its significance to date towards our system of thinking and interaction. This literature also examines the French revolution and how human nature was viewed. It elaborates on how human beings can be self-interested, savage and yet socially conscious or kind.