The first reason as to why the Reign of Terror was not justified is because Enlightenment ideas were ignored. The national assembly created The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens to give all citizens the same rights: liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression (Doc. A). Unfortunately, this was disregarded with the Reign of Terror. Another way that enlightenment ideas were ignored is the fact that a government official in western France wanted to kill people that were thought to be guilty without a fair trial; this was completely against Enlightenment ideas. The goal of the Reign of Terror according to Robespierre was that “In
Within the period of 1750 to 1914, changes were taking place around the world. New empires and nations began growing and expanding their territory, and as a result of these actions, wars, bankruptcy, and rebellions became more common. An example is the American Revolution, in which the American colonists, who were influenced by new philosophies and the sense of nationalism, fought and gained their independence from Britain. This revolution eventually inspired others throughout the world as it was successful in gaining the colonies independence from a powerful European empire. Those revolutions include the Haitian and French Revolution. The Haitian Revolution can be compared to the French revolution in that they were both influenced by the Enlightenment
The ‘Reign of Terror’ was not justified because the it took away the rights that the French government had achieved during French Revolution. One piece of evidence for this was that during the reign of terror the French people had no freedom of religion. A detail that supports this was the fact that during the Reign of Terror, people were not allowed to practise any religion, especially Christianity.
The Reign of Terror did not support the ideals of the revolution. Unfortunately for French citizens, they were not able to elect tribunal members. The tribunal members, who have absolute power were “appointed by the National Convention” (Document E). French people were rejected in their own country, which is proven by the statement that “conspirators are, in its eyes, only strangers”(Document G). The original ideals were made to protect the people of France but instead they were killing
The external threat was not enough to justify the Reign of Terror. One example of this is that “churches are soon closed by revolutionary government” which is wrong, because people should be able to choose what they believe in (Document A). Another example is that the “Government denies legal counsel to accused enemies of the revolution” (Document A). People should be respected even when they believe differently than the rest of the society. This shows that the reign of Terror was not justified, because people are punished for their beliefs.
Overall, the French Revolution occured because of horrendous treatment of the third estate. Unfair taxation, an obvious bias towards the upper classes, and an inadequacy of change for the better was what caused it to happen. Unfortunately, a vast amount of lives were lost to this hopeless
When revolution happen in history they often go through several stages before they are put to an end. Almost all revolutions in history have these stages but the details are almost always different. A good example would be the American revolution and the French Revolution. Because both of these revolutions had a similar cause and effect, means they will have very similar stages. The american revolution’s main purpose was to become independent from the British and create their own country. The French revolutions purpose was to abolish the oppressive french government and create a new France (Britannica). Although what they wanted were not related the stages that occurred during the revolutions were similar. The American revolution and the French revolution were both revolutions that were similar by having similar stages of a normal stage, widespread dissatisfaction, and the transfer of power and change.
In this paper I discuss the four phases of the French revolution and how they influenced one and other, these phases consist of The National assembly/ The Constitutional Monarchy, The Reign of Terror, The Directory, and the Age of Napoleon.
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. This enormous massacre of people went against Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, all of which the national assembly declared were every man 's right. Much of the killing can be blamed on Robespierre and King Louis XVI. Although it was mostly a failure, some achievements can be seen through the Revolution. The French Revolution helped the French people become a more equal and socialist state. This showed Europe that the French were capable of revolting and they were not afraid to stand up for what they believed. They demonstrated pure democracy by abolishing the 3 estates and assuming power for the people. These two points are miniscule compared to death, destruction, and economic failures that the Revolution brought. The French Revolution was mostly a failure because of the ineffective execution of reforms and unnecessary massacre of lives. However it was a minor success because of the socialistic ideologies that were given birth to during the Revolution, which helped reform France into what it is today.
It became easier for French citizens to act violently against authority once these factors provided a unifying external justification to their hope for more fair treatment and more just governing conditions. By the time of 1791, King Louis XVI was subject to the will of the National Assembly. Document 3, the National assembly’s Address to the King in regards to how he should respond to the Declaration of Pilnitz, exemplifies how the discontentment of French citizens incites the will to go to war. It also highlights the ideals of the National Assembly, who consider “[the King’s] interest, [the King’s] dignity, [and] the glory of [France]” as reasons to declare war on Austria. and and that of the French monarchy. Although the Declaration of Pilnitz was a threat of war as an anti-revolutionary effort to maintain the current regime in France, due to the ideals of the National Assembly, and those of the French people, the Declaration of Pilnitz is seen by the French as a threat to Liberty itself, and therefore, they urge King Louis XVI to declare war of
The French Revolution was undoubtedly influenced by the political theorists of the Enlightenment. The ideas of two French political theorists in particular are easily seen throughout the French Revolution, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Baron Montesquieu. Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s thoughts and texts, such as the Social Contract, instilled the entitlement of basic human rights to all men. Rousseau’s concepts on rights combined with Baron Montesquieu’s ideas on government provided the backbone of a radical movement in the French Revolution known as the Terror. When one delves into the beginnings of the French Revolution, the motives and actions of the National Assembly, and the Terror of the French Revolution, one can obviously see the influence of two Enlightenment political theorists, Rousseau and Montesquieu.
Pulitzer Prize winning author and historian Gordon S. Wood published his work The Radicalism of the American Revolution in 1991. In this book, he argues that, contrary to popular belief, the American Revolution was a socio-politically radical event. Wood describes various factors and outcomes that evidence the Revolution’s radicalism, and how it was the most far-reaching event of American history. In his thesis, he conveys that the Revolution’s radical influence on society has generally been disregarded by historians, that radicalism is defined by shifts in people’s relationships, that the Revolution sought societal change through political reform, and that it was the most influential and radical factor in creating a liberal, modern America.
The American and French Revolution are both remembered in history as two major changes that would shape what we know today. Every child learns of the American Revolution at least once in their lives. Both these revolutions had the similar cause, effects, and stages that resulted or started them. Just like in every warring country, it is inevitable that there will be some change that occurs whether it be for the better or for worse. Although the American and French revolutions were very similar in the actions, there were many differences leading them into ultimately different paths and states of rest.
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
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