ipl-logo

Power In The French Revolution

1032 Words5 Pages

Power, and the way it is distributed, has changed over the years. The democratic system seen today in most 1st world countries which embodies the motif of the common man having power over his own destiny is a stark contrast to the despotisms, empires, and monarchies of the past. The greatest upheaval of this old system happened in the waning years of the 18th century, with the French peasantry throwing off their heavy yokes burdened upon them by their greedy and unqualified royal masters and becoming the masters of their own destiny (by appointing for themselves an emperor instead of a king). What happened in those years long past still echoes today as the model method for overthrowing oppression and taking ownership of one’s own destiny from the selfish clutches that they first had been stricken to. …show more content…

The Enlightenment before it had brought forth the idea that man had a right to control his or her own destiny. This idea started a fire that would carry across Europe, and would eventually set off the gunpowder that had existed in France for many years. The French people were tired of struggling to live while their despotic rulers, the aristocracy, lived in splendor and lavishness. Because of the Enlightenment, according to historian and thinker William Doyle, “no distinction was now drawn between despotism, tyranny, and absolute monarchy” (Doyle 67). The people of France made this their opportunity to subject “him and all other officials to a constitution”, and “replace the rule of arbitrariness by the rule of the law”, i.e. the law created by the general will (Doyle 67). This revolution marked the death of despotism and aristocratic rule in Europe. What happened in response and inspired by the French Revolution and its resolution, however, had an impact felt far beyond the borders of France or the European

Show More
Related

  • French Revolution Dbq Essay

    1427 Words  | 6 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Apush Dbq French Revolution

    1146 Words  | 5 Pages

    The militaristic inclination of France during the late 18th and early 19th century was the culmination of the idealism of the newly adopted French political system, and the abrupt character of French people's motivation to implement these ideals. As discontent with the despotic system of government in France increased in magnitude and scale, the will to fight in order to achieve equality became gained momentum. Factors such as the rapid spread of enlightenment ideals, the socio-economic inequity of the three estate system, and leaders’ utilization of French citizens’ new sense of justice to incite warfare, all come together to create an militaristic, imperial French nation. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, enacted July of 1789, provided the foundation

    Read More

  • What Caused The French Revolution Dbq

    817 Words  | 4 Pages

    The French people’s knowledge of their rights led them to believe that it is possible to achieve fairness and be respected in their own province. And lastly, the idea of questioning France’s government had peasants discover that their king barely even cared about their well-being and restricted them of representation.

    Read More

  • Absolutism And Revolution Portfolio: Similarities And Differences Between The French And French Revolutions

    1014 Words  | 5 Pages

    Unit 2: Absolutism and Revolution Portfolio In this unit, you examined the American and French Revolutions. The American Revolution, sparked by conflict over British rule and influenced by Enlightenment ideas, broke colonial ties with a monarchy and yielded a new nation. The French Revolution, inspired by the American Revolution as well as the Enlightenment, freed French citizens from an absolute monarchy and secured equality before the law for all male citizens.

    Read More

  • Popular Sovereignty In The French Revolution

    1202 Words  | 5 Pages

    May 5, 1789, the beginning of the infamous French Revolution. Historians around the world studied the causes of the French Revolution, arguably regarded as one of the most important events in human history. Many important ideologies were developed during this time period. The current western political philosophies in France is the result of the French Revolution which introduced the principles of civic equality and popular sovereignty that challenged the historical Three Estates. Following many European reform trends, France in 1789 began their own major reform that lasted nearly a decade.

    Read More

  • The Successes And Failures Of The French Revolution

    1911 Words  | 8 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The French Revolution: Napoleon's Rise To Power

    1230 Words  | 5 Pages

    Following the Reign of Terror, France was ruled by a corrupt five-man governing body called the Directory, which was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte through a coup d’état. Napoleon, a military general, rose to power through a series of military conquests and eventually became the First Consul of the French Republic. The French people viewed Napoleon favorably, as his military and political genius would likely lead to the creation of a prosperous and united France. Moreover, they believed that he would uphold the ideas they had fought for during the French Revolution: liberty, equality, and fraternity. While Napoleon stabilized and united French society by supporting the liberty of his people and ensuring equality of opportunity in education

    Read More

  • How Did The Enlightenment Influence The French Revolution

    896 Words  | 4 Pages

    Different factors had a part to play in starting or even propelling ‘the Age of Enlightenment’, including the rule of the Church and State which experienced a power struggle among them, in addition to the Western discovery of latest societies with noticeably exclusive cultural traditions and norms. Many intellectuals felt unhappy with the fixed social styles amongst their very own collectives, and angry at their governments' refusal to provide non-public rights. The lasting political effect of the Enlightenment can't be overstated. At the least three fundamental political revolutions came about throughout this time period in Britain, America, and France.

    Read More

  • The Relationship Between The Scientific Revolution And The Enlightenment

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Enlightenment gave people power to make the changes they wanted for independence and politics using intellect and reason, their natural right. The norm of a society that is modelled today became reason over

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of The French Revolution

    758 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • French Revolution Research Paper

    848 Words  | 4 Pages

    Today, I will introduce you to the [click] causes [click] and events [click] of the revolution [click] and the queen [click] during this time. [click] [click] In the beginning, everything was running very smoothly in France, but over time, the civilians became aware of their true value. During the years, France’s population was growing exponentially. The population doubled between 1715 and 1800.

    Read More

  • Causes Of The Enlightenment

    892 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Enlightenment was a period during the 1600 and 1700s where authority, power, government and law was questioned by philosophers. The causes of the Enlightenment was the Thirty Years’ War, centuries of mistreatment at the hands of monarchies and the church, greater exploration of the world, and European thinkers’ interest in the world (scientific study). A large part of the Enlightenment was natural law, which was the belief that people should live their lives and organize their society on the basis of rules and precepts laid down by nature or God; the principles of the Enlightenment in the 1600s through the 1700s influenced the development of the USA by advocating religious and social freedom, freeing the people from oppression, and providing

    Read More

  • The French Revolution: The Reign Of Terror

    989 Words  | 4 Pages

    The French revolution The French revolution began in 1789 after Louis XVI called the estates general on May 5, 1789, which had not been called for 175 years. Louis XVI wanted more money to finish building Versailles. The king wanted to add another tax to the third class but the third class wanted there to be equal taxes. The third estate decided to write a new constitution for France. So they took the “Tennis Court Oath” where they vowed to continue meeting until a new constitution was written.

    Read More

  • French Revolution Research Paper

    286 Words  | 2 Pages

    The French revolution is the greatest form of resurrection and transformation. The revolutionaries destroy the entire regime and form a new one that made them able to gain their rights and being recalled to their life. The death of the old regime made France a republic not a kingdom and the parliament has not been only for the aristocracy and the wealth has been disturbed on the whole people. If the revolutionaries haven`t uprised , France would have never been what it is today. The vicious acts by the aristocracy towards the poor and the peasants have led them to the extreme anger.

    Read More

  • Hegemony: The Most Important Cause Of The French Revolution

    359 Words  | 2 Pages

    First of all, It is important to understand the causes of the war. One Important reason was France’s quest for Hegemony. Hegemony is defined as “leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others” (Oxford), and was attempted by Louis XIV through economic, social, and military domination of Europe (Black 74.) This struggle for domination stripped France of its essential resources, and deprived French citizens of basic needs (Schwartz). This lack of resources caused the French citizens to feel abandoned by the government and left them wanting reform.

    Read More

More about Power In The French Revolution

Open Document