The Reign of Terror was from September 5, 1793 to July 27, 1794 during the French Revolution. The Revolutionary government decided to take harsh measures against people they thought were against the Revolution. Many executions happened in Paris after the decision. During this period at least 300,000 suspects were arrested and 7,000 people were
The French Revolution and the Egyptian Revolution have some similar ideals as Enlightenment had. The philosophes had varying ideas of government and what should happen in society. This essay will compare the actions of the revolutions to the ideas of the philosophes and ideals of Enlightenment.
Almost every Revolution in history has been initiated by a distinct and abrupt sparking event. This sparking event often splits into two distinguishing features. The first spark is the ideology, and the second is the consolidation of that ideology through violence. The idea of this sparking event is evident In the latin root of the word revolution, “revolutio”. Literally translated a revolution is “ turn around”, an abrupt reaction. In addition, to this root the word also stems itself back to the latin verb revolvere (“ to revolve”). The etymology of the word revolution is significant in the way it which it reveals two key aspects of revolutions. Starting with the first latin root ‘revelatio”, an abrupt ‘turnaround’, emphasizes the
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.
Prior to Napoleon's reign as emperor, France had been through the rein of terror and the French Revolution. King Louis the Sixteenth and his wife Marie Antoinette had put France in major debt and took no responsibility for it. He was killed by the guillotine. Robespierre took control after his death and caused more problems for France and killed anyone who was not passionate enough about his ruling. He too was killed by the guillotine. Napoleon came into rule after Robespierre and ruled as emperor of France. Napoleon was a hero because he believed in better education for the people of France, he wanted to get rid of the tyrants of other countries to better the lives of people under their rule, and people had civil rights, which they didn’t have prior to his reign as emperor. Others argue that Napoleon was a tyrant because he
Over the course of time, many leaders attempted to control their nation and increase their own power in order to dictate their citizens. Some examples of such leaders are, Louis XIV of France and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union. During the age of absolutism, Louis XIV also known as, the “Sun King” became the ruler of France through the theory of divine right, which allowed him to rule his people as an absolute ruler. He controlled his people by implementing a centralized government and forcing the 3rd estate to pay unfair taxes. Joseph Stalin, who was another ruler, who went down in history as one of the most ruthless dictators the world has ever known. He used the political system of totalitarianism in order to remain an authority figure
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
In September 1793 to July 1794, the Reign of Terror killed over 40,000 people in France using the guillotine a machine that made it a simple way to execute a mass amount of people. The Reign of Terror was led by no other than , Robespierre. He was trying to form a new government but instead caused thousands of people to be massacred. Ultimately, The Reign of Terror in France was not justified because the threats did not require it, the methods were too extreme and It did not support the ideals of the revolution.
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.
The French Revolution was one of the most significant wars that changed France’s history. The Revolution started in 1789 and ended in 1799 and was mainly initiated by the conditions affecting the Third Estate. Louis XVI was predominately the king during this time period but little did he know that an uprising among the peasants was happening. The French Revolution was caused by the Enlightenment ideas because of the American Revolution, the knowledge of rights, and the questioning of France’s government. The American Revolution was basically the “fire” that ignited the change the Third Estate wanted to see in their country. 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.
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.
The people of France tried to resolve issues peacefully but the king cared only about his power and acted at the expense of the citizens. According to the French Revolution portion of the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the bourgeoisie wanted to have political power and the peasants did not want the feudal system to continue (French Revolution 2). A large meeting was held to discuss and solve issues, but, “rumors of an ‘aristocratic conspiracy’ by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate led to the Great Fear of July 1789.” (French Revolution 2). With the king of France being unwilling to actually resolve any conflicts, the only choice that was left was to overthrow the government as a whole and rebuild it into being a more fair and just system. Again, people need freedom and happiness in their lives in order to be satisfied with their ways of living, and the appropriate response to that lacking in their lives is to remonstrate against the burdensome
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. Also the 3rd Estate peoples were fighting for justice because they were the people who suffered the most pain and lived the poverty life. The French revolution would not have happened unless the king kept and used his power carefully and handling economic, social, and political situations instead of
Between the years of 1785 and 1793, the French society was on the verge of collapsing. There was poverty and famine roaming the streets, making it nearly impossible to survive given the ridiculously high and unjust taxing system. King Louis XVI, who was the ruler at the time, was a main contributor to these problems that led France to its downfall. The country had a massive lack of resources and food, which led King Louis XVI to borrow more money than he could afford, thus putting the country in immense debt. Despite the very visible crisis overthrowing the country, the king was incapable of accepting his mistakes and refused to change his ways. He maintained the unjust voting system, known as the Estates-General, and worsened the taxing system in order to pay off his debts. The people, especially those of the Third Estate, were clearly angry and dissatisfied with the state of the country, which led them seek out a movement for what was right. They began the French Revolution, which wouldn’t have been possible if Louis’ actions hadn’t been as drastic as they were. To a greater extent, King Louis XVI can be held accountable for the main causes of the French Revolution due to the wars that he refused to drop because of his stubborn personality and the National
He justified and proved that what he is doing is “right” by doing speeches and even using an audience to watch deaths of the many “enemies of the state”. Robespierre said in one of his speeches, “Terror is nothing more than speedy, severe and inflexible justice; it is thus an emanation of virtue; it is less a principle in itself, than a consequence of the general principle of democracy, applied to the most pressing needs of the patrie”. He is saying that terror is what is needed in his time, there are no other plausible solutions. This is the only one. But I want to ask him, is a person aged 18 that sawed a tree that represents this so-called liberty deserved death? Is a woman that was charged with the crime of having wept at her husband’s execution just? What is worst as said by the description of The Terror at Bordeaux, “the woman was condemned to sit for hours under the blade which shed upon her, drop by drop the blood of her dead husband…before she was released by death.” This is so inhumane that it gives me frightening goosebumps. Is this what you called “solution”? This is a solution that is impractical, illogical and of course,