The French Revolution Essay example
Francois Furet: The French Revolution
Political Impacts Of The French Revolution
Was The French Revolution Justified
French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Essay
French Revolution Essay
Was the French Revolution Successful? Essay
French Revolution Essay
French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Essay
French Revolution Essay
French Revolution As A Monarch Essay
American Revolution Vs French Revolution Essay
1. 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. During the
eighteenth century there was one central political cause for the French Revolution. King Louis
XVI was a weak ruler who endured a lavish lifestyle. He disregarded the people's needs, leaving
much of the French population in discontent. Prior to the revolution the form of government was
Absolute monarchy led by Louis XVI. The problem with absolute monarchy was that people were
denied basic rights, and a say in government because the divine right theory was abused. The King
ruled by the divine right of theory which
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2. The French Revolution Essay example
The French Revolution
The French Revolution evokes many different emotions and controversial issues in that some believe
it was worth the cost and some don't. There is no doubt that the French Revolution did have major
significance in history. Not only did the French gain their independence, but an industrial revolution
also took place. One of the main issues of the Revolution was it's human costs. Two writers, the first,
Peter Kropotkin who was a Russian prince, and the other Simon Schama, a history professor, both
had very opposing views on whether the wars fought by France during the Revolution were worth it's
human costs. Krapotkin believed that the French Revolution was the main turning point for not only
France but for most...show more content...
He also began one of the bloodiest periods in French history, the Reign of Terror. During the Reign
of Terror, more than 30,000 people were executed, mainly for opposing Robespierre's views. Late
in 1794, Robespierre was put to death and a new leader was looked for; this of course turned out
to be Napoleon. With many conquered lands under his belt by 1798, Napoleon had a huge
following and planned a coup d'etat. On November 18, 1799, Napoleon became the First Consul
of France, or in his mind the dictator. Napoleon then crowned himself Emperor in 1804 and
conquered many countries including Austria, Prussia, and Russia in 1805,06, and 07 respectively.
Such a strong ruler is bound to fall eventually, this happened in 1815 with his death. Even with the
many improvements to the country of France in the late 1700's and early 1800's, some still believe
that the French Revolution was not worth it's human costs. Detailed below are two opposing
viewpoints on the topic. Peter Krapotkin, a revolutionary Russian prince, argues that the French
Revolution paved the way for expansion and democratic growth. Krapotkin's first argument is that
the French monarchy before the Revolution deprived the lower class citizens of food and
necessities. There was a shortage of food at the time, and the prices were too high for the lower
class to afford. The monarchy also taxed the lower class, which made it even harder for them to
afford the food that they needed. During the
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3. Francois Furet: The French Revolution
Revisionist very within several schools of thought. Unlike traditional revisionists, liberal revisionists
believed the revolution should be treated as a wholehearted move from a pre–modern French to a
modern society. In accordance with their beliefs, the Ancient Regime had gotten so caught up in
their own web, that it was inevitable that the only way change was going to prevail was with a
revolution. Liberal historians argued that the French Revolution was an agent of progress; despite the
drastic measures, it demonstrated the possible future for the Parisian with revolutionary change. The
Terror was nothing more than a grievous stepping stone that would eventually lead to the
establishment of a new government. Alfred Cobban was a British...show more content...
The historiography of the French Revolution changed drastically when the neo–liberals challenged
the claims made by Furet alongside with other colleagues. Unlike the revisionist of the early period,
interpretations made by the neo–liberals did little to minimize the 18th century nobility and their
oppressive characteristics. The aristocracy has political interest in opposing the lower classed
Parisians. Their argument was that the Constitutional Assembly period fundamentally indifferent
that was Furet considered the Jacobinism of the Terror to be. The nonsensical violence that was
previously disavowed by the liberal revisionists is now brought in being necessary for the
establishment of a free state. In the research archived by the neo–liberal historians, their collective
conclusion was that the French Revolution in its entirety was a failure. According to them, the
revolution may not have been started by a rising bourgeoisie, but the revolutionaries did manage to
subdue the monarchy and possibly bring the 19th century state into a refashioned liberal state. The
neo–liberals had a different breakup of the class and sorted them according to their professions and
occupations. The jobs varied by social interest, so it seemed that putting them within solid political
groups would have proved little in the long run. These historians stress a lot
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6. French Revolution Essay
The world has seen many revolutions in history. One of the biggest revolutions was the French
Revolution because it came with many consequences and influences. Nothing else like this had ever
happened this powerful to change the political status quo. Many people surprisingly don't know how
the French Revolution started but through this paper we will be learning more about it. Starting in
1789 through 1794 the people of France dethroned and arrested their king Louis XVI, took apart his
monarchy, and executed him, his wife, and thousands of nobles. The French people then set up a
new system of government on concepts of popular rule, personal liberty, and equal justice for all to
replace their old leaders. This was a new start for...show more content...
In 1788 Louis called a meeting with the Estates General and this would be a big part in setting the
stage for the beginning of the French Revolution. The meeting would consist of representatives of
each Estate. Even though the Third Estate made up 97% of the French population Louis would rely
on the First and Second Estate to overrule the third. But things would soon turn for the worst for
Louis, because the commoners (the third Estate) with a few of the members of the other estates
disobeyed the king and named themselves the National Assembly. Their goal was to get all the all
French citizens basic civil rights. They were willing to be very peaceful at the beginning, but Louis
would not even come to an agreement with any of the Third Estate's demands.
Louis called a meeting between himself and the delegates of the three estates on June 23, 1789
three days after the Tennis Court Oath. There Louis told the delegates he would negotiate a
number of reforms. The reforms Louis named had nothing to do with the demands of the Third
Estate. The revolutionaries would not give up that easily and wanted Louis to know it. This
made the king upset and now he would begin to use the army to force his will on the people. In
late June Louis ordered four regiments of soldiers to advance on Paris and Versailles and soon after
that ordered up several more. A large group of people went to Bastille to get
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7. The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution was a time of turmoil in which an uprising for equality turned into a
massacre. The poor became poorer, King Louis XVI lost power, and hundreds of thousands of
people would end up losing their lives. Over the course of the revolution, there were two phases of
the government that occurred that each had different causes. The economic and ideological cause of
the liberal phase of the government was due to the disputes over inequality among the estates and
dismantling of the old regime, while the cause of the radical phase of the government was based off
of the belief that the revolution did not meet the original revolutionary beliefs. In the beginning of the
French Revolution the economy revolved around the three estates; the first estate, the second estate,
and the third estate. The first estate consisted of privileged church members and the clergy, making
up one percent of the total population. Church members and clergy members were wealthy people
that consistently caused corruption between the other estates. The churches owned ten percent of all
wealth and were not required to pay taxes. Enlightenment thinkers, whom emphasized reason and
individualism over tradition, believed the church taught nothing but nonsense. The second estate
consists of nobles who were slightly less privileged than the church and clergy members. Consisting
of two to five percent of the population, these members owned a third of all land. Noblemen faced
different
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9. French Revolution Essay
Why was there a French Revolution?
Between, 1789 ВЎV 1799, many events occurred in France that caused an outbreak within the
people thus leading to a revolution. This culminated in the France becoming a democratic
government. This essay will argue that the resentment of absolute government, financial difficulties,
the famine, rise of philosophes and the ongoing feud between the estates are all the major causes of
why there was a revolution in France.
Firstly before going into the topic, the word ВЎВ§revolutionВЎВЁ must be defined. ВЎВ§A
revolution is a relatively sudden and absolutely huge change. This may be a change in the social or
political institutions over a relatively short period of time, or a major change in its culture or
economy .ВЎВЁ...show more content...
If the king was interested in the opinions of the people, all he had to do go to the Estates General
and ask for their vote on any issue he put forth. The last time the Estates General had been in
meeting was in 1614, therefore it is evident that by the late 1700s, that the king was no longer
interested in the influence of the French people . This sort of ignorance to the people was a major
factor in why there was a revolution in France
The famine killed many people during the late 18th century and was caused by the other
underlining factors such as financial trouble and arguments between the estates. Different crop
failures in the 1780s caused these shortages, which of course led to high prices for bread and
other food substances. With the prices going up people grew angry with the government and
waged for a revolution . There were poor conditions in the countryside which made residents to
move into Paris, and the city was overcrowded and filled with the hungry and disaffected people
who desperately needed more food to live. The peasants, who were the worst of the lot, suffered
from the economic and agricultural problems . With all this added up, there was no other way to fix
these problems but to have a revolution
Another cause of the French Revolution was in the financial difficulties of the government. King
Louis XV and King Louis XVI both led extremely
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10. The French Revolution was basically a war of the social classes. The middle class believed that in
order to gain equality they had to get rid of the privileges that were stopping the progress of their
rise in society. To do this they had to gain power within the government and make changes, such as,
improving the tax system, creating a fair system of production where profits went to the producer,
improving the whole economic system of the government, and plus many more. The revolution was
a fight for equality; it was not a rebellion against poverty. Many of the French people had learned to
with poverty for they had been living in poverty for centuries.
Before the Revolution, only fair reforms, or changes, were wanted by the people....show more
content...
The Third Estate consisted of the common people. It included the middle class, peasants and city
workers. The middle class was made up of the merchants and manufacturers, lawyers, doctors and
others. Peasants were the largest group within the Third Estate. They were forced to pay large taxes,
tithes to the church, and rents to their landlords for the land that they lived on. The city workers
were servants, apprentices, and household maids.
The major cause of the French Revolution was the differences that these three groups had. France
suffered from severe economic problems. The French government borrowed significant amounts of
money to pay for the wars of Louis XIV. These costs greatly increased the national debt.
When King Louis XVI came into power, he did not know what to do about the debt, until he found
a man by the name of Robert Turgot. He tried to introduce a major reform that would tax the
nobles. He had difficulties doing so because the king could not tax the nobles unless the Parliament
approved of the new tax laws. The people in the Parliament that voted on these laws were the nobles
and so of course rejected Turgot's reform. After Turgot was rejected, the king fired him. In August
1788, Louis XVI had decided to summon the Estates–General, convocation of the three estates,
which had not met since 1614, in order to solve government's financial problems (Course Pack 178).
Louis
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11. Was the French Revolution Successful? Essay
Many historians credit the French Revolution as being the beginning of modern politics. The
revolution single–handedly crushed the monarchical way of politics, the aristocratic domination up
to that point in France, and the dominance of the church in French politics. The revolution abolished
the feudal system and was one of the biggest steps towards modernity throughout history. The
French Revolution was a successful endeavour on the part of the French people because it reformed
social tradition and the hierarchy of French aristocracy by making all men equal, the Enlightenment
ideals which the revolution was based on came through to a great extent.
Before the French Revolution, France was a feudal kingdom. Louis XVI ruled the land, and...show
more content...
In this way, the French Revolution was extremely successful.
The French Revolution was based on an assortment of Enlightenment ideals. French philosophers,
including Voltaire and Rousseau led the revolution leading up to the revolution, so to speak, coming
up with progressive ideals as to government, social structure, and the nature of people. Indeed, the
ideals which the revolution was fought in the name of progressed throughout France and,
eventually, Europe. Though the revolution took wrong turns along the way, the ideals which it was
based on never wavered. Even during the heart of his Reign of Terror, Robespierre spoke of a state
where each citizen wants to do good by his country. This shows Robespierre with an unwavering
commitment to the state, an ideal which came out of the Enlightenment. Though he may have
carried out his beliefs in a gruesome and perhaps wrong way, his ideals were the same as the
Enlightenment philosophers: make the state better for all to live in.
After Robespierre and the Directory, Napoleon came to power. Though he is criticized for being a
militaristic dictator, Napoleon was able to spread Enlightenment ideals, in the form of the
Napoleonic Code, throughout Europe. This shows the progression of ideas throughout Europe, and
also that France succeeded in using the ideals that the revolution was based on. In this way, the
French Revolution was extremely successful.
The French Revolution tossed down the monarchy which
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12. French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution lasted from 1789 to 1799. Although
there were several factors that made the French Revolution
possible, such as population growth, the expansion of the
middle classes, and the rise of an informed public, there
were three immediate causes of the Revolution. One was the
diminished authority of the royal government. Another was
the revolt by the nobility, who sensed a weakening
monarchy. The third cause was the crop failure.
The government of France was in a financial crisis. The
country was deeply in debt from the financing of the wars of
Louis XIV. To deal with the nation's economic problems,
Louis XVI called for a meeting of the Estates General in
1789.
The Estates General was made up of...show more content...
As he stationed his army in
and around Paris, crowds of Parisians stormed the Bastille
on July 14, 1789. There they hoped to find weapons and
other ammunition to use in resisting and fighting the troops of
the king. The Bastille was captured and torn down.
This event and numerous other tumultuous events made
Louis realize the urgent need for reforms. The National
13. Assembly met in August of 1789 and considered feasable
changes. By the end of the month, the Constituent Assembly
(the name the National Assembly renamed itself) adopted
the "Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen" as a
preamble for the new constitution.
In 1791, a new constitution was written by the Constituent
Assembly. It left the monarchy with little control of France,
and put into effect a separation of powers. The monarchy
was powerless against the Constituent Assembly, which had
power over the government.
Louis and his family's attempt to flee the country made it
clear that the king was not loyal to his country. When the
National Convention, the new Assembly, met on September
21, 1792, it proclaimed France a republic, and Louis was
put on trial for treason and for being a member of the
monarchy. He was found guilty of treason and other crimes,
and died under the guillotine on January 21, 1793.
The death of the king opened the revolution to more
tumultuous change led by the radical groups.
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16. The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution Why was there a French Revolution? This is a question of continual
interests not only to professors and philosophers, but to everybody who takes an interests in the
history of the world. Genuinely, therefore, it is also a subject of much contention. The statement
citing the fundamental cause of the French Revolution as the collision between a powerful rising
Bourgeoisie and an ingrained aristocracy, defending its privileges it had for centuries, has great
relevance in reiterating the great conflict of 1789. However, it was the financial debt of the
government, and the financial crisis it caused, which was at root of the actual course to revolution.
Many factors played a role in the economic...show more content...
They had the right to ascendancy on public occasions, the right to exercise seigniorial rights over
most of the lands they did not own, the right to wear a sword in public, and, most importantly, the
exemption from taxes. The third estate could have been broken down into two categories. One was
a new middle class that emerged during the Louis XVI era, called the Bourgeoisie. The rest of the
estate were poor peasants and artisans that –3– made up about ninety–six percent of France's entire
population. The Bourgeoisise were highly educated bankers and investors, or other business elites.
They made their money in refining and processing plants, finance and insurance, and other
advanced industries. A good share of the nation's debt was due to the uneven taxation of the estates.
The nobles were exempt from the main direct tax, or taille, as were the clergy. That meant most of
the burden lay on the third estate, who also possessed the least amount of wealth. The Bourgeois
were wealthy and were able to afford such taxation, but nonetheless, their aim was civil equality and
to destroy the tax privileges of the nobility and clergy. The peasants, too, were laden with extensive
amounts of taxation that was nearly impossible for them to pay. Burrowing France deeper into debt
and economic crisis was the persistent drought followed by massive storms, ravaging the
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17. The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution was a period of time from 1789 to 1799 in France where there was political
instability. It officially began on the 14th of July, 1789, when the Bastille, which was a symbol of
the King's harsh policies, was stormed. The King, Louis XVI, the Queen, Marie–Antoinette and
about 40,000 people were all brutally murdered. But there was also a positive side, the Declaration
of the Rights of Man and Citizen was formally adopted on August 1789 and feudalism was
abolished. This essay will address the issues of the three estates system, food shortages and the
fiscal crisis. It will also be argued that the most significant cause of the French Revolution was the
social inequality that stemmed from the three estates system....show more content...
The majority were already struggling with the cost of living, and the addition of extra taxes caused it
to be near impossible for them to survive financially. This angered the third estate, and provided an
incentive for the revolution. Therefore, it is evident that the social inequality that derived from the
three estates system was the most significant cause of the French Revolution.
Secondly, the food shortages and prices were a highly influential cause of the French Revolution.
The third estate had to pay the gabelle, which was extremely expensive (Hetherton). Salt was an
essential commodity that was not only used for seasoning but to preserve meats and vegetables for
the cold season (Hills). When the peasantry could not afford the gabelle, they starved during the
winter. This was especially significant during the winters of 1769, 1776, 1780–1783 and 1788, when
there were heavy hailstorms and treacherously cold temperatures (Martin). This meant that there
were several crop failures that impacted foods such as corn and grain (Ashwell). As a result, the crop
failures caused prices of bread and vegetables to increase 9–fold and 6–fold respectively (Martin).
Furthermore, the glacial weather caused several supply routes to freeze and close down. For
example, the rivers Yonne and Oise were specifically used for supplying meat, so when they became
unavailable to merchants, the price of meat escalated 10–fold (Martin). This meant that only those
who could
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18. The French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution
The French Revolution last from 1789 to 1799. This war had many causes that began the revolution.
Its causes ranged from the American Revolution, the economic crisis in France, social injustices to
the immediate causes like the fall of Bastille, the Convening of he Estate–General, and the Great
Fear. As a result of this revolution there many effects , immediate and long term. The immediate
effects were the declaration of rights of man, abolishing of olds reign, execution of king and queen,
the reign of terror, and war and forming of the citizen–army. The long term effects were the rise of
Napoleon, spread of revolutionary ideas, growth of nationalism, and the conservative reaction.
The contributing factors to...show more content...
In this way the privileged classes had combined to outvote the third estate, which included more than
90 percent of the population. Another cause was the fall of Bastille. The falling of the Bastille
marked a turning point–attempts at reform had become a full–scale revolution. One of the causes
was the economic problems of many common people had become worse, because poor weather
conditions had ruined the harvest. As a result, the price of bread, the most important food of the
poorer classes had increased. Violence grew in both the cities and the countryside during the
spring and summer. While hungry artisans revolted in urban areas, starved peasants searched the
provinces for food and work. These vagrants were rumored to be armed agents of landlords hired
to destroy crops and harass the common people. Many rural peasants began to panic, known as the
Great Fear. They attacked the homes of their landlords to protect local grain supplies and reducing
rents on their land. Also Lewis XVI gave in so reluctantly, for example, taking months to approve the
Declaration of Rights, which made hostility of the crown only increased.
The immediate effects of the French Revolution Was the Declaration of the Rights of Man. This was
one of the most constructive achievements of the French Revolution. The Rights of Man said that
there would be equality of all persons before the law; equitable taxation; protection against loss of
property through arbitrary
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19. French Revolution Essay
The French Revolution was a time for expansion in human freedom. It was a way for the French to
re–invent their government to give some sort of equality for their people. There were many
successes the French Revolution made, such as creating public schools for children and making it
mandatory for them to attend. The French Revolution had the intentions to create a better
government and lifestyle for their people, such as Jacobins who believed in the poor having their
turn to rule. Though, others opposed the ideas of the revolution. Those people did not go unpunished
by their beliefs. This was known as the Reign of Terror, which was not completely necessary for their
society.
The French Revolution was held in order to stop...show more content...
"Part I: All children will attend school, boys between the ages of 5 and 12, girls between the ages
of 5 and 11. (Draft of Law on Public Education, by Citizen Robespierre)" This showed how the
government was serious in making sure all people in France had some education. This was a
great success because every person could at least read and write. Lastly, women were finally
given the freedom of equality. Woman had always been oppressed by men because of physical
capability, they were not as physically strong as men. But, they were finally able to pass a law of
equality in a written declaration. "Article 1: Woman is born free and lives equal to man in her
rights. Social distinctions can be based only on the common utility. (Declaration of the Rights of
Women, by Olympe de Gouge)" This clearly shows that the French Revolution aided women in the
right of equality with men. These successes clearly show how the French Revolution helped to
expand human freedom.
The people who supported the Revolution were known as Jacobins. They were people who
believed that the poor should have the turn to rule, they represented the lower class people. This
group was made up of anyone who believed in their ideas, even women. Two men who were part of
the Jacobins were Georges Danton and Jean–Paul Marat. They highly believed in the poor being in
control. Danton once stated "The Rich used to rule Paris. Now we cry: "Make way for the
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20. French Revolution As A Monarch Essay
Alana Ballagh
Period 3
How to Endure the Revolution–As a Monarch
Feature Article
The recent death of Napoleon Bonaparte has been described as the end of the last ruler of France. In
truth, these statements are incorrect. The last reigning monarchs of France were King Louis XVI
and Marie Antoinette, though the public abandoned the two approximately 28 years ago following
the height of the French Revolution. A recent uncovering of an article published in the 1789 issue of
La Cuvette illustrates the forgotten world of the grandiose rulers of France.
There is no better way to experience a royal day than to spend the day with the royals. As a
distinguished journalist of the upper tier of the third estate, it was not challenging to pay the twelve
...show more content...
"It is unprecedented for the peasants to hold power. For good reason. They cannot be trusted to rule
the country. And to storm Versailles, the jewel of France! This revolution is an outrage," he
remarked about the recent Tennis Court Oath.
Bidding a farewell to the impassioned noble, I headed out of the palace to investigate the handball
court where the oath was constructed. On the way there, I was able to admire the grand halls of the
palace, where ornate details cover every inch of wallspace. Tapestries sewn with the typical French
flower pattern flanked the gold plated windows.
Once outside, a commotion interrupted the serenity of the sunlight reflecting upon the main
fountain, where majestic statues were placed in various places surrounding the water. A swarm of
nobles were scurrying behind a regal woman strolling through the grounds, whom I realized was
Marie Antoinette.
Following the crowd, I managed to inquire about the recent storming of the Bastille: on July 14th,
rumors of Austrian attacks based off the queen's Austrian descent ricocheted through Paris,
prompting the storming of the
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21. American Revolution Vs French Revolution Essay
Revolution – A revolution (from the Latin revolutio, "a turn around") is a fundamental change in
political power or organizational structures. It takes place in a relatively short period of time when
the population rises up in revolt against the current authorities. The American and French revolution
have many similarities and differences. Both the American Revolution and French Revolution were
the products of Enlightenment ideals that emphasized the idea of natural rights and equality. The
leadership in both countries at the time of their revolutions was certainly repressive, especially in
terms of taxation. Both areas suffered social and economic hardships that led to the realization that
something must be done to topple the hierarchy and...show more content...
Five different governments were included in the French Revolution between 1789 and 1799 in
France. King Louis XVI needed more money for his fancy parties and expensive wars, so he called
in the Estates–General, which consisted of representatives from the First, Second, and Third
Estates, in 1789. Spielvogal says in World History: Modern Times, that "To fix France's financial
problems, most members of the Third Estate wanted to set up a constitutional government that would
abolish the tax exemptions of clergy and nobility." At the end of the French Revolution Napoleon
was brought into power, first as consul and later as emperor, by a coup d'etat. The American
Revolution was an external war, the Americans were fighting against the british for independence.
Whereas the French Revolution was an external war, the French were fighting each other. Dr.
Jackson Spielvogal wrote in World History: Modern Times, "Compared with the American
Revolution, the French Revolution was more complex, more violent, and far more radical."
(Spielvogal, p 329) The American Revolution had characteristics of being moderate, conservative,
limited and federal. The French Revolution was more complex, bloody, violent and
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