The French Revolution Essay

The French Revolution Essay
In 1789 during the French Revolution France was in a time of chaos and economic turmoil with a
struggle for class and power amongst the inhabitants. Prior to the revolution, the upper classes
writhed to gain wealth and financial power, however in doing so they oppressed the peasants. The
French Revolution is considered to be the most momentous movements as it distorted the principles
of French society. The majority of the revolts in France from 1660–1789 were connected to the
rebellions against domineering taxation. The majority of France wanted an end to the Old Regime
and the supremacy of the King, nobility and clergy. The ideas of the Revolution were widespread
and had reached areas as far as the Caribbean, and it still continues to set a precedent for countries
today. The questions that historians face is what the crucial causes of theFrench Revolution were,
however it is widely disputed. Although many historians have argued that the coronation of Louis
XVI had been the foremost cause , closer examination shows that the French Revolution is a result of
the combination of the American Revolution which led to the spread of the ideas that the colonies
fought for, high bread prices as the peasants were not able to afford a bare necessity due to the social
structure of France and the Enlightenment that boasted ideas of liberty and freedom. La
RГ©volution AmГ©ricaine: The American Revolution
France had competed for power against Great Britain, however this ended up weakening
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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

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

The French Revolution (1789–99) violently transformed France from a monarchical state with a
rigid social hierarchy into a modern nation in which the social structure was loosened and power
passed increasingly to the middle classes. There is considerable controversy over the causes of the
Revolution. Marxist scholars emphasize material factors: as the population increased, food supplies
grew short; land had become divided into such small parcels that most Frenchmen lived close to the
subsistence level; and after 1776 agricultural recession forced property owners to exploit their
sources of revenue. Marxists also maintain that commercial prosperity had stimulated the growth of a
monied middle class that threatened the position of the...show more content...
The Montagnard Convention then had to contend with invasion, royalist civil war, and widespread
provincial revolts against "the dictatorship of Paris." Initially, Georges Danton tried to
placate the provinces, and the democratic Constitution of 1793 was approved by plebiscite and
celebrated at a Festival of Unity. After July, however,Maximilien Robespierre's influence prevailed,
and armies were sent to subdue rebellious cities. When the city of Toulon voluntarily surrendered to
the British, a demonstration in Paris compelled the National Convention to establish (September 5)
the repressive regime known as the Terror. A fearful time ensued: theCommittee of Public Safety
strove to organize the economy and the war effort; the Revolutionary Tribunal sent state prisoners,
including the Girondists, to the guillotine; and agents of the Convention known as Representatives
of the People enforced bloody repression throughout France. During the ensuing period (1794–95) of
the Thermidorian Reaction, government was so weakened that anarchy and runaway inflation
almost overwhelmed the republic. In the southeast the royalists conducted a "white
terror," and in Paris gangs of draft–dodgers, called la

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

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

The French revolution "broke" Europe. The whole world changed once the effects of the revolution
spread through Europe. The series of events that followed the revolution because of the revolution
shapes the world today. The general population (the 3rd estate) had enough of absolutism. King
Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette were unpopular. This resulted from multiple things
including England humiliating France in the Seven Years War, rising food prices (Hart
–Davis 302).
They had also been the laughing stock of France due to the fact that they couldn't have a child for
years and Louis XIV was short and fat, not necessarily fitting the mold of a king. They didn't like
Marie Antoinette because of her various, expensive indulgences while...show more content...
It says that in a society where there is no observance of law or definition of power has no
constitution, which is basically and anarchy. Lastly, it states that property is a sacred right in
which no one can be deprived of unless demanded by public necessity or by law (Yale Law
School). The Declaration has direct impact on France's current constitution (The Constitution of
the Fifth Republic). This is a lot to take in in our current society, let alone 200+ years ago when
your government is falling apart. Many of these concepts had not been incorporated into law in
modern history, or ever. It did not give women these rights, but it is a great success of the
revolution because it raised the level of human rights in France and across the globe. If you look at
the principles in the document you can draw a correlation to current documents such as the
Declaration of Human Rights from the UN. It uses presumption of innocence just like the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen did and the Bill of Rights (both of which were
published in 1789). Although there this had been implemented in a few previous places this was the
France was the first to use presumption of innocence in modern times Pennington). The French
succeeded in destroying the absolute monarchy and the ancien regime, which fully changed world
politics. It's the equivalent of a third party overthrowing the two party system. The Declaration of the
Rights of Man and Citizen was published about two months after

Before the French Revolution, France was facing many problems, such as famine, high taxes, high
food prices, and an absolute monarchy incapable of solving problems. In comparison to the nobility
and clergy the bourgeoisie and the peasants were taxed ridiculously high. So clearly during this
time we are getting the sense that the third estate carried the burden of repaying France's debt. So
because of this unfair treatment and their knowledge of enlightened thought, the Bourgeoisie sought
to put an end to the classes and their lack of representation by forming the National Assembly. The
peasants on the other hand were not driven by the same goals. When they did decide to revolt it
was not for political or social reasons like the bourgeoisie...show more content...
A few months later the National Assembly heard news about the army sent by Louis XVI, marching
down to Versailles to disperse the Assembly. Fortunately, during the same time the peasants were
storming the Bastille out of anger towards the nobility, clergy, and monarchy because the Bastille
was seen as a symbol of royal power. On the same day the Bastille fell and the army was distracted
enough to no longer be a threat to the National Assembly. So the National Assembly not being
threatened created the constitution, limiting the power of the monarchy and making France a
Constitutional Monarchy and the National Assembly sovereign changes began being made. The
Bourgeoisie's construction of the Declaration of the rights of men reflected enlightened ideas,
because it mirrored the enlightened idea of natural rights and popular sovereignty. The Declaration
of the rights of men gave all citizens of France the rights of "liberty, property, security and resistance
to oppression" (Declaration of the rights of men 1789). This was important because during the time
first estate was exempt from taxes in addition to receiving money from the monarchy, and the second
estate even though they were taxed regularly, had to pay very little. So essentially the Declaration of
the Rights put

The French Revolution was one of the most traumatic events in human history. Over seven million
people may have died as a result.
The immediate reason was the financial crisis caused by French support for the American
Revolution. France invested 2 billion pieces of silver to win the war. Her tax system could only
support the government during peace. A war called for extraordinary measures. This was the
beginning of the first phase of the revolution, which is referred to as the Aristocratic Revolution. The
aristocrats saw this crisis as an opportunity to reassert their power.
The French Finance Minister, Necker (1776–1781) didn't use new taxation to finance the war, he
borrowed the money. In 1781, he published the...show more content...
The Estates General was the legislative body of France and had not been called together in a
hundred years.
Louis XVI ordered the Parlement to register his new taxation edicts. At this point, Louis XIV would
have sent in troops to shoot down the members of the Parlement – but Louis XVI was not as tough
as Louis XIV and he only banned the Parlement. Protests against the King's action broke out all over
France. Louis XVI backed down on November 19, 1787 and called the Parlement back. On May 3,
1788, Parlement issued the Fundamental Laws. These stated, among other things, that new taxes
have to come from the Estates General.
Louis XVI's reaction was to exile Parlement and to set up a new Parlement. However, riots started
throughout France. These were so severe that the French government ceased functioning. Louis XIV
would have sent in the army, but Louis XVI backed down. Brienne called for opinions as to how
the Estates General should be set up on July 5, 1788. Unfortunately, for the French government his
statement ended censorship, since all you had to do was relate what you were talking about to
choosing an Estates General. As a result, political discussions ran rampant and all of France became
stirred–up by the political rhetoric.
Brienne resigned on August 25, 1788 and the King brought Necker back. Necker was able to secure
an 80,000,000 pieces of silver loan to keep France from

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

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

The French Revolution Essay

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