The Revolution Of The French Revolution

The initial impulse of the French revolution was destructive. For those who lived through all, or even part, of these vast upheavals, the shock was overwhelming. Maximilien Robespierre was a proud disciple of the enlightenment and declared that no political writer had foreseen this revolution. Robespierre (1758-1794) was one of the leaders of the Committee of Public Safety, the effective governing body of France during the most radical phase of the revolution. The leaders of this revolution attempted, perhaps more than any other revolutionary leaders before or since, to totally transform human society in every way. (Supreme Being) Although Robespierre began with patriotic intent he still was the face of the Reign of Terror and was viewed as being a radical person.

As the Enlightenment began in the middle of the 17th century, people began to use reason rather than stick to tradition. New Enlightenment ideas spread throughout Europe such as ideas on government. Enlightenment thinkers such as Rousenan believed that the best government was one formed with the general consent of the people. Other Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu believed in freedom of speech and a separation of power within the government. All of these ideas led to the French revolution. During the time period France was still an absolute monarchy under King Louis XVI, causing people to want change by implying new Enlightenment ideas. The revolution in France broke out in 1789 do to social, economical, and political issues including the growth of bourgeoisies, taxes were paid unevenly throughout the three Estates of France, and the Third Estate’s desire for a representative government.

The first phase the destruction of the old regime successfully used Enlightenment ideas to form French society. The Revolution began when the third estate broke out into protest and formed the National Assembly in 1789. This led to the Tennis Court Oath which promised to meet as many times as it took to create a constitution. In the summer of 1789, common people decided to save the third estate from the ruling of the king by breaking into the prison courtyard and taking over the prisoners and their weapons, this soon became known as the storming of the Bastille. A new government for France took place when the National Assembly wrote the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen”. This was written to make the first and second estate recognize that the rights and freedoms they take for granted, should be experienced by all humans from the time they are born to the day they die and be protected no matter what. This declaration granted all men equal and abolished aristocratic freedoms which goes back to the ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers. By 1791, France created a new constitution that was set up by the Legislative Assembly at The National Convention due to food shortages and high prices that led France out of monarchy and into a republic.

The French revolution which is also referred to as the Revolution of 1789 was a period characterized by both social and political upheaval that span close to a decade in France. It was during this period that the country’s political landscape was redesigned and it involved

For my book review, I have read and evaluated Sylvia Neely’s history book entitled A Concise History of the French Revolution published in 2007 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Neely’s purpose is to gives an overview of the French revolution with the most important events, the most prominent people and the essential terms. We can see that the author proved her thesis by explaining the background causes of the revolution such as the ancient regime with Louis XVI. Also she described all important events in chronological orders which made it easier for the reader to understand. Neely’s book is at the same time an history book, but also an kind of encyclopedia because she included all essentials terms which were use during that time period, such as “dérogeance”, which means the loss of nobility.

The French Revolution was a time rife with violence, with many revolutionaries using extreme actions to overturn the French Monarchy and create a government based on equality and justice, rather than tyranny and despotism. This violence reached gruesome and terrible heights throughout the revolution, but was justified by the revolutionaries, who believed that their goals of total equality, the end of tyranny, and the return to a virtuous society, allowed them to use means necessary to attain these sublime and holy goals. Their goal of total virtue for France was a good goal, but the methods in which they attempted to achieve it were tyrannical. Additionally, nationalism was used as method of convincing the French that pure and virtuous thoughts that drove the revolutionaries to such terrible heights. The Committee of Public Safety believed that personal freedom should be foregone in order to protect France from foreign monarchies in Europe who wanted to reinstall the monarchy. Although their original intention was to better France through overthrowing the monarchy, their methods in eradicating the ideology of the monarchy were cruel and extensively terrible.

France’s involvement in the American Revolution added to the massive debt and inspired the people of France. Georges Lefebvre states that “The revolt of the English colonies may in fact be considered the principal direct cause of the French Revolution” (21). Jacques Necker, the French statesman and finance minister of Louis XVI, used loans to pay for the war efforts in aiding America. France did not gain much in return from the aid they provided in the American Revolution (Lefebvre 21). This

One part of the economy that caused the revolution was their agriculture. In 1788 there was a food shortage throughout France which brought a whole load of new problems. There was also droughts, cattle disease, and two decades of bad cereal harvest which destroyed France. Another cause of the revolution was the fact that France was near bankruptcy. Their heavy involvement in the American Revolution caused the French to lose a lot of money. They also lost lots of money from their bad agriculture exports. To recover from debt they either raised taxes or put taxes on other things. The French implemented high taxes on many goods and the price of bread shot up. As this occurred, French banks became reluctant to lend money to the government. The French needed tax money so badly the king had to ask the tax exempt rich to pay taxes. When they refused the king called for a meeting from all the estates called the Estates-General, the rich still refused which caused the Third Estate to form the National Assembly. The French Economy had a lot to do with the start of the French Revolution but not so much

The American revolution had an “Immediate effect” on the people in France. The French were inspired by the Americans wanting political changes inspired by the enlightenment ideas of freedom and equality. They saw that these ideas were not just thoughts and they could actually be done; They thought that they could overthrow their own government and get the type of government that they think is best. The French revolution began in 1789 just six years after the American Revolution. Since the Americans were allies with France, the French sent over many soldiers along with money and materials to help the Americans fight in their own revolution. The French were already in debt from the “seven years’ war” called the French

The Tennis Court Oath was the promise given by the National Assemble that they would not separate until there was a new constitution. Instead of fighting back, Louis XVI would only ignore this act of defiance and address the delegate of all three estates on June 23.

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.

The French Revolution started in 1789 and is contemplated to be one of the most symbolic events in world history as a result of it drastically modified the face of France, which at the time of the revolution was the most powerful country in Europe, as well as altering the traditions of the culture and government. Various factors led to the cause of the revolution, which necessarily modified the appearance of France’s economic and political conditions. The french revolution was a sequence of political and social acts by people within the french government to defeat the power of the King as well as the rich landowners and develop a government that was chosen by the voters living in the city. The revolution would initiate the act of liberty and

For the Jews of France and their fellow colleagues, the French revolution came to establish the myth of origin or also known as their birthdate of existence. On the date September 27, 1791, which was two years after the storming of Bastille and the Declaration of the rights of man, the French National Assembly voted to admit the Jews of Alsace-Lorraine France to citizenship1. The French Revolution was a period of time where Jews were fighting for civic equality and having to overcome many obstacles that were put in front of them throughout this time.

Liberté, égalité, fraternité was the cry of freedom that countless people used to propel them through, and to the end of the French Revolution. This long period of social, political and economic change in France lasted 10 years, starting in 1798 and ended with Napoleon Bonaparte. The French Revolution greatly affected all of Europe at the time and continues to represent the embodiment of revolution to this day. This constant struggle between the heavily taxed, burdened, and unrepresented third estate and those higher created an environment of monumental change for everyone. In the years leading up to the French Revolution, new beliefs and ideas were reaching every corner of Europe creating the thought that men should live free of oppression. However, in France the leader Louis XVI lead like a tyrant leaving the people impoverish and angry. Through the analysation of numerous circumstance present during the Ancien Régime, such as an inferior fiscal leadership, massive debt, and the forthcoming of new ideas during the Enlightened period, it can be concluded that the means for this revolution were justified as it is in our essence to revolt for a change.

Revolutions are a common occurrence throughout world history. With the amount of revolutions in history, there are those that get lost and those that are the most remembered or well known. One of the well known revolutions is the French Revolution which occurred in the years 1789 to 1799. Before the French Revolution, France was ruled by an absolute monarchy, this meaning that one ruler had the supreme authority and that said authority was not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs, a definition given by wikipedia.com and the feudal system, which was a system that said a peasant or worker would receive a piece of land in return for serving under a king, a definition given by vocabulary.com. Those who opposed the, then