There were various amounts of perspectives on the French Revolution. Some were similar, such as those of the people of the 3rd Estate like Joseph Sieyes and the creators of the National Assembly's constitution. There were also some conflicting perspectives between the Third Estate and the other two, such as King Louis XIV and Joseph De Maistre. With all of these perspectives displayed throughout these documents of historical evidence, I see the horrible treatment the people of the 3rd estate received simply because they weren't born into nobility or clergy. This was very unfair, and I believe the country of France needs a revolution. Two conflicting perspectives were the perspectives of the King and his people. In Document G you see the king telling his people that he would be fine with the revolution if it …show more content…
While Robespierre had great ideas at the beginning of the revolution such as the idea of a truly free society with equal treatment, he didn't act this out as planned. He went on to lead thousands of public murders of people who dared to have an opinion against the revolutionaries. The main difference between the French Revolution and the American Revolution is how the colonies weren't in the country of Britain. This played a big role in the damage that was dealt with in the French Revolution. The amount of change is so drastic to take control of an entire country and create your own. This type of damage is what the King and Joseph talked about in the documents, and there might have been many fewer casualties if the 3rd estate wasn't directly a part of the country. As you can see, all of these different perspectives caused much conflict and damage during the times of the revolution. The third estate was oppressed and, with the rise of popularity in the Enlightenment period, the people started to realize
The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy
During the eighteenth century, a major uprising occurred in France, the French Revolution. During the time, France was divided into 3 major groups: the First, Second, and the Third estate. While the first and second estate owned the majority of the resources, and paying little taxes, the third Estate paid heavy taxes, owning little resources. Sparked by the social inequality faced by the third Estate, the revolution brought about significant changes to France. Initially, the French Revolution advances the Enlightenment ideals by promoting life and equality, corresponding to John Locke’s belief. However, the revolution ultimately betrayed the enlightenment ideals.
It was less revolutionary than the American Revolution because it achieved less. One of the biggest differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution is that the the the pro American revolutionist did not kill thousands of people if they were against the revolution. CITE BOOK HERE Yes, there was a war and people died, but it did not cause a bloodshed among the civilians. Another difference is that America wanted to remain unified, while the French wanted to separate to two parts. The French fought to end the monarchy, but the ended up with a dictatorship. The Third Estate said that through the constitution people would have the right to own property. This however did not apply to the clergy or the lower class. Economically they were allowed to have free land, but this was only possible for those who had money. The working class did receive rights, but they did not have the power to petition. Unlike the American Constitution where you have the first amendment, which guarantees the right to petition. Through the French Revolution many Protestants and other non-Catholics were killed, in the end there was still no religious
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
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 other countries as well. On the other hand, Schama viewed the French Revolution as unproductive and excessively violent.
“Europe cannot conceive of life without Kings and nobles; and we cannot conceive of it with them. Europe is lavishing her blood to preserve her chains, whereas we are lavishing ours to destroy them”(Maximilien Robespierre). For centuries upon centuries, the monarchal system had dominated European life. The very nature of this method of rule incited rebellious feelings, as a definite imbalance of power was present. Understandably, people under this system had risen against authority. The glorious nation of France was no exception. The eighteenth century brought about a great deal of economic and social turmoil. By the end of this one hundred year period, rebellion had been talked about by many citizens for quite some time. However, no definitive action was taken until one man stepped to the forefront; Maximilien Robespierre. Born in Arras, France about thirty years prior to the French Revolution, Robespierre was an immensely intelligent man as is seen from his ability to read and write fluently from the age of eight (the Force of 10). Robespierre rose from fairly humble origins to become a provincial lawyer, advancing further to become a representative in the Estates General, and eventually ascending to the leader of the French Revolution itself. For its sake he sent thousands to the guillotine, overthrew a monarchy, declared a new national religion, and invigorated the will of a nation. “No individual of the French Revolutionary era, with the exception of Napolean Bonaparte, has excited more passion in his time than the…dedicated provincial lawyer, Maximilien Robespierre”(Maximilien 1). During this era, Robespierre led France’s world inspiring cry for the liberation of mankind and petrified the world with its relentle...
Prior to the revolution, King Louis XVI was at the top of the ancien régime, the social, economic, and political structure in France, which means he had absolute power. When he received the throne in 1774, it came along with insoluble problems. The people were split into three estates which divided social class. The first estate consisted of 100,000 tax exempt nobles who owned 20% of the land. The second estate consisted of the 300,000 tax exempt clergy who owned 10% of the land. The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6).
The French Revolution Gradually after the American Revolution, France had its own Revolution in 1789. The French were very unhappy with their current status, jobs, and living conditions. They saw what the Americans did to achieve liberty, and how successful they were. Many of them had also read the writings of the philosophers and believed that change was necessary. Nevertheless, the main problems that led to the French Revolution were deep debt, competition between social classes, and the unlawful conduct of the king.
According to the textbook, written by Jackson Spielvogel, “it tried to create both a new political order and a new social order” (330). The three estates weren’t very equal or fair in the least. The lower class, the commoners, had to pay all the taxes and they were allowed to own barely any land at all. The way these estates ran made the third estate very upset. Due to bad harvests, the government was low on money yet they still spent the money on fancy luxuries and costly war expenses. The third estate decided to create the National Assembly and drafted their own constitution. On one of their meetings, they arrived to find the doors locked so they moved to an indoor tennis court. They swore to meet there until they made a French constitution and they called it the Tennis Court Oath. King Louis XVI was ready to use force against the thirst estate since he did not like how they made the National Assembly. However, the Bastille was stormed and Louis XVI was informed he couldn’t trust his troops. There were more and more laws made to ensure that the French would do as they were told. Many people died in what was known as The Reign of Terror. In this, about 40,000 people were killed. There was a lot of violence in this Revolution but eventually, Napoleon overthrew the Directory and things started going the way the Third estate
There were many causes and events leading up to the French Revolution in 1789. Before the Revolution, France had been involved in many expensive wars, especially the American War of Independence, causing financial difficulties and debts which were increased through the expensive upkeep of the Royal Family and their courts. At this time the Age of Enlightenment was occurring and new ideas, challenging the Ancien Regime and the Absolute right to rule, were emerging. The monarch of the time, King Louis XVI, was a weak monarch who was incapable of making decisions and sticking to them. King Louis XIV was also incapable of using his powers in a way to spark fear and gain control of those under his power. As a result of the high debts held by the French Government, the King decided to start taxing the First and Second Estates. They objected causing the Third Estate to question why the first two estates were given choice in paying taxes when the Third Estate, who were so heavily taxed, paid all their taxes. These were the major causes leading up to and, in some cases, triggering, the French Revolution.
Different social classes wanted change during the French Revolution. Those with a lot of money and political say wanted little to no change. Those with less money and no voice in the government wanted more change. There were many different attitudes for change during the French Revolution: “ Radicals wanted to replace the monarchy. Liberals accepted the ideas of the Enlightenment and the democratic reforms of the French Revolution. Moderates wanted to maintain a monarchy but wanted to limit its powers. Royalist supported the king and wanted to maintain the monarchy. Reactionaries opposed change, and wanted to return things to way they had been” (Document 5). Many that were part of the radicals and liberals were part of the Third Estate since they wanted the most change. The Radicals wanted a republic which allows no king and citizens to elect representatives to vote for them. The Liberals wanted a democracy which allows the people to be represented by elected officials based on population. This would allow the citizens to have more say in government. Fraternity was expressed by the different who wanted or no change by sticking together on their opinions. It was time for change to be made for the
First off, political power was only in the hands of property owning citizens during this time. However, not all citizens owned property thus violating the motto of the French Revolution in terms of liberty
Members of France’s Third Estate implemented what historians call the “liberal revolution” to grant common rights to citizens and allow the people to have representation in the political system. During this time, 1789 - 1791, the people of France abandoned the idea of an absolute monarchy, organized themselves into the National Assembly, and established constitutional monarchy to promote new form of government that included the views and needs of the citizens. In 1793, another change took place, in which the radical jacobins took control and shifted the government to a Republic, and subsequently executed the king Louis XVI. The main ideology of the two revolutions were the same, but the main goal of the Republic was to grant freedom and power
“The pattern of the prodigal is: rebellion, ruin, repentance, reconciliation, restoration” -Edwin Louis Cole . Like a revolving door that never stops spinning, Cole’s pattern, revolutions, similar to prodigals, affects the daily life of every person involved. Even though revolutions place lives in danger, France continuously followed this pattern. During the Revolution, the revolving door spins twice in a matter of a decade. Rebellions broke out, a nation continuously destroyed itself, and tyrannical leaders found their way back in to power. Due to an unfair French monarchy, many second class citizens rebelled against their government, leading to the rise of an individual who generated the Reign of Terror, only to bring about the reigns of
The French Revolution had many causes. According to the historian, French people revolted because they were, “intelligent, free, and prosperous to be critical of the existing conditions.” In other words, this historian is saying that the people of France knew what was going on in their country. I agree with this historian and this quote. There were conditions that existed in France the people were aware of. The ideas of the Enlightenment, social classes, and tax system contributed to the French Revolution. The French Revolution was based mostly on the Third Estate’s desire to obtain liberty and equality.