The French Revolution During the majority of the eighteenth century, France had become the cultural center of Europe. France was envied for its fashion, art, learning, and absolutist government. “But beneath the surface of seeming prosperity were roots of unrest and turmoil.” Though French philosophes supported “personal rights and liberties” due to an absolute domination of the Roman Church very few Frenchmen enjoyed such freedoms. The American War for Independence sparked hope in the hearts of the Frenchmen who desired the same freedom in their country. However, political and social order did not change and the “extravagant government spending and oppressive taxation” added together, brought the country to the brink of economic collapse. These …show more content…
were the conditions in France prior to the French Revolution. The Old Regime was the name given to the political and social order in France before the revolution. French society was divided into three class divisions of estates. The First Estate consisted of the clergy of the Roman Catholic Church. The church controlled a vast amount of land estates, great wealth, and were exempt for paying taxes. Part of the churches wealth went towards providing education for those who were sick and needy. Yet many of those in the upper clergy considered the churches money to be theirs. Nobles comprised the Second Estate. Along with the highest positions in government and society the nobles were exempt from many of the French king’s taxes. They owned approximately 40 percent of the land in France. Last of all was 98 percent of French population, the Third Estate. The majority was extremely poor and worked on large estates for the wealthy elite. Despite their low wages and few material possessions they bore the heaviest tax burden and suffered under the lingering feudal obligations. The kings who ruled France during this time had little sense of responsibility and spent the majority of their time occupied with the frivolous pleasures of life. When it came to matters of state often the advice of their mistresses or the schemes of the nobles in court were followed. The once unified central government became incompetent and in efficient. Hoping to take advantage of this confused situation the different social groups “were eager to assume political power”. As was mentioned previously in this essay the peasants resented “not only the unequal assessment of their obligations but also the wasteful manner in which tax money was used.” The most common taxes were 1) for military purposes a “tax on real and personal property”, 2) a poll tax (or a tax on each person), and 3) an income tax. Those in the higher two classes could either purchase or where granted exemption from this taxes. The effects of which financially strained the peasants and reduced government incoming leading to national debt. The Seven Year’s War that took place prior cost France a lot and the continual spending of money from the public treasury by both monarchs led the French government to levy more taxes, degrade French currency, and borrow more money from private banks. “This financial crisis paved the way for the outbreak of the revolution.” Since the beginning of Louis XVI’s reign “able finance minister” had urged him to tax those who were paying no taxes.
Louis, however when the proposition proved to be quit unpopular with the nobility dismissed his ministers along with their idea. In desperation Louis sent out a decree instructing the people to select deputies to represent them and give them a “list of grievances.” To the dismay of the Third estate deputies when they made their appearance to Versailles the king hardly acknowledged them. His only instructions were that they should get together as an estate and vote, each estate receiving one vote. As predicted The First and Second Estates were not interested in the grievances on the Third Estate. Outnumbering them two to one. This disagreement over voting continued and the delegates of the Third Estate proclaimed themselves the National Assembly since they were sent by the people to speak on their behalf. Louise refusing to meet with the three estates unless it was for the purpose of raising taxes and dismissed them. The Third Estate refused to …show more content…
leave. “On June 27, Louis ordered the First and Second Estates to join the national assembly” and they “set about to draw up a constitution.” He then with the advice of some of his member of court “ordered troops to Versailles and Paris” to shut down the Assembly. Angered by “both the high prices for bread and rumors that Louis’s troops intended to murder them…on the morning of July 14, 1789 the mob stormed the Invalides; others laid siege to and captured the Bastille.” Thus the revolution began. After Bastille, uprisings intensified all throughout France.
Peasants would destroy the homes of nobility and feudal records that “obligated them to service”. To calm the increasing violence the National Constituent Assembly “passed more than two thousand laws” ending the Old Regime. One of their most standing actions was the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Man “on August 27, 1789 which encased ideas partly taken from the English Bill of Rights. Louis was against the legislation passed by the Assembly which in turn “added to the continued food shortage in Paris, and brought mobs out into the streets” once again. Upon reaching Versailles the mob marched into the meeting of the assembly and demanded that they be given bread. They insisted that the royal family accompany them back to Paris and the king gave in. Seeing no other option Louis gave his approval to the decree of the assembly. However this did not solve the bankruptcy the country was facing. The Assembly decided that they would confiscate the land owned by the Roman Catholic Church and use in to pay off the debt of the government. The assembly then passed a bill called the Civil Constitution of the Clergy in 1790 which allowed the people to choose clergy through election, placed the church under state rule, and required the clergy to “take an oath of loyalty to the
state”. While 1790 had been a rather peaceful year compared the last couple of years before it ,1791 “proved to be another turbulent year”. The king realizing that his power was slipping for him and that his life was in danger tried to escape to another country, but he and his family were captured and brought back to Paris. In September, the constitution which restricted the French government was completed. The constitution limited the king’s power, guaranteed equal taxes, “ended special privileges, created a balanced system of justice, and established a new governing body called the Legislative Assembly”. Many of the elected members of the Legislative Assembly had no experience in governing France and the body became divided on to several small fractions. In April of 1792, France declared war on Austria. Even early on in the war things did not go well for French Army. The people began to distrust Louis and on August 10, 1792 a mob invaded the palace demanding that a new constitution be written. By September there was widespread massacres and mobs “mercilessly slaughter” noble and clergy who they suspected to be working against the revolution. The newly elected National Convention abolished monarchy and the king was sentenced to death. The French Revolution in turn took an even more destructive course. Anyone who was suspected to be an “enemy of the people” was arrested and quickly tried and executed. “An estimated 20 to 40 thousand peopled died the largest percent being peasants. At the same time in response to the continual looming threat of foreign invaders France called upon every citizen to do a part in the war effort. The many victories won reduced the tension back in Paris and the “Reign of Terror” was no longer necessary. A new constitution was enacted which established a two-chamber legislature. Though there were still many problems in the country. This marked the end of the French Revolution as we know it today. This period in history had a major part in shaping the modern Western Society. The French Revolution Slogan “Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity” is still to this day passed down. The French Revolution is noted for its military tactics. A group of people came together to fight for a common cause that they believed in and own lesson that can be gathered from this is the unified we stand but divided will shall fall
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
the French Revolution. Hunt, Lynn & Censer, Jack. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press (2001)
With the Estates General, Tennis Court Oath, and The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Robinson 6), they worked against the King to make their own decisions about the future of France. The bourgeoisie’s choice to form the National Assembly was the first successful coup d'etat in French history. Because the majority of the country’s populace was comprised of the this group, they were able to effectively declare themselves France’s political authority. This made them influential in altering the country’s future and furthering the French Revolution because they shifted sovereignty from the monarchy to the people. Sovereignty continued to shift further from the monarchy as the Revolution progressed. In Article One of the August Decrees, the National Assembly abolished the feudal system which had assigned King Louis power above all people (Robinson 2). The statement made by the bourgeoisie was a final component in the destruction of France’s monarchy. Together the group’s actions in overtaking sovereignty in France would deem them the most influential people in furthering the French
The French Revolution was a tumultuous period, with France exhibiting a more fractured social structure than the United States. In response, the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen proposed that “ignorance, neglect, or contempt of the rights of man are the sole cause of public calamities, and of the corruption of governments” (National Assembly). This language indicates that the document, like its counterpart in the United States, sought to state the rights of men explicitly, so no doubt existed as to the nature of these rights. As France was the center of the Enlightenment, so the Enlightenment ideals of individuality and deism are clearly expressed in the language of the document. The National Assembly stated its case “in
Beginning in mid-1789, and lasting until late-1799, the French Revolution vastly changed the nation of France throughout its ten years. From the storming of the Bastille, the ousting of the royal family, the Reign of Terror, and all the way to the Napoleonic period, France changed vastly during this time. But, for the better part of the last 200 years, the effects that the French Revolution had on the nation, have been vigorously debated by historian and other experts. Aspects of debate have focused around how much change the revolution really caused, and the type of change, as well as whether the changes that it brought about should be looked at as positive or negative. Furthermore, many debate whether the Revolutions excesses and shortcomings can be justified by the gains that the revolution brought throughout the country. Over time, historians’ views on these questions have changed continually, leading many to question the different interpretations and theories behind the Revolutions effectiveness at shaping France and the rest of the world.
Nardo, Don. A. The French Revolution. San Diego, California: Greenhaven Press, Inc., 1999. Print.
In the late 18th century, after the American Revolution was over and the United States of America had officially declared independence from Britain, the nation of France began to see a turning point, in which revolution was churning. Political theorists such as Abbé Sieyès sparked a transformation and a sense of revolution in the people of France. Sieyès propagated that in order to create a better, more functioning, and successful France, the Third Estate must become the new ruling class. Moreover, France must model their government after the United States and their newfound constitution. Sieyès believed the United States’ provision of certain inalienable rights was commendable and should be brought into France. Although Sieyès believes France should be a nation in which its citizens are judged by the content of their character and not by their family background or their possessions, Sieyès
New York: Barnes & Noble, 1969. Print. The. Kreis, Steven. A. A. "Lecture 12: The French Revolution - Moderate Stage, 1789-1792.
While France appeared to be a well-developed nation in the European continent (through…), the state of France itself in the 19th century was still on its way.
The later 18th century was a time of crisis for the old regimes of Europe and their economic systems and political agitation sometimes breaking out into revolts. English Industrial Revolution vaulted Britain to the fore. France was the most powerful and the most typical of the old aristocratic absolute monarchies of Europe. (lower taxes off backs of lower classes).
On August 26, 1789, the assembly issued the “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” Through judicial matters, this document was written in order to secure due process and to create self-government among the French citizens. This document offered to the world and especially to the French citizens a summary of the morals and values of the Revolution, while in turn justifying the destruction of a government; especially in this case the French government, based upon autocracy of the ruler and advantage. The formation of a new government based upon the indisputable rights of the individuals of France through liberty and political uniformity.
The Oath was a pledge signed on 20 June 1789 by members from the Third Estate who were locked out of a meeting of the Estates General by King Louis XVI. They created a makeshift courtroom and signed the oath in a tennis court in Versailles. They renamed themselves as the National Assembly pledged not to leave until a new constitution was written for France. The naming of the National Assembly was significant in several ways. The unrest people of the Third Estate of the Estates-General created it. Although the Third Estate had been granted double representation in the voting process because of the population. They were informed that voting would be by power instead of by head in turn making their double representation meaningless. This angered them and decided to meet separately to create the National Assembly. “The National Assembly, regarding itself as called upon to establish the constitution of the kingdom, effect a regeneration of the state (P 'ordre public) and maintain the true principles of monarchy, may not be prevented from continuing its deliberations in whatever place it may be forced to take up its sittings. Maintaining further, that wherever its members are assembled, there is the National Assembly, the assembly decrees that all its members shall immediately take a solemn oath never to separate and to come together wherever circumstances may dictate until the constitution of the kingdom shall be established and
In a frantic last attempt in 1789, King Louis tried to fix his country's economic catastrophe by putting together the States-General, a national congregation that represented the three “estates" of the French population--the nobles, the clergy, and the commons. The States-General hadn’t been assembled since 1614, and the commons used this chance to announce itself the National Assembly, igniting
The delegations representing the privileged strata of French society. immediately challenged the third-estate caucus by rejecting its procedural. proposals on methods of voting. The proposals were designed to establish a system of simple majority rule, thereby ensuring domination of the Estates-General of the third estate. The deadlock on procedure persisted for six. weeks, but finally on July 17, the insurgent caucus led by Emmanuel Joseph.
The people of the Third Estate were also being treated unfairly and unjustly. The tax system was another contribution of the revolution. The nobles and clergy would tax the rest of the people by voting. Since the people were divided into sections, each section would count as one vote, despite the fact that the First and Second Estate was only made up of two percent of the population. Also, the nobles and clergy were usually exempt from paying the taxes. This made the people angry. The tax system resulted in the Tennis Court Oath. Members of the Third Estates met there to gather and talk about the problems.