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The causes and course of the french revolution
Causes And Background Of The French Revolution
The causes and course of the french revolution
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In June 20, 1789 the members of National Assembly in France signed The Tennis Court Oath. The National Assembly consisted of representatives of France’s lower class - the Third Estate. In the Oath, 576 members of the Assembly swore that they would not separate until a written constitution had been established for France. This constitution would reject the doctrine of the ‘divine right’ of the King and the ideals of an absolute monarchy, stating that the power of the people resided not in the king, but in the people of the nation. As a result of this declaration, the revolutionaries gained power, political presence and the vision of a France worth fighting for.
In Source A, ‘Burden of the Third Estate’, the young boy representing the Third Estate is kneeling under the weight of the French Monarchy’s reign and power, a detail evident from the object being adorned with a crown and embellished with the fleur-de-lis, a symbol that signifies the French monarchy. With with no aid provided by the seemingly ignorant bishop and knight, representing the First and Second Estate respectively, the boy suffers
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alone. With the Tennis Court Oath being a promise for a future in which the Third Estate is not so weighed down a French Monarchy, the Oath and its hope gives the young boy the strength to push against the heavy weight. Source B ‘Ça Ira’ states ‘equality will reign everywhere’ - the hope the of the National Assembly in swearing the Tennis Court Oath. Equality will reign as monarch and there shall no longer be inequality and oppression under the reign of an absolute monarchy. The Tennis Court Oath lead to the cessation of the Estates-General, the old, unrepresentative form of parliament, forming an indication that a political insurrection was occurring, and that the force opposing the Monarchy - in the form of the Third Estate - was one of great power. It was the primary indicator that the men and women who sought revolutionary change were to be feared. The Bastille was a royal fortress and state prison, a true symbol of the French monarchy’s authority and power. Thus, the successful storming of the structure signified Louis XVI and the Ancien Régime’s downfall. On July 14, 1789, at five o’clock Bernard-René Jordan de Launay, the military governor of the Bastille, rose the white flag and surrendered to a mob of thousands storming the fortress. Days prior, on July 12, 250 barrels of gunpowder in addition to reinforcements were transferred to the Bastille upon the request of de Launay, fearing an attack by the revolutionaries. At eleven in the morning on July 14, several thousand Parisians arrived at the Bastille armed with looted weapons. They found the drawbridge up and the seven prisoners detained within the prison were guarded by a mere 120 soldiers. At the time of the revolutionaries’ victory, the prisoners had been freed and de Launay captured and later killed at the Hôtel des Invalides in western Paris. After the attack’s conclusion, the people of Paris destroyed the remains of the structure and took home with them pieces of the building as souvenirs. Source B states that “despotism will breathe its last, liberty will take the day.” These are statements that were sung by revolutionaries in the hope that they would soon ring true.
It was their wish that despotism, something so despised by revolutionaries, would die at the hands of the Revolution, and instead be replaced by liberty. It was their belief that liberty would be victorious and ‘take the day’. Hearing that the Bastille had fallen, Louis XVI asked the duke de La Rochefoucauld: “So, is there a rebellion?” To which the duke retorted: “No, Sire, a revolution!” The happenings on that July 14 are so historically significant that, in 1880, it was made the national holiday for France. The victory provided revolutionaries with the momentum and hope necessary to further the revolution they had just cemented and any authority Louis XVI had previously possessed had
ceased. The Women’s March on Versailles showed how radical action and the involvement of women has the ability to dictate the decisions made by those in political power - in this case, King Louis XVI and his family. In days prior to the Revolution as well as the beginning months, women would often protest the ‘unjust price increases for bread’ in what were known as ‘bread riots’. Those who participated were not violent, but attempted to force bakers to lower their price of bread. On October 5, 1789, a mob of approximately 7,000, the majority of whom were women, marched armed to Versailles where the king and his family lived. Their wish was for King Louis XVI to alleviate the bread shortages that were leaving the Third Estate in a constant state of starvation, sanction the August Decrees and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, and accompany them back to Paris to oversee the chaos that was ensuing. By the time the crowd arrived at Versailles, their anger was with Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France, for they believed it was she who was a bad influence on the king, thus having a negative impact on the nation. Marquis de Lafayette ordered 20,000 French National Guardsmen, who were sympathetic to the marchers, to protect the royal family, but the crowd were successful in their efforts to break in and look for the Queen. Meanwhile, the majority of the women joined in the courtyard, demanding to see the Queen alone. For ten minutes, Marie Antoinette stood bowed on the balcony whilst the crowd below aimed weapons at her, screaming. King Louis XVI then agreed to the demands made by his people and further stated, ”my friends, I will go to Paris with my wife and my children.” He was followed by the crowd back to Paris, the marchers chanting as they walked, “bringing back the baker, the baker’s wife and the little baker’s apprentice!” From there on, the royal family were prisoners of the Third Estate until their execution in 1791 and never returned to Versailles. The more violent mindset of the revolutionaries is evident in the Women’s March. In Source B, there is repetition of ‘hang’, reaffirming the development from civil disruption to that of violence - they are not peaceful in their requests. The line ‘hang the aristocrats from on high’, includes the phrase ‘from on high’, suggesting that the ‘superior’ members of society will meet their death because of the high social standing that brought such privilege. In Source A, the anger in the peasant’s face correlates to the anger expressed by those who marched. Women who initiated the march were thereafter deemed “Mothers of the Nation” by Republican propaganda and the march soon became a political event used to rally revolutionaries. It forever transformed the role of women in revolution and what political gains they could expect for themselves.
The French and Indian War (1754-63) altered the political, economic, and ideological relations between Britain and its American colonies. It changed the political relationship between England and its colonists because the English forced taxes on the colonies, due to their economical struggles, and impose regulations on colonial life. Ideologically, the war brought up feelings of anger from the colonies toward Britain
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
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.
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.
Colonists, during the time of the revolt, had struggled for ten years under parliamentary authority. Feeling, “Desolation, oppression, poverty, and servitude,” (C) colonists inferred that they were beneath consideration of Parliament and subjected to unjust control. Due to this oppression the people were unable to conduct business freely and felt as though they were, “Subjecting themselves and their posterity forever to Egyptian Taskmasters” (C). Practically slaves to the British Parliament, their slave masters, ordered the colonists to pay this and do that, with no consideration whatsoever to the benefit of the colonies. Everything executed by Parliament was done to strengthen the homeland, even at the colony’s expense.
The American Revolution was a political revolution that separated England’s North American colonies from Great Britain and led to the formation of the United States of America. The Revolution was achieved in large part by the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783), which was fought between England against America and its allies (France, Spain, and the Dutch Republic). The American Revolution embodied and reflected the principles of the Enlightenment, which emphasized personal liberty and freedom from tyranny among other ideals. The American revolutionaries and the Founding Fathers of the United States sought to create a nation without the shackles of the rigid social hierarchy that existed in Europe. Although the American Revolution succeeded
1. Why and how did the French Revolution take a radical turn entailing terror at home and war with European powers?
First of all, the French Revolution is one of the reasons the Eiffel Tower was built. In 1789 the French Revolution started for many reasons. Those reasons are rising taxes, wanted a new ruler, food shortages, impoverished peasants, ravenous royals and violence. The revolution started as a dispute over tax reforms soon evolved to a movement for political reforms. Also what got the revolution started was the peasants were tired of the high taxes that was only put on them and also the high food prices. During the war they had guillotines that they first used it on one if the leaders of the Reign of Terror, Robespierre. He was sent to the guillotine by his rivals when he was in charge he had condemned many to the same fate. There were also lies, corruption, and angry town
People were angry and began to revolt. In July of 1789, they stormed the Bastille
American history is taught as events that directly happen on American soil or events involving America. However, events overseas affect America’s development and history greatly, by influencing it in different ways. The French Revolution of 1789 did not directly involve America, though it did leave an impression on American citizens and its leaders. Research for this exact topic was challenging to look for, first hand accounts and reflections were slim to none, however there are letters and direct acts in response to the French Revolution. In this analysis, the letter from Thomas Jefferson to John Jay and the Alien and Sedition Acts will be looked at to see how America reacted to the ‘drama’ overseas in France.
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
Sieyes and Honore Gabriel Riqueti proclaimed the National Assembly. The The National Assembly was made up of “a class of active citizens, indeed, comprising 4 of all the men who labour with their hands or with their heads.” “This shows the strength of the people of the country of defiance toward the royal government, which had given its support to the clergy and nobility, was followed by the passage of a measure vesting the 5 National Assembly with sole power to legislate taxation.” In retaliation, Louis deprived the National Assembly of its meeting hall. The National Assembly responded on June 20, gathering at a Versailles tennis court and swearing an oath.
The French Revolution is the Most Influential On a July morning 228 years ago, at around 1:30 pm, a group of “unimportant” people stormed the Bastille; this would become symbolic of the revolution and the concept of citizenship. For purposes of this essay, let the french revolution be defined as an attack against the monarch and the societal and political upheaval across France teeming from 1789 to 1799. Even today we live in socially explosive times not unlike that of 1789 France, with a small portion of the wealthy holding a large majority of government offices. The storming of the Bastille was a turning point, not only for France, but for humanity.
This paper will examine the role played by the French Revolution in shaping and developing both the modern state and modern political thought, with particular focus on how ideas about democracy impacted upon the Revolution, and its effect on subsequent democratic thought and practice. It will consider the causes of the French Revoltion such as the concentration of power in France since 16th century; rise of the bourgeoisie; peasant unrest in second-half of 18th century: agricultural shortages; and national debt and economic reforms. Furthermore, the long-term impact of the French Revolution will also be considered with regard to nationalism, republicanism, political radicalism, liberalism, law and administration. It will then conlcude by stating