French Revolution Liberty Essay

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‘The French Revolution was founded on the idea of liberty’. Discuss.
The French Revolution of 1789 demanded and brought about change in not only France but the whole of Europe, as Middell states: “France appears as the origin of an ever-increasing movement against tyranny and restrictions on freedom”1. Kwass argues that: “the French Revolution had multiple origins: economic, social, political, intellectual, and cultural”2. As a result, there were changes within each of these categories once the Revolution had occurred, which improved the quality of life for many and began the early modernity period. There are many factors which contribute as to why the Revolution happened, but also reasons which aided the continuation of the Revolution until …show more content…

Aston., The French Revolution, 1789-1804: Authority, Liberty and the Search for Stability (London: Palgrave MacMillan, 2004). P193.
7Bossenga., Financial Origins of the French Revolution. In Kaiser, Thomas, and Van Kley, Dale, (eds.) From Deficit to Deluge: The Origins of the French Revolution. (Redwood City, US: Stanford University Press, 2010). ProQuest ebrary. P45.
8 European History in Perspective, The French Revolution 1789-1804, Authority, Liberty and the Search for Stability, Nigel Aston, 2004. Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan p192.
9 Van Kley., The Religious Origins of the French Revolution, 1560– 1791. In Kaiser, Thomas, and Van Kley, Dale, (eds.) From Deficit to Deluge: The Origins of the French Revolution. (Redwood City, US: Stanford University Press, 2010). ProQuest ebrary. P105.

3 / 6 for French Protestants, for many years leading up to the Revolution (1685 onwards), there were massacres for those who refused to attend mass - therefore it is safe to argue that clearly this would have increased the Protestant’s desire for freedom of religion and this factor helped lead to the Revolution, as overthrowing the monarchy would mean a secular state could gain them more freedom. Therefore, religion was again, another reason as to why the Revolution was founded on the idea of

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