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Legacy of the French Revolution Essay
Social effects of the french revolution
Social effects of the french revolution
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The Positive Affects of The French Revolution
The French Revolution caused some very positive ramification to the society in France and other parts of Europe, while other people believe that the French revolution did more harm than good for society. However, it's believed that the positive affects of this revolt far outweigh the negative affects. The French Revolution not only positively affected European society right after the revolt but, to this day, some positive affects remain in France, as well as many other societies in countries around the world. Such countries include United Estates, Italy, and Germany. Some benefits of the French Revolution included such changes as setting a higher standard of living amongst all people in these countries, and allowing anyone, rather than just nobles, to hold a position in a high public office. Therefore, the actions of the people in the French Revolution resulted in many positive contributions to many societies. "They unleashed new forces, destroyed old ideas, and offered new promises." In my opinion, the most positive results of the French Revolution were the development of democracy and equality, as well as nationalism.
Life in many societies is very different today than it was in France and the rest of Europe prior to the French Revolution. European society was extremely unequal and definitely undemocratic. One of the things that contributed to this inequality and undemocratic lifestyle in Europe was the absolute monarchies that controlled the societies. An absolute monarch was a leader of a country who had total domination over his country. The absolute monarch ruled by Divine Right of Kings, which meant that the King was chosen to reign by God. The people had no ...
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...French life changed dramatically because of the revolution. The absolute monarchies disappeared and the Kings no longer ruled. The National Assembly abolished all feudal customs and ended serfdom. Constitutions were developed that brought about many positive changes in many societies. Democracy, equality, and nationalism were results of the French Revolution. It gave people the idea that if they tried, they could reorganize a society whenever it was needed. The greatest legacy of the French Revolution, however, was that the people could change anything they wanted with political ideas, words, and laws. The French Revolution allowed people in France, and many other countries to fight for "Liberty, equality, and fraternity." Overall, the French Revolution is a great example of John Locke' idea that " a government cannot exist without the concept of the governed."
In northern Europe after the Middle Ages, monarchies began to lay the foundations of their countries that are still in effect today. During the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, these "New Monarchs" made many relevant changes in their nations. In the middle of the fifteenth century, Europe was affected by war and rebellion, which weakened central governments. As the monarchies attempted to develop into centralized governments once again, feudalism's influence was lessened. This "new" idea of centralization was reflected in the monarchs' actions.
One more long-lasting effect from the French Revolution is nationalism. They called fraternity at the time, but both words share the same meaning. The French people fighting for their right to survive and later to protect their borders from foreign powers seeking to restore tyrannical order, produced a sense of pride and brotherhood. No longer being forced to front lines by an unseen monarch hundreds of miles away, the French people started to find, close to heart and empowering reasons, to defend their
It is often debated whether or not the reign of King Louis XIV had a positive or negative effect on France. Although there were improvements during his reign in transportation, culture, and national defense, there were far more negative aspects. He depleted the national treasury with his liberal spending on personal luxuries and massive monuments. His extreme fear of the loss of power led to poor decision making, which caused the court to be of lower quality. King Louis XIV’s disastrous rule brought about a series of effects that influenced the French Revolution in the following century.
The French revolution may not seem like it did much for the world, but in reality it helped mold a lot of nations into what they are today. The French revolution started in 1789 and ended in 1799. The revolution started off small but quickly changed into a major thing. Some important things in the revolution are its people, battles, and how it affected the nations that we have today.
Before the French Revolution that occurred during the late 18th century, France was considered one of the most advanced and opulent countries in Europe. It was in the center of the Enlightenment era, a period of time from the 1600s to the 1800s that is considered today as one of the most significant intellectual movements in history by encouraging a new view of life. The age sparked hundreds of important thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Adam Smith. The Enlightenment was the fuel that sparked a worldwide desire to reshape and reconsider the ways that countries were governed. Limited monarchies, direct democracies, limited democracies, and absolute monarchies, among others, were many forms of government that were disputed by these thinkers. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one the many significant Enlightenment thinkers, believed in a direct democracy, a system in which a country is governed by many, and where no one person has a considerable amount of power. This idea that citizens should receive independence and a voice would later stimulate the French and result in what is now k...
A great big societal impact of the Revolution was slavery. The Revolution opened up the idea of equality in America. Slavery started to die down after the Revolution, and whites were beginning to accept the fact of equality within the country. The North was very big on anti-slavery, and the South was beginning to free some of their slaves. The free black population grew rapidly within the United States. African Americans established many institutions in resemblance of their pride they had for their freedom. Although the Revolution abled slaves to get freed from their masters, there were also some negative consequences of slaves gaining freedom that affected the country. Some people had their doubts about slavery, especially farmers in the south. They did not want to be left without workers to work in their fields, and they did not want their crops to die out. Slavery was the number one changes made by the Revolution that opened up the eyes of many people.
...pave the way for democracy, but the bloodshed could have been more limited. Many people during the Revolution believed that France needed a change in many ways. They had achieved that by 1793. Many new reforms had been implemented in the country and it was much better off than it had been four years prior. I do agree with Kropotkin that the abolishing of serfdom and absolutism was a great achievement for France and that it did lead to a democratic system. Though this is true, the violence and bloodshed during the Revolution could have been minimized through committees and discussions. Schama is also right in that some men were too radical and their new found power went to their head. All said and done, the French Revolution was a bloody time in history, but it paved the way for a new democratic system not only for France but for many other countries as well.
The revolution led to new theories and advances in the social, economic, and science areas which helped change the world in a short period of time. There were both positive and negative effects on society and the economy, but the positive outweighed the negative. Many jobs were created, better and more efficient means of transportation were invented, which allowed new areas to be reached and
For one, the monarchy was making decisions not in the favour of its people and inevitably leading the French to its death. The wealthy didn’t have to pay taxes that were unfair and brought down the middle class. 97% of French were middle class and struggled to survive. In Europe the quality of life was determined by the status you held, and to get an upper class status you had to be born into it. You couldn’t earn a higher status no matter how hard you tried.
People like King James I thought that the kings had the same power of God (James I). King James believed that that the kings could judge anyone and do anything without being held accountable for it. Just like God, they could create and destroy anything, they could kill or grant life to anyone. If they are not followed, if the members of the government do not follow their leaders’ orders, then they are worthy of death (Bossuet). The monarchs believed that whatever they did was right. They did not treat people with the respect they deserved. People at that time did not have the right to change anything in the government. Louis XIV made it possible for some of the nobles to have a voice in the government by building the Palace of Versailles where he would be able to control more of the
The social differences in France were very unreasonable. People openly argued that “social differences should not be defined by law, as they were in the old regimes order” (2). In France, much of the inequality came from the social class system. It led to angry peasants and tons of revolting. This could have been avoided if France maintained equality for all estates, as it would have been rational. In addition, the clergy and nobles were given many rights which “included top jobs in government, the army, the courts, and the Church” (109). This was very biased as they were able to get the highest jobs, not because they earned it, but because of their social stature. Meanwhile, commoners or bourgeoisie, were not granted those jobs even if they had the ability to do them. This caused much of the third estate to become mad which led to uncivilized manner in France. If the government had just given equal rights and granted jobs by merit opposed to social class rankings, there would have been less drama between the estates and everything would have been
The French Revolution abolished absolute monarchy, feudal privileges, and serfdom, removed the estates, and established equal liability to taxation. The revolution also began reforms in the fields of education and law. How can anyone say that the revolution proved detrimental to France? The other intangible results of the revolution were embodied in its ideals, "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," which became the platform of liberal, democratic reforms in France and Europe in the 19th century. The American Revolution ended two centuries of British rule for the 13 colonies and created the modern United States of America.
Dating back to the mid 1700s, foreign policy has been a topic of discussion for all political leaders. George Washington and his cabinet had to respond effectively to the demands of countries around the world. The French Revolution challenged America’s supreme power as Washington had to decide where United States loyalties would lie. Post-Revolutionary foreign policy decisions were now being made off a moralistic or realistic values. During the time period of policymaking, Washington left his farewell address, the Jay Treaty was enacted, the XYZ Affair and Quasi War with France went underway, and the Treaty of Ghent was signed. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Henry Clay were three key components in deciding how to rule despite having opposing
...s on who should have power. Rebellions broke out across France and turned the nation against itself. The major revolutionary revolt was The Storming of Bastille. The third estate demanded for a republic. King Louis was killed, along with his wife Marie Antoinette to pursue the ideas of changing society. Maximilien Robespierre ordered their deaths by the violent and horrific machine, the guillotine. He was also killed shortly after, but provided the Jacobins a leader in his efforts to overthrow the monarchy. Napoleon was the last to save the revolution as it came to a close. The French Revolution has changed history and the lives of everyone in France up to today. Many people sacrificed themselves to change the country for others today. This revolution was life changing and inspired many others around the world to stand up for their beliefs and fight for a democracy.
The French Revolution represents a period in history that brought about a major change in not only Europe but the entire world. The French revolution spanned from 1789 to 1799. It brought about several key changes in not only the economic state of France but also the perception of the Christian church, specifically the Catholic church in France. Its impacts both economically and religiously are still felt to this day. The French Revolution may have temporarily destroyed Christianity in France, however, it acted as a savior for the future of Christianity.