Analysis of the French Revolution
Analysis of the French Revolution"Revolutions evolve in definite phases. At first they are
moderate in scope, then they become radical to excess and finally they
are brought to abrupt conclusions by the emergence of a strong man to
restore order." Discuss this statement with specific references to the
French Revolution.
The French Revolution brought about great changes in the society
and government of France. The revolution, which lasted from 1789 to
1799, also had far-reaching effects on the rest of Europe. "It
introduced democratic ideals to France but did not make the nation a
democracy. However, it ended supreme rule by French kings and
strengthened the middle class." (Durant, 12) After the revolution
began, no European kings, nobles, or other members of the aristocracy
could take their powers for granted or ignore the ideals of liberty
and equality.
The revolution began with a government financial crisis but
quickly became a movement of reform and violent change. In one of the
early events, a crowd in Paris captured the Bastille, a royal fortress
and hated symbol of oppression. A series of elected legislatures then
took control of the government. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie
Antoinette, were executed. Thousands of others met the same fate in a
period known as the Reign of Terror. The revolution ended when
Napoleon Bonaparte, a French general, took over the government.
At the beginning of the revolution, events seemed minor and
proceeded in a logical fashion. One of the reasons the revolution
originated was the discontent among the lower and middle classes in
France. By law, society was divided in to three groups called estates.
The first estate was made of up clergy, nobles comprised the second
and the rest of the citizens, the third estate.
The third estate resented certain advantages of the first two
estates. The clergy and nobles did not have to pay most taxes. The
third estate, especially the peasants, had to provide almost all the
country's tax revenue. Many members of the middle class were also
worried by their social status. They were among the most important
people in French society but were not recognized as such because they
belonged to the third estate.
"Financial crisis developed because the nation had gone deeply
into debt to finance the Seven Years War (1756-1763) and the
Revolutionary War (1775-1783)." (Durant, 22) The Parliament of Paris
insisted that King Louis XVI could borrow more money or raise taxes
only by calling a meeting of the States-General. The States-General
was made up of representatives of the three estates, and had last met
in 1614. Unwillingly, the king called the meeting.
The States-General opened on May 5, 1789, at Versailles. The
first two estates wanted each estate to take up matters and vote on
them separately by estate. The third...
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