Lowery
History Sarah 102
Professor Batham
18 January 2009
The French Revolution
The French Revolution of 1789-1799 has been noted as one of the most important
events in the history of the world. From political disputes to the turmoil of society, the
French Revolution led to many changes in France. During the course of the Revolution,
France was known as the most powerful country in Europe. France colonized, had
powerful leaders, and had one of the largest populations. The Revolution had led France
out of chaos, and into new political ideas such as nationalism and democracy. No longer
were priests and kings in charge, but the people of the country itself, which gave new
meanings to the politics of France forever.
The beginning of the French Revolution is historically marked in 1789, but the
people of France had been suffering for years prior. The citizens of France felt they were
being misrepresented by King Louis XVI, and the primary cause of the Revolution was
over disputes between the peoples differing ideas of the King. The peasants of France
were angered by what seemed a never-ending demand by their central government. The
tax system had major flaws, and tension existed between the overprivileged and
underprivileged peoples of France.
During the period before the Revolution, France suffered from many harsh
economic problems. Farm harvests were poor, and trade was very difficult, but the most
serious problem was the national debt. Years earlier, Louis XVI had borrowed money
from the government in order to pay for the wars and to keep the French power alive in
Europe. After Louis realized his debt, he called for help, and a man named Robert
Turgot came to the rescue. Turgot claimed that the only way to restore France from this
national debt was to tax everyone in France including the clergy and nobles. In order for
this taxation to go through and revive France, it had to be passed by the nobles
themselves (according to the Parliament tax laws). Of course, the nobles did not want to
be taxed, and rejected Turgot. With this, Louis XVI called for help from the Estates
General.
The general decided that the only way to get France out of the national debt
without taxing the nobles would be to tax the poorer. The general then divided the
people of France into three estates. The First Estate included all the clergy and church,
the Second Estate included nobility (Kings, Queens, etc.), and the Third (and largest)
Estate included everyone else. The Third Estate had much controversy, because even the
wealthiest members of France were classified with the poorest peasants. Members of the
Third Estate were forced to pay ridiculously high taxes, were unable to hunt, and with
prices of food so high, were barely able to provide for their families. Privileged
members of society, however, were exempt from all taxes, had special hunting rights, and
were exempt from all labor requirements. The wealthiest members of the Third Estate
felt they belonged in the Second Estate, or with the elite members of society, because the
elite were privileged. The King refused to hear their voice, and with help from the
writings of philosophers Voltaire and Diderot, the peasants of France started to think
about revolting.
Another major influence of the French Revolution was not only how the Estates
were organized, but how they were represented in the government. In 1789 when the
Estates General mapped out the future economic plans for France, he and the nobles
decided that the representatives from each Estate meet together, with each representative
having an equal vote. With this, the First and Second Estate could easily outvote the
Third Estate. When the King heard the news, he demanded that the estates meet
separately. This demand angered all three estates, and led the Third and largest Estate to
declare itself the National Assembly. Finally, after many disputes between the three
estates, Louis XVI decided it would be best to have them meet together, and ordered the
First and Second Estate to join the Third in the National Assembly of France.
Even though the three estates met together, there were many dividing issues that
left each estate unsatisfied. Some wanted to establish a constitutional monarchy while
other simply wanted to protect their rights. One idea that all three agreed on was, in fact,
a constitution. The First and Second Estate took it into their hands to write the new
constitution, while the Third Estate expected change. The peasants and laborers of the
Third Estate wanted relief from the heavy taxes and more rights to their land, but after the
constitution was written, nothing changed.
Soon after, rumors spread about the King bringing troops to attack the National
Assembly. When the kings troops arrived to Versailles, the people of the city were
fearful. As a result, artisans, workshop masters, and shopkeepers organized a militia.
They were destined to obtain arms, so made their to way Bastille, an ancient fortress
where guns and ammo were stored. Bastille was formerly used as a prison and
symbolized hated royal authority (Coffin 505). When the militia demanded arms from
the governor, he open fired, and killed ninety-eight people. The crowd then captured the
fortress and decapitated the governor. The fall of Bastille marked the first event of the
peoples role in revolutionary change.
The second event of the peoples role in revolutionary change stemmed from the
fear of a counterrevolution from the monarchy and aristocrats. Again, rumors of the
kings troops arriving to the city, and news that Austrians and Prussians were invading,
left the citizens of the city fearful for the unknown. Due to the uncertainty of their future,
many villagers organized militias while others attacked and burned down manor houses
in order to destroy grain towers and tax records. This event came to be known in history
as the Great Fear. When the news of how the people of France were acting arrived to
Paris, it convinced its deputies that the administration of the country had simply
collapsed.
Finally, the Assembly took a step towards reform, and abolished privilege to the
upper classes altogether. It eliminated the church tithe, the labor requirement known as
the corvee, the nobilitys hunting privileges, and a wide variety of tax exemptions and
monopolies (Coffin 506). After the changes took place, the Assembly also issued the
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which declared property, liberty,
security and resistance to oppression a natural right given to all. Ultimately, the people
of France had control, and many constitutional reforms and declarations were passed. All
went well for a few years, however in the summer of 1792, things changed.
The French Revolution was blown off its course when the leaders of the country
were replaced by more radical leaders who claimed to rule on behalf of the people. But
why did the people of France let this happen? After the Assembly took order in 1789, the
citizens of France became more actively involved in politics, and many became
politicians. Formal and informal political clubs were formed, and allowed groups of
people with the same political views to join together and make decisions, like the modern
day political party system America has instilled today. Another reason why the
Revolution changed direction was because of the lack of effective national leadership, for
Louis XVI remained the powerless and defeated leader of France. The third and final
reason as to why the Revolution was failing was the war between France and Austria and
Prussia. During the war, prices increased dramatically and food shortages occurred.
Louis XVI and his wife then fled the country and were imprisoned. The couple called for
a new constitution, and when the National Convention met and tried Louis for treason.
He was convicted and sentenced to death in 1793.
After his death, the war took a turn for the worse, and when the French armies
occupied the Austrian Netherlands and were about to invade Prussia, Great Britain, the
Dutch Netherlands, and Spain joined in against France. The people of France soon
thought the Revolution had gone to far, and should be put to an end, considering the
outnumbered and outmatched troops. The National Convention decided that it was a
good time to establish another constitution in hopes to turn the hopes of the people
around. They established a new system of government called the Directory, and despite
is financial holes, it turned the French army into the strongest and largest army in all of
Europe, all under the military leader Napoleon Bonaparte.
Bonaparte began serving in 1793, and by 1798 had won multiple battles against
the powerful British army, the Italians, and even invaded Egypt. During the invasion,
however, the Egyptian Navy had destroyed most of Napoleons army at the Nile River,
and with the loss, the fleet was unable to return home. Napoleon left his troops in Egypt,
but was still welcomed home as a national hero. Upon his arrival, news of the
dissatisfactory of the Directory was heard, and, in 1799, with help from his troops, he
overthrew the government. Napoleon then created a new government in which Napoleon
was called the First Consul. He won popular support from the people of France, and with
that was soon named Emperor of France.
The French Revolution has been written in history as one of the most inspirational
periods in time. The people of France wanted change, and change they got. Through
hard word and determination and standing up for what was right, the citizens of France
received what they yearned for for so long. They refused to back down to the higher
authorities, even if they knew their life was at stake. The French Revolution sparked
much action in the revolts against corrupt governmental systems, and even to this day
remains as a historical lesson for the future.