The French Revolution free essay sample

Due to these causes, each revolution had a unique outcome. Prior to these revolutions there were social ideals and issues. Before the American Revolution, different thoughts and interests were developing and causing distance between Britain and the thirteen colonies (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, American Revolution). Along with growing identities, the colonists were used to a great degree of independence. Unlike the American colonists, the people of France were divided into three social classes, or estates. This social system was called the Old Regime.The first estate was made up of clergy of the Catholic Church and the second estate was formed by the wealthy nobles who held high positions in the government. The third estate, however, was the lower class, who had no power to influence the government and resented the upper classes (Beck 652). Social inequality became an important factor leading up the French Revolution. Nonetheless, both revolutions were encouraged by enlightenment ideas, such as life, liberty and property (Beck 641 , 652). We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page On both sides of the Atlantic, a Just government was sought after, in which an economic being was ensured. Economic factors also lead to the commencement of both revolutions. After the British government had passed acts, for example the Stamp Act and the Townsend Acts, which required tax stamps on many items and placed taxes on things like glass, paper, and tea. Since Britain was in deep debt after the French and Indian War, it placed acts like such (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, American Revolution). Colonists argued that such taxes violated the colonists natural rights and argued that it was taxation without representation. Since colonists had no representation in parliament, they argued that they could not be taxed.Like the American colonists, the lower class in France was heavily taxed. As a result of King Louis XVI extravagant spending and helping the American colonists in the American Revolution, France was deep in debt (Beck 653). The people who were in the third estate paid about half their income to nobles, the church, and as taxes to the king. This created resentment towards the upper classes and the government (Beck 652). Economical causes of both revolutions also lead into political issues. In 1773 colonists protested against an import tax on tea and dumped a large load of British EAI into the Boston Harbor and was called the Boston Tea Party.King George Ill then closed the Boston port. Colonists formed the Fist Continental Congress in Philadelphia, on 1774, to protest the treatment of Boston. A similar even happened in France prior to the revolution, the National Assembly. Delegates of the third estate, after voting to establish the national assembly, proclaimed the end of absolute monarchy and begin a representative government. Then the Third Estate Delegates pledged to stay in an indoor court until they had drawn up a new constitution, this came known as the Tennis Court Oath.In response to these events, Louis called upon his stationary army. People suggested that he would use military force against the National Assembly. People began to gather their own weapons and created a mob which attacked the Pastille (Beck 654). This act became a major symbol of the beginning of the French Revolution. After the end of each revolution, each had their social outcomes. Once the American Revolution was over, as it was stated in the Declaration of Independence, men were all equal and had rights. However, this did not mean equality for slaves or omen in the colonies.Slaves were still treated as such and women were not given any rights. After the revolutions, in both countries, a mans natural rights were life, liberty, and property. This was claimed in Frances Declaration of Rights of Men. There, social classes were also abolished and that was the end to the Old Regime. However, these were not the only outcomes of the revolutions. Although freedoms were gained in these countries, political concerns aroused. A constitution was ratified in 1781 and it was known as the Articles of Confederation which established the United States as a republic.The Articles, however, created a weak national government that contained Just one body of government, the Congress. This did not last long and a new system of government was created with separate branches, legislative, executive, and Judicial (Beck 644). Also a system of checks and balances that allowed each branch to check the actions of the other two. A federal system was set up to divide the power between national and state governments. The leaders in the new country were those prominent either in the council halls or on the ailed of the Revolution. In France the bourgeois, people of the middle class, emerged as a dominant power. The Directory and a bicameral legislature was set up by the Convention, but the Directory lost control of the political situation in France. In 1799 Napoleon Bonaparte returned from an expedition in Egypt and with the support of the army and many government members, he overthrew the Directory and seized power. Social order and contractual relations were strengthened by the Code of Napoleon, which was a comprehensive system of law (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, French Revolution). The French Revolution free essay sample The French Revolution Kenneth Milton History104 World Civilization 11 Professor Carl Garrigus May 20, 2013 The French Revolution The French Revolution was the greatest event of the modern period. It influenced the whole human society. The whole world received the message of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. It began in the year 1789 and lasted approximately a decade, until the year 1799. The causes of the French Revolution were poverty, the enlightenment, deficit Government spending, and a clash between the established Aristocracy and a rising Bourgeoisie. There were a number of intermediate causes of the French evolution. The most important cause was the continually worsening economic disorder. Financial problems in France had had been worsening for a long time before the revolution. Financial difficulties grew under LouisXIV and LouisXV as they embarked upon ambitious wars and extravagant spending. The Seven Years War crippled France as she lost her colonies to Britain and was economically drained. France had always had a problem with finances, and a monarch was yet to stand up to the upper estates and enforce taxation. We will write a custom essay sample on The French Revolution or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Instead, like every other monarch, LouisXVI carried on the constant loan cycle. â€Å"For some, the French Revolution was a beacon of light that gave a world dominated by Aristocratic privilege and monarchical tyranny a hope of freedom,† (Rosenzweig, 2001). One of the main principles of the Enlightenment, which all of the Philosophers began with and which sums up the whole political philosophy of the eighteenth century was, that it was necessary to substitute simple and elementary rules based on reason and natural law for the complicated and traditional customs which regulated society in their time. France was the classic example of a society rife with, absurd and ridiculous privileges favoring a minority. Hence, the Philosophers were driven towards the notions of natural equality. â€Å"18th century philosophy taught the Frenchman to find his condition wretched, unjust, and illogical and made him disinclined to the patient resignation to his troubles that had long characterized his ancestors†¦. The propaganda of the Philosophies perhaps more than any other factor accounted for the fulfillment of the preliminary condition of the French Revolution, namely discontent with the existing state of things,†(Peyre,1949). The French philosophers therefore sought to rebuild society based on the principles they stood for: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity. Thus the Enlightened were reacting against the worsening social and political situation in France. The Enlightenment brought many changes in the way people viewed Religion and Government. These new ideas and viewpoints were reflected in the French Revolution. Although the revolution did not deliver on all of its promises and ideals, it introduced ideas and forced changes that shaped modern history and politics. The revolution abolished the monarchy and created the French Republic. It launched a string of reforms that gradually stripped the ruling aristocracy of its power, privileges, and property. The French Revolution also introduced several fundamental democratic traditions and tools. There were several social impacts brought on by the French Revolution. Serfdom was abolished across Europe, federal barriers to trade were removed, and the peasants received land. Other social impacts include, Germany unites and reforms its way to a modern capitalist state, the Napoleonic political, social, and cultural impacts code was implemented across Europe, and feudalism was dismantled by Napoleons Graude Army across Europe. France made numerous achievements in the field of art, science, and literature, due to the French Revolution. Numerous schools, colleges, universities, and academies were opened in the country. There was special attention paid to art, literature, science, mathematics, technology, and physical training in the field of education. Technology had a very large impact on the French Revolution. The guillotine, which was used to make the death penalty less painful, was invented during the French Revolution. Other major inventions of that era was the invention of saltpeter, used in gunpowder, balloons using heated air, enabled French armies to get better reconnaissance, development of the telegraph, steam engines, and railroads. Napoleon Bonaparte used these inventions to make speedy and massive invasions. These inventions made it easier for Napoleon’s Empire to maintain control of lands they had conquered. In conclusion, the French Revolution was an important milestone of our modern civilization. It marked the beginning of massive changes that would affect world history. The lasting effects of the French Revolution were felt worldwide. The people’s social rights had been respected, the life of urban and rural workers improved significantly. The Bourgeoisie led the process to ensure their social matters. The French Revolution was caused by Enlightenment ideas, inequality, starvation, poor leadership, overspending, and was highlighted by chaos and the desire for guaranteed rights. Even though there were other revolutions, few were as massive and complex as the French Revolution, which empowered citizens everywhere and resulted in a considerable leap toward the end of oppression throughout Europe. References Peyre, Henri, the Influence of Eighteenth Century Ideas on the French Revolution, Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 10, no 1, January, 1949. Rosenzweig, Roy, George Mason University and City University of New York, 2001, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution, Retrieved from http://chnm. gmu. edu/revolution/ repository of 600 primary source documents relating to the French Revolution.