Abolishing the Ancient Regime: Violence in the French Revolution
The French Revolution was a revolt of the people against higher authority. In 1789, French society was split into three Estates that showed class distinction from the rich to the poor. The First Estate was made up of the clergy, the Second Estate was made up of the nobility, and the Third Estate made up the majority of the population being commoners and peasants. The Third Estate had very few rights and wanted to be treated fairly in tax collection, votes, personal liberties, and proprietary rights. In general, the Third Estate wanted equality for everyone. However, the problem arose from King Louis XVI’s failed attempt at granting the people of France their rights of justice,
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Violence was an effective means of achieving the goals in the French Revolution because it eradicated the privileges of the First and Second Estate and ended the monarchy’s reign, which granted the people's goals of freedom and equality.
Although the Storming of the Bastille did not achieve any revolutionary goals, it was still an act of violence that encouraged other revolutionary activities into taking effective action against the government. On July 14, 1789 angry parisians came storming towards the Bastille, a prison under the power of royal authority, to revolt against the monarchy. Before the Storming initiated, the Third Estate were undergoing through a lot of suffering either from starvation or from the inability of paying taxes. In fact, they created a list of grievances that focused on
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The Third Estate wanted to achieve the goal of Article number six in the Declaration of the Rights of Man which states that, “It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens being equal in the eye of the law, are equally eligible to all public positions and occupations.” In other words, equal rights in reference to law means that each citizen no matter what social class, is guaranteed equality. What provoked the Great Fear was a climate of economic desperation, with countless number of beggars, a costly price of bread, and a paranoia of aristocrats coming to take charge. In response fearful peasants and villagers organized militias to prepare for an outbreak . Others attacked and burned manor houses, sometimes to look for grain but the peasants mostly wanted to destroy records of the due dates of land-payments. The National Assembly took advantage by “putting into law what the peasants had accomplished with the torch--the destruction of feudal remnants.” During the uprisings, the people also caused “aristocrats seeking to restore calm in the countryside,” to surrender “their special privileges. The Assembly maintained that the feudal system had been utterly destroyed.” Therefore, peasants and farmers who had been suffering under high prices and unfair class separation, were finally put at justice when they were able to get rid of
The French Revolution was a period of political upheaval that occurred in France during the latter half of the 18th century. This revolution marked an end to the system of feudalism and the monarchy in France and a rise to democracy and new Enlightenment ideas. By 1789, when the revolution began, France was in a deep financial crisis due to the debt they had obtained over many years of reckless spending and France was nearly bankrupt. These financial issues fell almost completely on the bottom social class or the Third Estate which made up a majority of the country. Because of this financial trouble the common people were heavily taxed leaving many of them in poverty. In addition to the economic issues, France also held an Estate System that led to heavy
During the eighteenth century, a major uprising occurred in France, the French Revolution. During the time, France was divided into 3 major groups: the First, Second, and the Third estate. While the first and second estate owned the majority of the resources, and paying little taxes, the third Estate paid heavy taxes, owning little resources. Sparked by the social inequality faced by the third Estate, the revolution brought about significant changes to France. Initially, the French Revolution advances the Enlightenment ideals by promoting life and equality, corresponding to John Locke’s belief. However, the revolution ultimately betrayed the enlightenment ideals.
The declaration of the Terror was a direct result of the growing discontent and ravenous violence that had been occurring since 1789. Revolution could have occurred in an orderly member as it was obvious that Louis XVI was a weak leader but the French citizens set the tone early on with the Storming of the Bastille. This event shows that the French were inclined to achieve their desires through violence and not negotiations. The Bastille was attacked as a response to Louis’ addition of troops in Paris and the fear that they would be attacked. Munitions were transferred to the poorly guarded Bastille just a few days before the attack. A mob descended upon the Bastille on July 14 of 1789. The Governor of the prison Launay tried to reassure that
France practiced the system of Feudalism, a class system based on land ownership. The King, Louis XVI, owned all the land of the country and would give it out in plots to the Noble in return for services to his thrown. The Nobles would then divide their land and offer it to the less wealthy in exchange for a fee or service; finally the less wealthy would offer their land to the farmers. Because of Feudalism, a class system was developed which divided society into three classes, these were known as Estates. The First Estate held a moral obligation to assist the poor, the Second Estate ensured to support the monarchy and Old Regime and finally the Third Estate, the poorest of all, were to pay all taxes. Essentially, the entire burden of France landed upon the poorest Estate. The people of the Third Estate, who made up an estimated eighty percent of the population, were vastly dissatisfied with the order of France; they wanted a change to occur. During the 18th Century, it was clear that French Culture was changing. The Enlightenment Philosophy, for instance, promoted a new society based on “reason”, rather than traditions. For the people of the Third Estate, the Enlightenment Philosophy was certainly promising for the future of French society. As well as social inequality, starvation was a primary concern for the people of the Third Estate. In the early stages of the French Revolution, rising bread prices were a major concern; the new government, concerned about what the people might do if they could not get access to bread, quickly responded to complaints about prices, allegations of hoarding, and other, similar concerns. Essentially, these riots and the mere threat of rioting itself helped drive the revolution forward and make it increasingly radical. The rioters even
Before the revolution formally began, France was being ruled by the monarch Napoleon Bonaparte. All people under him, particularly the third party members also known as the working class, were oppressed in a sense that they were powerless against the laws that wronged them while bestowing the monarchy more power. The ruler of a country or empire should have one goal: to ensure that the people of the country are taken care of. As Napoleon was not adhering to this basic moral law of power the people grew upset about the little they could do to help themselves, and decided the best course of action would be to overthrow the government. Once the monarchy was overtaken the bourgeoisie temporarily assumed power which worked for a short time. Soon however, multiple rebel groups rose to power, subjecting all those not associated with them to the two year Reign of Terror. During this time, many civilians and previous government officials were executed. The consequence of the rebellion yielded predictable results. Like before, the people outside the direct government suffered as they could do nothing to prevent wrongdoing from befalling them. Both during Napoleon’s rule and the rule of the rebels, powerlessness influenced an ascent to despotism that left the people of the country
It is said that revolutions are the manifestations of an anarchic mentality that is fostered through widespread oppression on a variety of scales. This anarchic mentality is most evident in the infamous French Revolution of 1789. During the late 16th century, a schism began to grow between the aristocracy and the commoners in France. The common people of France wanted a government that better represented them than the monarchy, which was the ruling power. During this time, France had instituted a practice of dividing sections of their societies into what they called “three estates”. The “three estates” set specific boundaries on what people’s statuses were in the French Society, and established the competitive nature of class in France. Because of the competitive class structure in France, poor French citizens such as peasants and farmers decided that they wanted to do something about their status, so they took matters into their own hands; they initiated what how has come to be known as the French Revolution. By 1792...
]“Little by little, the old world crumbled, and not once did the king imagine that some of the pieces might fall on him.” – Jennifer Donnelly. The French Revolution was a time period in which the people of its country had enough. They ripped up the thousand-year-old monarchy and redesigned their country’s way of government. The French Revolution was a time of struggle for its people. King Louis XVI had essentially bankrupted the country with his lavish spending and his involvement in the American Revolution. While the king was living a luxurious life, his people couldn’t even eat. During this time the king had people heavy taxes on the Third Estate, which consisted of 98% of the population, causing the French citizens to resent the monarchy. This lead to riots, looting, and strikes in a stance for better living conditions. Women of France had a specific hatred of the queen, Marie Antoinette. In the early days of October 1789, thousands of Partisans, several of which were women, walked
Looking back at the history of the French Ancien Regime, some sort change was needed to happen. Unfortunately the French went about it in a wrong way, because the French revolution failed. The French did not need a Revolution, but reform. Human Rights, the economy and religion all suffered at the hands of the revolution. Until Napoleon Bonaparte, France was in revolution chaos without any direction. It has had lasting effects on this country that is still present over 200 years later.
During the eighteenth century, France was one of the most richest and prosperous countries in Europe, but many of the peasants were not happy with the way France was being ruled. On July 14, 1789, peasants and soldiers stormed the Bastille and initiated the French Revolution. This essay will analyze the main causes of the French Revolution, specifically, the ineffectiveness of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the dissatisfaction of the Third Estate, and the Enlightenment. It will also be argued that the most significant factor that caused the French Revolution is the ineffective leadership of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Some people like Emmanuel Sieyès, middle-class writer who was taken by the Enlightenment ideas, believed that all of French Society lay on the backs of the third estate. On the contrary, Robespierre, the monarch at the time, believed that the third estate did not have the power to do anything important to society. The third estate had to pay taxes like the Gabelle and Taille while the first and seconds estates did not have to pay any taxes to the king. Also, the third estates had less of a representation in voting. The first and second estate could outvote the third estate every time and this was a huge inequality. The condition of the third estate was horrible but a good portion of this third estate was the bourgeoisie. The bourgeoisie had some wealth and social class, so they influenced the rest of the third estate about their rights, while also inspiring some lower clergies and provincial nobles and thus led to a group of rebellious people to fight the monarchy. This fight for political representation and political rights was only one cause of the French Revolution. Another causes lies in the French Monarchs: Louis XlV, Louis XV, and Louis XVl. When Louis XlV was ruling, the monarchy had unlimited power and was known as a
France consisted of three estates: the First Estate(the nobility), the Second Estate(the clergy), and finally the Third Estate(the commoners or everyone else). Before the French Revolution, the people of the First Estate suffered the most because of the burdens such as heavy taxes only put for the Third Estate. Many of them grew very tired of living in fear, hunger, and discrimination. These people thought and used the ideas of enlightenment such as the idea of equality, the right to rebel, and the natural rights by John Locke. John Locke and the people he influenced in the French Revolution believed that every man was the same and should be treated likewise. These people who were influenced by Locke despised this unfairness and used the idea of the right to rebel to overthrow the nobility and the government for taking away their “natural rights” (the rights to life, liberty, and property) which the government was actually supposed to protect for the people.
There were many causes and events leading up to the French Revolution in 1789. Before the Revolution, France had been involved in many expensive wars, especially the American War of Independence, causing financial difficulties and debts which were increased through the expensive upkeep of the Royal Family and their courts. At this time the Age of Enlightenment was occurring and new ideas, challenging the Ancien Regime and the Absolute right to rule, were emerging. The monarch of the time, King Louis XVI, was a weak monarch who was incapable of making decisions and sticking to them. King Louis XIV was also incapable of using his powers in a way to spark fear and gain control of those under his power. As a result of the high debts held by the French Government, the King decided to start taxing the First and Second Estates. They objected causing the Third Estate to question why the first two estates were given choice in paying taxes when the Third Estate, who were so heavily taxed, paid all their taxes. These were the major causes leading up to and, in some cases, triggering, the French Revolution.
Prior to the revolution, King Louis XVI was at the top of the ancien régime, the social, economic, and political structure in France, which means he had absolute power. When he received the throne in 1774, it came along with insoluble problems. The people were split into three estates which divided social class. The first estate consisted of 100,000 tax exempt nobles who owned 20% of the land. The second estate consisted of the 300,000 tax exempt clergy who owned 10% of the land. The third estate consisted of the remaining 23.5 million French people who were 90% peasants. The third estate was the only estate that paid taxes. Their taxes ensured the financial well-being of the clergy, state, and nobles (French Revolution Overview 6).
The French Revolution started with the attack of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and ended in 1799. It is believed that the French Revolution occurred in response to political conflicts in the country between the Aristocrats and the Monarchy. One of the primary reasons for this conflict had to do with the reform of the state’s tax system, which inevitably led to the bankruptcy and paralysis of the government. Another cause of the French Revolution can be attributed to the West’s social structure. Various scholars have argued that the social antagonism that existed between the two rising social groups, the bourgeoisie, and the aristocrats, played an essential role in causing the French Revolution.
On July 14, 1789, several starving working people of Paris and sixty soldiers seized control of the Bastille, forever changing the course of French history. The seizing of the Bastille wasn’t caused by one event, but several underlying causes such as the Old