French Revolution and the Creation of the National Assembly

The French Revolution and the creation of the National Assembly

Introduction

The French Revolution was a critical era in the history of France and Europe that radically transformed the social and political aspects of the nation from the ancient monarchy system of government and feudal system, to the introduction of democracy. The French people drew their motivation from the American people who had already achieved the democratic institutions. As such, the Enlightenment age compelled individuals to fight against social and political injustices perpetrated by the reigning king of the time. Before the revolution, the nation had three divisions. The divisions comprised of the Clergy, the Nobility and the Commoner, with little representation of the commoners who were the majority. As such, the commoners sought for equal rights and representation. However, though the revolution was marred by vast bloodshed, it significantly achieved its goals and significantly transformed France; with significant impacts in Europe and globally. The National Assembly members took an oath at the Tennis Court, vowing to create the new constitution in 1789 (Barnes 507).

Causes of the French revolution

During the Enlightenment era, the people of France had become conversant of their rights. As such, they began to perceive the ills that the reigning authorities were perpetrating to them. This compelled them to question the governing systems of the time, and hence the need to transform them. There was a great need for the creation of a National Assembly and a constitution. The introduction of democracy in the US with set rules within the constitution and a congress and senate equivalent to the National Assembly also served as a significant influencing factor ...

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...rmation of the National Assembly and the implementation of the constitution. However, the National Assembly faced several challenges. The constitution creation took 2 years (1789-1791), and there was widespread bloodshed, with the perpetrator being the majority peasants targeting the upper social elite (Barnes 507). The constitution collapsed after 2 years, owing to the opposition from Prussia and Austria, who feared democracy. However, these challenges did not halt the revolution, and this facilitated the founding of the National Assembly and the Constitution that acted as a significant unifying factor.

Works Cited

Barnes, Gregory. Encyclopedia of the age of political revolutions and new ideologies, 1760-1815. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. Print.

Neely, Sylvia. A concise history of the French Revolution. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008. Print.