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French revolution essay political and economic
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The French Revolution of 1789- 1799 was a time of change for many people of France. The Revolution led to many changes in France which at the time of the Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe. The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. Harsh economic conditions brought high taxes and bad harvests resulted in suffering for the revolutionary women. They broke people down in Three estates: 1st was made up of the clergy, 2nd was made up of the nobility, and the 3rd was made up of the peasants ( most of the population.) The third estate was the only one being taxed. The women of the French Revolution agreed with the basic universal goals of the French Revolution in that they, sought to achieve equal rights and a representative society, so women can achieve their goals. The economic conditions of the revolutionary years helped fuel the women of the French Revolution to speak out about their living position. For example, bad harvests brought about high prices which led hunger to poorer peasants an...
...poleon was in power. Many important civil liberties were taken away, like the freedom of speech and press. Slavery was reestablished, to the chagrin of many. Women’s rights were dealt a huge blow. After the gains women had made during the revolution, they were stripped away by Napoleon and women were once again expected to be subordinate and subservient to the men in their household. The biggest loss was the loss of a republic. No longer were the rulers of France selected by the public. The king had been replaced by a king in all but name.
While the American Revolution was a fight for freedom and independence from another country, the French Revolution was a fight within an established country. The government tried to create new taxes for everyone. From the wealthy to the poor, all were struggling to pay taxes. After much violence and a long time of war, they became a republic and briefly passed male suffrage. Then, the old administrative system was changed into eighty-three territorial departments, giving them all a new name. While preparing to fight, they created the world’s largest army with around 80,000 men. This was an army of citizens representing the nation with officers from middle and lower class. The Revolution raised questions of female political equality. The women made serious political demands by signing petitions listing their complaints about equality. Despite their efforts, women did not gain much during this
The French wanted to bring equality to all classes. The French revolution brought much more social change than the American revolution. Inspired by Lafayette’s declaration that, “no group, no individual may exercise authority not emanating expressly therefrom” (de Lafayette 783), the class system was destroyed. The revolutionaries were open to ending slavery, however women remained marginalized within the social structure of France. Similarly to the American revolution, the enlightenment ideas that drove the French revolution were not applied to society as a whole.
The peasant French women played a large role in the Revolution because of their aggression, zeal and participation in the Sans-Culottes’ protests. There was a riot police handled on February 25th 1973 where “there was a new crowd of citizens there… But we had brought along with us many armed citizens who dispersed this mob. We saw there a citoyenne… who was influencing people and stirring up trouble.” Police had to quell another riot caused by the women’s reaction to the high sugar prices when “the women, above all, were the most enraged… and the most threatening… they were real furies,” and the fact that “they didn't burn anything… was a major gain.” ...
The Enlightment was one of the causes because it inspired ideas of freedom and equality. This means that some of the government’s power would be lost.
The Real Cause of the French Revolution For hundreds of years historians have tried to find out the real cause
The French Revolution started during 1789, it allowed for the people to have a better government that actually protected the natural rights of the people. This toke a nearly a decade of rioting and violence for the Third Estate to have their way and get the rights they deserved. From all the causes like the famine of wheat, long debts because of wars, the heavy taxes, and their rights not being protected, some causes stood out more than the others. It is noted that these reasons had to play a major role in order for the French Revolution to occur. The three most important causes of the French revolution are the ideas that came from the Enlightenment, the Old Regime not being an efficient class system, and the heavy taxation.
One of the most powerful countries in the 18th century established colonies across the sea. Great Britain established 13 colonies in North America as other nation started joining the race to own more land, causing controversy between both France and Great Britain. Great Britain finished, winning the war but ended with so much debt. Great Britain looked for a way to pay of the debts by establishing taxes on the 13 colonies. With the amount of power Great Britain had over the colonies, people started to go against them. The Declaratory Act of 1766 show the amount of power Great Britain had is the main cause of the American Revolution occur.
The French Revolution was a period of time in which France underwent many changes, many which could be considered revolutionary. France’s whole system and way of being was completely changed. New ideas were proposed everyday. An idea is revolutionary when it is a new idea, when it is something that has never been thought of before. The Declaration of the Rights of Women written by Olympe de Gouges on September 1791, was one of the ideas proposed to the National Assembly (Hunt, Web 1). The document proposed that since the French Revolution was all about finding equality for all people, women should be equal to men and therefore, should have the same rights as men did. Women at the time live in terrible conditions. They had little access to education, and therefore could not enter professional occupations that required advanced education, were legally deprived of the right to vote, and were not considered citizens (Class Discussion Notes). If equal rights were not given to women, the French Revolution had not reached its full potential, according to Gouges. She expressed this idea in her document, saying, “This revolution will only take effect when all women become fully aware of their deplorable condition, and of the rights they have lost in society” (Gouges, Web). Anyone that questioned the Revolution was immediately put to death (Class Discussion Notes). If Gouges’ document and ideas were important enough to catch the attention of the National Assembly and for her to be put to death, her ideas could be considered important and revolutionary (Britannica, Web 1) But, the document was not revolutionary. The Declaration of the Rights of Women was not a revolutionary document because its ideas were taken from other people and were no...
The essential cause of the French revolution was the collision between a powerful, rising bourgeoisie and an entrenched aristocracy defending its privileges”. This statement is very accurate, to some extent. Although the collision between the two groups was probably the main cause of the revolution, there were two other things that also contributed to the insanity during the French revolution – the debt that France was in as well as the famine. Therefore, it was the juxtaposing of the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy as well as the debt and famine France was in that influenced the French Revolution.
Causes of 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 Regime, the raising of taxes, the American revolution, and the idea and beliefs of the philosophers. The immediate causes of the revolution were the rising price of bread and the locking of the third estate out of its meeting hall. Finally, the spark was the ordering of the Swiss guards to Paris by Louis the XVI. The first underlying cause of the French Revolution was the Old Regime.
Causes of the French Revolution 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 Ancient 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.
Causes and Effects of the French Revolution The Revolution. The major cause of the French Revolution was the disputes between the different types of social classes in French society. The French Revolution of 1789-1799 was one of the most important events in the history of the world. The Revolution led to many changes in France, which at the time of the Revolution, was the most powerful state in Europe. The Revolution led to the development of new political forces such as democracy and nationalism.
“Revolutions never go backwards.”-Wendell Phillips. It is true that revolutions never go backwards; an example of this would be the French Revolution. Before 1789, France was ruled by a monarchy. Before the France revolution, the monarch was King Louis XVI. His family had ruled France for many years, however King Louis XVI, was an ill-suited leader who lost his country to the National Assembly. During the French revolution, France went through countless reforms by switching back and forth from republics to dictatorships. France eventually thrived under the rule of Napoleon, who was a dictator chosen by the people. Because of the sacking of King Louis XVI and the monarchy, France had become a better nation. Therefore, the citizens for France were justified in overthrowing King Louis XVI because King Louis XVI was not a competent leader, he treated the third estate poorly and King Louis XVI let Marie Antoinette have an impact in political affairs.
The bad living conditions of France and its depressed economy was one of the primary drivers for the French Revolution. The people of France were so poor that they had no shoes to wear and no food to eat. The poverty of France breaks its economy at its root. The economy got so bad that “By December 1788, there was a nationwide revolt against food shortages and rising prices, which continued to spread till the summer of 1789, when there was another bad harvest”(Todd 528). One ...