La République Français— this is the French Republic, known to the rest of the world as the country of France. France is considered a beautifully romantic country that is a hotspot for tourists from all around the world. Its capital is Paris, also known as the City of Lights—home to the celebrated Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum. The currency is the European euro and the population is around 65,500,000. Along with that cultural presentation of the country, France is the 5th largest world power; it is also the head agricultural producer in the European Union. Along with all of this, France has a strong national identity that can be drawn from such political sectors as state, nation, government, elections, political culture, and current events.
State
There is no specific date known for when France came to be; nobody woke up one day and said, “I live in France.” Nevertheless, a date can be estimated, and that date is considered to be the beginning of France is in 476 AD, when the Western Roman Empire fell. However, a more specific date can be set, and this was when the empire belonging to Charles the Great was split among his heirs, around 843 AD.
France first became an independent nation during the French Revolution. This point in time was when the monarchy that had been around for thousands of years was demolished and was replaced by a Republic government. There were other moments of monarchy in the early history of French statehood, but they were brief. Some of these moments of monarchism include the reigns of Napoléon Bonaparte and King Louis-Philippe. When Napoléon fell at Waterloo, monarchism was reestablished by Louis-Philippe. At this point in time, they were still moving toward democratization, but they were no...
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the French Revolution. Hunt, Lynn & Censer, Jack. University Park, Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press (2001)
Doyle, W. (2005, September 7). The French revolution of 1848European history summary France. Retrieved October 14,
France wasn’t an exception, just like many other countries it changed its form of government in order to make the nation stronger and thus became more democratic. There are many reasons why the French Revolution have played a big role in the political change of France during the 1800’s. Firstly, the monarchy was abolished after the fall of the monarchy and the execution of Louis XVI has set the ground of the new more modern government. Secondly, the people started to change their positions in the government the nobility was liquidated and everybody was fighting for the power and rights. Finally, with the fall of the old dictatorial government, the people of France finally gained their human rights with the protection of the new modern
Before the French Revolution that occurred during the late 18th century, France was considered one of the most advanced and opulent countries in Europe. It was in the center of the Enlightenment era, a period of time from the 1600s to the 1800s that is considered today as one of the most significant intellectual movements in history by encouraging a new view of life. The age sparked hundreds of important thinkers such as Thomas Hobbes, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Locke, Thomas Paine, and Adam Smith. The Enlightenment was the fuel that sparked a worldwide desire to reshape and reconsider the ways that countries were governed. Limited monarchies, direct democracies, limited democracies, and absolute monarchies, among others, were many forms of government that were disputed by these thinkers. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, one the many significant Enlightenment thinkers, believed in a direct democracy, a system in which a country is governed by many, and where no one person has a considerable amount of power. This idea that citizens should receive independence and a voice would later stimulate the French and result in what is now k...
Pre-Revolutionary peasants were upset with the chasm between low and high class and were ready to make a change in the French society that would follow Enlightenment philosophies. The people decided to work together to form a constitution for their country that would treat all men fairly under the law, giving no special privileges to the high class citizens and equal voting rights for all. Their self-given name, Sans-Culottes, is a symbol of their rejection of high-class luxury, as the “Culottes” were the knee-length pants worn particularly by wealthy French citizens (the name literally meaning Without Culottes.) This movement was extremely popular because it appealed to any and all of the impoverished people in France, urban and rural. Over time, the new, fair government was not fully realized and the Sans-Culottes became angry to the point of violence in an effort to make the changes promised by the first Revolutionaries. The Sans-Culottes were a powerful driving force in the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror because of the massive impact their violence had on society.
The French Revolution started in 1787 because the country was going through financial difficulties and there was unrest between the classes of citizens in the country. The differences between the lower class citizens and higher classes, being nobles and the monarchy were great. The citizens had heard of the revolution that went on in the colonies and they also wanted freedom and independence. The real start of the French Revolution was on July 14, 1789, with the storming of the Bastille. Between 1789 1793, a constitution was written, feudalism was abolished, war had broken out, and King Louis XVI was put to death. In late 1793 and early 1794, Maximilien Robespierre became the head of the Committee of Public Safety in France. This was the new governing body in France; it could be compared to the executive branch of a government. Robespierre was a great leader, he ins...
[7] Hunt, Lynn. Politics, Culture, and Class in the French Revolution. Berkeley: U of California, 1984. Print.
Sutherland, Donald M.G. The French Revolution and Empire: the quest for a civic order. Oxford, UK. Malden, MA: Blackwell. 2003. 40-43. Print.
Paris is a very historical place it is more than 2000 years old, Gauls of the Parisii tribe settled a small fishing village on an island near the river Ile de la Cité around 250 and 200 BC.(History np). The Parisii tribe eventually gave their name to the city. The Gauls were composed of warrior tribes who hunted, fished, and lived in huts with thatched roofs; their religion was called druidism which celebrated nature. Paris was concurred by the Roman army under Julius Caesar who defeated their chief warrior, Vercingétorix in 50 BC. The Romans renamed the capital Lutetia, which it stayed until it was reconquered by a Germanic tribe called the Franks, giving the country its name France (land of the Franks). The king of the Franks, Clovis, converted to Christianity and took the old name of Paris for its capital. King Philippe Auguste turned Paris into a medieval city with protective walls and a fortress on the site of the Louvre. Nobody knows what the Louvre means but it is believed that the Louvre is Latin for wolves. (Paris np). The French Revolution destroyed Paris but made it one of the most important cities in the world. On July14, 1789 the people of Paris stormed the Bastille a symbolic fortress of the king, starting the French Revolution. The revolution the lasted for 10 years and left Paris is pieces and ended with Napoleon taking power during the coup d’Etat in 1799. The revolution inspired the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of Men, leading to the Democracy of France. The Declaration of the Rights of Men can be
Liberté, égalité, fraternité, this was the motto of the French Revolution. It was coined by Pierre Leroux in 1838. The years 1779-1789 saw everything from the first constitution of France being drawn up, to the “Reign of Terror” in which the symbolic guillotine proved to be both the judge and the executioner. The Revolution initially started in an attempt to make the king answer to the people, in an attempt to overthrow the absolutist role and in an attempt to gain equality in all areas including taxation. The financial crisis was a burden to heavy to bear for the Third Estate. The people grew hungry which swiftly turned to rage. The lack of results led to the end of the monarchy and the execution of both King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette. However, despite the bloodshed, the ideals that the French were fighting for were alive in their hearts. Liberty is the freedom to think or act without being constrained by necessity or force. In France, people were seeking liberty from the tyrannical rule of the monarch in which the Queen was using taxes to endow herself in riches. The second ideal, equality, consists of rights, treatment, quantity, or value equal to all others in a specific group. This meant getting rid of the hierarchical system and ensuring that nor the Church or nobles were exempt from taxation. The last ideal, brotherhood, means a group of people with feelings of friendship and mutual support between them. The French lacked this during the Revolution. Civil disobedience was present and very few showed camaraderie towards one another. Ten years of hardship, striving towards one common goal, sacrificing thousands of lives the French achieved what they set out to do. With great willpower and with the help of a benefac...
Compared to other countries, France’s economy is the fourth largest in the world. France is a very industrialized nation, yet it has kept some of the cultural characteristics that contribute to its old-world charm. The economy is “exceptionally diversified” (“Economic Structure”, 1). It produces everything from aircrafts to pharmaceuticals.
Hunt, Lynn. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, Exploring the French Revolution.” Ed. Jack R. Censer. N.P., 2001. Web. 27 Oct. 2013
After the World Wars, France began allowing foreigners to come and take jobs because they had major job shortages (Gofen 62). Some ma...
France is facing economic, safety, and cultural conflicts stemming from the refugee and immigration crisis stemming from the Middle East. The French economy is not in a strong position. With a population of over 60 million, France faces an unemployment rate of 10.6%, and a stagnant five year average growth rate of 0.8% (2017 Index of Economic Freedom). France is currently struggling between taking in large numbers of refugees without the economy or security measures to support them. The refugee crisis has had a severe impact on France and the French people. More and more French citizens are seeing the refugee issue connected to terrorism. A recent study from the “Pew Research Center showed that the refugee crisis and
The French Revolution, which occurred from 1789 to 1799, was a time where the monarchy was overthrown, a republic was formed, and limits were put on the church. The French Revolution ended with the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799. The French Revolution created France’s legislative assembly, which is still in place today. Many would argue that the Enlightment was a cause of the French Revolution, but the Enlightment was not one of the main drivers for the Revolution. The bad living conditions, France’s monarchy, and the involvement in the American Revolution and other wars caused the French Revolution.