Summary:
France was very powerful and the most influential country of Western Europe. The violent changes that took place during the French Revolution affected most of the European people. The Revolution started a new era in European history. It was called the modern era.
The French Revolution
The French Revolution was a series of flaws in France between 1789 and 1799 that over threw it's whole structure such as the countries traditional institutions of Monarchy, Aristocracy, and church.
France was very powerful and the most influential country of Western Europe. The violent changes that took place during the French Revolution affected most of the European people. The Revolution started a new era in European history. It was called the modern era. The Revolution affected all of European civilization. The American Revolution was also a part of this, so it also had affected them. They thought this was both undemocratic and aristocratic. Specially privileged classes of landowners, clergy, and office holders had entrended themselves in power in a variety of different institutions. Monarchs ruled through the privileged classes then had to pay the price of respecting and widening their privileges.
In the 1770's the aristocracies were under a lot of pressure from two sides. They were under pressure from the reforming, and the middle class who were trying to stop or modify aristocratic privileges. By 1789 the middle class movement was seen and they won independence for the thirteen British colonies in America. Royal pressure had encountered in France a reaction from the nobles and clergy that was strong enough to defeat the king's effort to reform government and make the royal finances solvent. The dead lock was the immediate reason for the decision of the French king, Louis XVI, to summon the estates General, the nearest thing to a nationally reprehensive body that France had, though it hadn't met since 1614. It was the meeting of this assembly that led to the cut break of a revolution in which the middle-class reforms were in control at first, only to be ousted in quick succession by the peasants and the Paris mob who together plunged France into civil war and violent revolution.
In France two other forces of change - besides the conflict between the aristocracy and the royal ministers bent on reform. The two forces of change were economic and ideological. France suffered from persistent rise in prices, caused by the circulation of a greatly increased amount of metals in currency, and the growth of credit facilities, together with a lack of any corresponding increase in the production of marketable goods. This inflation most affected the farmers and the poor. Admiring the English constitution and system of justice, in which they saw guarantees for individual liberties and representative government such as they desired for France, the most influential writers ridiculed the old order and pointed out the injustices and absurdities of the social and political system in France. The success of the American Revolution fired French reformers with new hope.
In this same period French intellectuals of the classes were much influenced by the ideas expounded by thinkers and literary men who were profoundly critical of the existing order. Admiring the English constitution and system of justice, in which they saw guarantees for individual liberties and representative government such as they desired for France, the influential writers (Voltaire, Montesquieu, the encyclopedists, Rousseau) ridiculed the old order and pointed out the injustices and absurdities of the social and political system in France. The success of the American Revolution fired French reforms with hope.
For all of these reasons, the meetings of the estates general call for May 1789 brought to one focal point all the economic, social, and political conflicts of 18th century France.
The king hoped, by gaining agreement to new taxation, to find an escape from insolvency. The aristocracy hoped to use it to block all reforms, because its traditional division into three separate estates clergy, nobility, and commoners, each sitting and voting separately gave them control. The third estate where the commoners. They represented in principle all the rest of the population welcomed it as an opportunity to air grievances and demand reforms. At first nobody wanted revolution. The prevalen demand, even from the lawyers land officials who mainly spoke for the commoners was a constitution in English, and for reforms alleviate inqualities and social distress. By the king and supported by his people the hope was supposed to become peaceful change.
Designed to satisfy the various sectional interests of traders and businessmen, lawyers and administrators, the over taxed middle class, and the poverty-stricken peasantry. No one saw the drift to civil war. Ten months was how long it to for preparations for the great event. During this time there was a lot of talk about popular grievances, the normal principals of government, and the need for a constitution. Lists of the grievances where drawn up locally. Censorship was suspended temporarily, so pamphlets poured from the presses. It was decided that the commoners would have the same amount of representatives as the other two estates put together. But it was not settled if all of the three estates would vote separately "by order" or collectively by counting heads. The crucial issue of there relative power was left undecided until the estates general met. The elections were held among all three orders in the spring of 1789, on the basis or virtual universal male suffrage, though the elaborate system of direct election for representatives of the commoners estate consulted in the choice almost entirely of professional men. In all one, two hundred and one representatives were chosen, of whom six hundred ten were elected by the third estate, the commoners. The assembly was formally opened by the king at Versailles on May 5, 1789.
This is the complete article, containing 916 words
(approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page).
