Impacts of the French and Industrial Revolutions - Essay Example

Impacts of the French and Industrial Revolutions Introduction The French and Industrial Revolutions are two most important periods in Europe and the rest of the world. This is fair considering that they had a lot of impact on world politics, society, culture and economy. It was the French Revolution which took place first in Europe, particularly in France in 1789, and influenced greatly European politics creating democratic space that spread through North America and Europe (Western Civilization, 2012). After the French Revolution, there came the Industrial Revolution, which took place between 1815 and 1914. Industrial revolution was not a political one by nature, rather economical. Historians argue that Industrial Revolution mainly altered the way the world produced its goods (Western Civilization, 2012). It also transformed societies from over dependence on agriculture to one in which industries and manufacturing was in control. Nevertheless, historians have been divided on the degree of impacts that the two revolutions have had on European politics, society, and culture during the years 1815-1848. Some argue that it was the French revolution that had the greatest impact on European politics, society and culture while others argue otherwise. The purpose of this paper is to explore which between French Revolution and Industrial Revolution might have had the greatest impact on European politics, society and culture. Impacts of the French Revolution The French revolution is arguably the shortest revolution in history. It spanned about ten years, beginning 1789 and ending at the beginning of 19th century (Rothenberg, 1988). This revolution began as a resentment and dissatisfaction with the manner in which King Louis XIV dealt with social reforms, as well as wide differences among social classes. This forced people to rebel and look for a means to become more autonomous and freedom, both in thought and daily lives (Western Civilization, 2012). One of the greatest impacts of French revolution in Europe was in politics. This is because it opened an era of liberal revolution in Europe. Slowly, the liberal revolution established the freedom of movement for every citizen whenever and wherever. Historians argue that before the French revolution, there were several human rights violations as people were denied the freedom of movement and speech. These were only allowed for those in power. The French Revolution created a perception of universal human rights (Olwen, 1992). Before the Revolution, many European countries and leaders thought of democracy as an unworkable political system. Nevertheless, the perception of the political system that was participatory and popular only began to take shape in Europe after the advent of the French Revolution (Western Civilization, 2012). The French revolution also brought about religious tolerance. Before the French revolution, there were several instances of religious feuds and tensions among Christians and Muslims. This is because Islam was not given much recognition. However, this changed immediately after the French revolution where different religions started getting recognition across Europe (Western Civilization, 2012). The impact of the French revolution on politics could also be seen in that it caused nationalism and the idea of one nationality in one country. This ideology later resulted in the development of new refugees, known as political refugees. This gave the government the power to have greater influence on people in Europe. Olwen (1992) points out that the French Revolution was fundamental in making the obligation of the government central to political affairs. In this regard, he reveals that the state became the all-universal power of nations in lost cases. To prove his argument, he lists several European nations which underwent democratic meltdowns before becoming dictatorial states. Some of these include the Soviet Union, Italy, Hungary, Albania, Turkey, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Hungary, Australia, Spain, Romania and Latvia (Western Civilization, 2012). It is reported that the French revolution took place at the beginning of the 19th century in many countries across Europe. During this time, most governments were afraid of socialism and social unrest. As such, they made every attempt to abolish proletarian surpluses, which were perceived as the main sources of unrest. Most European governments triggered mass migration of persons towards colonies and former colonies. This saw the establishment of sovereign states across Europe (Western Civilization, 2012). The other change brought about by the French Revolution across Europe is the disruption of social classes. Historians reveal that before the Revolution, only three marked classes were in existence in France: the nobility, the church, and the commoners (Rothenberg, 1988). During this era, large chunks of land in the country were owned by the nobility and the church. They also collected taxes from citizens and had absolute powers to make decisions over economic and social changes. It is also reported that peasants were compelled to pay hefty taxes while getting no reward from the government. Nevertheless, the revolution marked an end to all these forms of injustice as it led to the abolition of the tax system, the creation of social relief, and the opportunity to have power over economic decision making in the country (Rothenberg, 1988). This later spread across European countries and resulted in the abolition of hefty tax payments leading to creation of democratic space. Henceforth, people enjoyed the power to make decisions over the economy of the country (Western Civilization, 2012). Impacts of the Industrial Revolution As earlier stated the industrial revolution took place between 1815 and 1914 and was not political in any way. Its main impact was economic as it changed the ways in which the world produced goods (Berlanstein, 1992). It changed the society’s reliance on agriculture transforming the society to one that relied on manufacturing and industry. Historians reveal that the industrial revolution began in Great Britain in 19th century. At the time, Great Britain was the greatest empire on the globe. After its adoption in Great Britain, other countries like the US, Germany, and France joined the band wagon (Berlanstein, 1992). It is reported that, during the revolution, many technological advancements were made and numerous cultural and sociological problems arose (Western Civilization, 2012). The first advancement in technology was experienced with the innovation and use of steam power. The revolution led to the introduction of new fuels such as petroleum and coal, something that could not be seen before the Industrial Revolution. This saw many industries such as manufacturing and textile revolutionize across Europe. It is also reported that the first telegraph as a medium of communication came about after the industrial revolution (Berlanstein, 1992). This made communication across Europe easy and fast. With faster communication, many European countries were brought closer together, thereby promoting businesses and international relations (Western Civilization, 2012). Despite the advancement in technology, there was an overall downfall in respect of the cultural and social situation of people across Europe. For instance, the industrial revolution saw an increased growth in urban cities due to growth in the number of industries (Dunham, 1955). This caused the mass exodus of people from rural places to urban centers looking for jobs. This eventually created a lot of strain on the available resources in the city. The fact that the facilities in the city were overstretched by the high populations of people from rural areas led to poor living standards which also saw the mushrooming of slums in several parts of European urban areas. Furthermore, with revolution, new materials and a quantitative view of the world emerged resulting in the need for persons to consume as much as they could (Western Civilization, 2012). Based on the impacts of the two revolutions, the French and Industrial Revolutions on European countries, it can be deduced that the French Revolution indeed had the greatest impact with regard to European politics, society and culture. For instance, it is quite clear that the industrial revolution created no impact on European politics at all since it was mainly economic in nature. It mainly impacted on the economic situation of the European countries through the introduction of new technologies which never existed before but had no element of politics (Berlanstein, 1992). The French Revolution, on the other hand, had a huge impact on European politics since it opened an era of liberal interaction in Europe. Slowly, the liberal revolution established the freedom of movement for every citizen whenever and wherever. It also helped open up democratic space in Europe with everyone enjoying the freedom to participate in the country’s politics (Western Civilization, 2012). Conclusion It can be stated that the French Revolution had greater impact on European society and culture compared to Industrial Revolution. Culturally, the French Revolution saw growth in religious tolerance in European countries. In addition, the French Revolution also led to the disruption of social classes which oppressed the underprivileged in the society. Indeed without the French Revolution, the European society could not have been living in harmony as it is today, since it helped open up democratic space. This element was not brought about by the Industrial Revolution (Western Civilization, 2012). Indeed, both the French and Industrial Revolutions had had a lot of impact on European countries with regard to politics, society and culture. It appears that French Revolution has had the greatest impacts on European politics, society and culture. Its impact is probably the reason as to why Europe is as it is today. Works Cited Berlanstein, L. The Industrial Revolution and work in nineteenth-century Europe. London and New York: Routledge: 1992. Print. Dunham, A. The Industrial Revolution in France, 1815-1848. New York: Exposition Press: 1955. Print. Olwen H. Women and the Limits of Citizenship in the French Revolution. Toronto. University of Toronto Press: 1992. Print. Rothenberg, G. "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon." Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 18(4): 771–793: 1988. Print. Western Civilization The French Revolution (Chap. 18). Norton and Company, Inc. 2012. Web. 29 Sep 2012. < http://www.wwnorton.com/college/history/western-civilization17-brief/> Read More