The Outcome of the French Revolution - Essay Example

French revolution The French revolution also gets known as the revolution of 1789. It took place in France between the years of 1787 and 1789, reaching its first climax in 1789. The first changes that the revolution brought about was in 1789 and thus the revolution gets commonly referred to as the ‘revolution of 1789’ (Hunt 36). The revolution followed hot on the heels of the American Revolution that had preceded a decade earlier and changed the political and social dimension of Europe irreversibly. Various problems led to the revolution, however, the strict class system that placed the clergy and nobility among ordinary French citizens gets pinned down as the most decisive problem (Tackett 26). The revolution reached its climax in 1789 upon the reconvening of the estates-general, France’s ancient legislative arm, when it became apparent that the higher class had refused to give away their privileges in the interest of saving the nation’s crippling economy. The ordinary French citizens seized this chance to force a revolution. The revolution thus got born out of a battle to attain equality and remove oppression and thus reshaped France’s social and political dimension. The French revolution served an unexpected blow to the nobles. The revolution saw the abolition of privilege and the declaration of rights of man and citizen (Hunt 62). The document of declaration made it clear that each French citizen was equal. The nobles had managed to monopolize all of the country’s wealth and had become adamant in their refusal to share the tax burden that got inflicted on the country’s wealth. With the onset of the revolution, a few nobles who sensed danger switched sides and fought for the revolution. The nobles who still remained adamant to their privileges faced the fury of the revolution mob (Tackett 101). Many got sent to the guillotine. The revolution achieved the aim of bringing equality among the French citizens. The abolition of privilege also saw a new tax system get put in place where every citizen got to pay his tax share according to the wealth he possessed. Nobility got completely ended. The revolution also saw the abolition of church privileges that impacted on the clergy. The clergy got considered as first class citizens and most of them made up the noble class. Most of the clergy were bishops who got nominated by the king. The clergy got viewed in the same league as the aristocrats. Church property got confiscated early in the revolution. Church lands became nationalized and got sold leading to a full tenth of France’s lands to change hands. The revolution brought a massive redistribution of land that previously got consigned to the clergy. In present day France, church property belongs to the locals (Tackett 33). Priests got demanded to take new oaths of allegiance and loyalty to the state. Those who refused got imprisoned, executed or went into hiding. The clergy got employed as salaried officials of the state. The revolution also provided a beacon of hope and freedom to the lives of the ordinary people in France at the time. The revolution led to the creation of new political forces that centered on democracy and nationalism. This new forces gave the ordinary people hope of having an equitable and just society (Hunt 101). The revolution saw the birth of a new government system that shunned monarchy and aristocracy. The ordinary people became the significant beneficiaries of the fruits of the revolution. In the old order French society, not everyone got to enjoy rights. The revolution made a huge step towards having all men enjoy equal rights. The document of declaration of rights of man and citizen showed promise to the ordinary people who got placed in the lower echelons of society. The French revolution did not only impact and shape the political arena in France; the revolution had a far reaching political consequence on the continent of Europe too. Most European countries at the time of the French revolution got governed by monarchs. Political and ruling power got transferred by birth or between families. The French revolution impacted the ordinary people in Europe on how precious liberty and freedom felt like. Ordinary citizens in other European countries began to think of ways they could gain power for themselves (Tackett 187). The revolution inspired political revolutions around Europe where people began to fight the authority of kings. The revolution provided hope to European societies where citizens fought for equality and democracy. Democracy began to overtake hereditary monarchy. Social classes that caused so many disharmonies in Europe also began to shrink creating an integrated and more equal society. Similarities can get drawn from the French revolution to the Dutch and American Revolution. Both the French and American Revolution arose from enlightenment ideals which stressed the ideas of equality and natural rights. Both revolutions aimed at freeing the ordinary people from oppressive and tyrannical rules of the absolute monarchs. The declaration of rights of man bore similar resemblance and got based on the ideas of the American constitution. The American constitution got based around the ideals of equality and so too did the declaration of rights of man, which arose from the French revolution (Hunt 98). In both revolutions, the war got fought by discontent lower classes. In America, the colonials fought against the British royalty who took over their land and political freedom. In France, the peasants fought against the nobles who got served with privileges by their ancient regime. Both the American and French revolutions got successful in their pursuits. The French government system shifted from a monarchy into a republic while the colonies in America became the United States. The Dutch revolution also largely got founded on the ideals of enlightenment and ‘the age of reason’. The merchants of Amsterdam had taken control of the economy and the ordinary people used the lessons of the revolt from America and France to seek for equality in their society. The French revolution left behind a significant legacy that still gets felt today. The revolution saw the declaration of the rights of man which formed part of the French law as early as 1789. This document explained to people on how societies should coexist together and has had a profound effect on people around the globe. The document provides key principles on the equality of law and freedom of religion and expression (Tackett 144). The revolution also made a significant impact on the political arena around Europe as it led to political revolutions in other European countries. The revolution served as a shining light of freedom and hope to a world that got dominated by monarchical tyranny and aristocratic privilege at the time. Nineteenth century revolutions that took place in Europe got founded on the basis of the French revolution and some even borrowed ideas, terms, and colors from it. The French revolution left a lasting legacy on societies around the globe. The revolution through it its declaration of the rights of man and citizens led to significant impacts on the people of France as well as the European society. The revolution gave rise to equality and removal of oppression of the ordinary citizens who make up a country. The revolution got founded on the basis of the American Revolution through its calls for equality and removal of oppression. The revolution still has its impact etched in present day French laws and other European nations. Works Cited Hunt, Lynn Avery. The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief Documentary History. New York: Bedford Books of St. Martin's Press, 1996. TACKETT, Timothy. When the King Took Flight. Boston: Harvard University Press, 2003. Read More