French Revolution with Enlightenment - Research Paper Example

May 4 Introduction/Background In the history of human civilization people have always tried to liberate themselves from oppression at any cost including taking up arms. They use many methods to achieve this, one of the most common being by means of revolutions. This is when people rise in unison and drive out an oppressive or autocratic government through rebellion, riots, mass actions and many other tools open to enraged masses. Change in the social order from the traditionally common dictatorial and monarchical system was characterized by this in France. In the years before the revolutions, France was a road to financial and social prosperity. It had a decent road system; it was able to export food, coffee, sugar, indigo and other commodities from its Caribbean colonies. The population grew from around 19 to 26 million, but there was no proportional increase in food production (Smitha 1-3). Consequently, when the harvest failed below 10 percent, it would be insufficient to feed the population and many people would starve. The population was divided into the first, second and third class citizens who were the clergy, the nobles and the commoners/workers respectively. The first two classes were mostly above the law and could not be prosecuted or even pay taxes while the others were heavily taxed (Country facts par. 3). Another contributing factor was the poor state of government and mismanagement of funds. The French government exhausted its coffers in wars, and in assisting the American Revolution. As a result, the aristocracy was heavily in debt. King Luis thought he would tax the nobles and the ruling class. However, they opposed this and refused to relinquish their tax free status. The agricultural situation was made worse by the hailstorm in 1778 which destroyed crops. People were jobless and many resorted to social vice such as stealing and prostitution to earn sustenance. The situation in France was characterized with inequality and social injustices. These inspired the people to rise against the powers by use of arms. It is these actions by the French came to be known as the French revolution. Why the Revolution The myriad of injustices and the extravagant spending of the government all spurred the revolution. Notably, the bourgeoisie or the educated middle class was the main subject of the oppressive taxes (Cody par. 1). Contrary to many situations where the government oppressed the poor illiterates, in France the government was up against a class of intellectuals who were even wealthier than the upper classes. The finance minister Necker who had tried to impose taxes on the upper classes was fired and with this people realized the ruling class was up to no good. The extremes to which the monarchy went to disrespect the people are embodied in the words allegedly said by the then queen of France, Maria Antoinette. On hearing that people were starving for lack of bread she replied with the now famous sarcastic expression:” If people have no bread, let them eat cake.” The working people naturally took offence. A lot of money had been used to sponsor foreign wars. This money was gotten through increasing the commoner’s taxes. The nobles, on the other hand, lived a life of extravagance indifferent to the suffering of everyone else. When the economy started to fall apart, they are the same people who were expected to pay through increased taxes. The peasants and small land owners were still heavily exploited by the land owners who still persisted with feudalism covertly despite its being discouraged by the king. Another cause of the revolution was the church while religion as an idea cannot be blamed. The nobles and the priests can because of the actions they permitted under the cover of the church. The priests acted with complete impunity and total disregard of the principles they represented. In fact, it could be said they used distorted principle of the church so as to empower themselves. The many revolutionists were seen as anti-god since they opposed corrupt government deriving power from a corrupt church. How the French Revolution Took Place The first step in the revolution is believed to have been taken when the king convened the estates assembly. The 97% majority rebelled against the monarchy and called themselves the national assembly. The king reacted by quickly ordering soldiers to surround them. However, he did not have them attacked as he had originally planned. As a consequence of the liberation that resulted from enlightenment, the nobles denounced above the law status and the national assemble vowed in what is popularly called the “tennis court oath,” not to disperse until the law had been changed to form a parliamentary system like Britain’s (Smitha 2-4). On the 14th of July, demonstrators and rioters armed themselves and attacked the Bastille, a prison fort which was believed to hold many prisoners and arms. They broke in and killed the guards but discovered only 7 prisoners. The soldiers were replaced with an armed militia known as the Royal Guard. In view of his weakened condition, the king gave up and let the people do what they wanted. Outside Paris in the villages, the poor rioted and many attacked the homes of the feudal lords and burnt title deeds of the lands. The assembly begun to rule France in collaboration with the king; however, there was an acute drought at this time, and the church was no longer giving out bread. After a banquet, at the palace where the papers reported there had been an orgy that involved insults to the revolution, the public rioted and attacked the palace in Versailles. The people forced the royal family and the assembly to move to Paris where people could access them easily (Cody par. 2). Later on, the king, displeased with the way the people were controlling his affairs and powers, denounced the revolution and fled. However, he was captured, and the assembly changed the Constitution to allow for a constitutional monarchy to have a king with reduced powers. The years following this were characterized by war against other nations in Europe like Austria and Prussia. The French won many of these wars, but when peace returned, the king, who was by then a prisoner, was publicly executed. Later his wife too was executed. However, the economic problems, violence and war, both external an internal, continued. Finally, in 1760, Napoleon Bonaparte took over power and started a dictatorship and the military regime in France. Results of the French revolution While it may appear that the revolution did not bring liberty to the people because they ended up with a dictator, there were many improvements. One of the results was that the tax system was no longer based on class and privilege. Everyone was to pay tax depending on their income, not their class. The other change was that no other French leader after King Louis attempted to reverse the property ownership rights. Despite this, the financial implication had a significant effect on France and the industries suffered for a long time. The revolution had considerable effects outside France since other governments discovered that their people could do the same. This lead to their becoming more sensitive of their subjects rights and avoided impeaching their freedoms. This was a considerable step towards today’s democracy. The revolution changed the world and people all over the world were liberated, and its impacts in emancipation were felt the world over. Effects and Influences of the French Revolution The national assembly officially banned feudalism and all the other privileges formally enjoyed by the nobles. It issued a set of principles called “The Declaration of Right of Man and Citizen” in consultation with Thomas Jefferson, the then American Ambassador to France. It was a statement, unlike the American declaration of independence, and expressed the importance of justice fairness and man’s right to liberty and to resist oppression. It gave a rise to feminism as women became conscious of their lowers status and started to fight for recognition and equality. This is depicted for instance in the declaration of the right of man was gender insensitive. This inspired Olympe Gouges to write and equivalent version which was known as “The Declaration Of The Rights Of Woman and Citizen.” Marie Roland was another feminist who agitated for recognition. However, they were not taken seriously, and many people were executed for the sake of their beliefs. The revolution influenced and inspired many artist and writers of the romantic world to write about social change and revolution. The revolution inspired many prominent writers who in turn influenced the world through their writings. Examples of these include: William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge who wrote on democracy and freedom. In their writings, they recognized the role of revolution as a tool for social change. Dickens’ famous classical masterpiece, A Tale of Two Cities, which discussed the problems caused by the revolution to the ordinary people both English and Frenchmen, and its effect on England and France was also motivated by the same. Personal Opinion In my opinion, the French revolution despite the fact that it caused a lot of death and destruction was the necessary step in changing from the old to the new order. Feudalism had been the bane of common mans freedom and the right to self expression, and it inspired many revolution lists. Monarchs and aristocrats have been exploiting the masses and men were judged according to their class, not their abilities. The revolution showed the world where rulers appeared to have absolute power but served at the pleasure of their subjects. This was demonstrated when the people took up arms against their leaders and took back their freedom. However, there is a lot of danger in rule by mobs since they are often disorderly, hard to control and can be easily manipulated. Vigilantes killed many innocent people, and the guillotine, which became a symbol of loyalty, was an indication that the people were in their quest to get liberation using the same brutal tactics of their former oppressors. Works Cited Country facts. Causes of the French Revolution. Kwintessential Ltd. March 29th, 2010. Web. May 4, 2012. . Smitha, Frank E.The French revolution. n.d. Web. May 4, 2012. . Cody, David. French Revolution. The Victorian Web. 25 October 2010. Web. May 4, 2012. . Read More