Transitional Justice in the Age of the French Revolution - Essay Example

Section/# Whereas the French Revolution was influential in determining the way in which representative governance would be exhibited throughout the world in the coming decades and centuries, it nonetheless was an extraordinarily difficult period of time and one that saw thousands put to death during a brutal reign of terror. As a means of understanding this conflict to a more determinate degree, the following analysis will seek to engage the reader with some of the core highlights of accomplishments and key weaknesses that the French Revolution experienced. A great deal of misunderstanding exists regarding the French Revolution. As the world has shifted more towards a democratic system of governance, many historians and stakeholders within society like to point the American and French Revolutions as being primary evidence for the growth and development of representative democracy. Although it is true that both of these revolutions had a profound and determinate impact concerning the way in which governance would continue to evolve over the next several hundred years, the more relevant understanding that can be had, at least with respect to the French Revolution, was that the desire for representative governance was secondary to the desire to overthrow the existing monarchy and rid the nation of the aristocracy. As with any revolution, different undercurrents and movements exhibited themselves within the French Revolution; however, by and large, the revolution was one that did not place a primary focus upon representative governance – as is so oftentimes thought by historians. Through an analysis of the development and causations for the French Revolution, this particular research paper hopes to integrate the reader with a more profound and more deeply nuanced understanding of the French Revolution; one that does not view it through the rose tinted glasses of optimism with respect to democracy and the will of the people.1 Further a level of comparison and contrast will be drawn to the United States Revolution; due in part to the fact that both of these revolutions are widely compared and contrasted as “similar” in many different ways. Although it is not the view of this author that this similarity is strong, the discussion which will be provided will assert the main reasons for this viewpoint. Firstly, it must be understood that the French Revolution were partially predicated upon the economic hardships that the nation was experiencing before and during the crisis. The French monarchy was faced with a fundamental issue of paying off the debt that it experienced as a direct result of the Seven Years War.2 Drawn into this conflict by a desire to expand territorial holdings in the New World and a direct desire to challenge the British Empire, France and its allies found themselves in something of an endless struggle against a powerful and resilient British Empire. Further, as the French monarchy was unable to draw upon the resource of colonies, at least to the same extent of the British Empire could, the French instead opted to increase the amount of money that was expected from peasants within the countryside.3 These discontented, disenfranchised, and utterly forgotten individuals soon resented this added hardship and rose against the nobles as a means of not only winning the freedom they had long desired but also of freeing themselves and future generations from the unnecessary economic hardship of unreasonable taxation. This level of economic hardship cannot and should not be ignored. Ultimately, whereas the American Revolution had an element of economic frustration for the very same reasons, the American populace was not taxed to exhaustion. By means of comparison and contrast, the French monarchy viewed their own peasant base as worth little more than any other raw material and saddled them with increasingly impossible tax payments. This caused abject frustration and ultimately was the spark that ignited the French Revolution. No longer able to abide the harsh taxes, ill treatment, and looking for another way forward, the French Revolution began with the storming of The Bastille.4 Although it is not the place of this analysis to discuss the similarities and differentials between the United States Revolution and the French Revolution, the differential that must be understood is predicated upon the fact that the French Revolution was done as a means of allowing the peasants freedom from the financial constraints that the monarchy had placed upon them in its bid to service the debt and continue to promote an opulent lifestyle. However, even though the American Revolution had an element of economic hardship and frustration, the core determinant of this New World revolution was predicated upon the fact that the American colonies no longer felt obligated to be joined the England or the crown; moreover, the desire to forge a new government and experiment with a degree of representative governance also provided a key impetus for the divergence from England. Another interesting element of similarity between these two revolutions has to do with the fact that both revolutionaries in France and revolutionaries within the United States were mainly supportive of the cause that their brethren across the ocean was engaging.5 Whereas it is true that individual such as John Adams actively denounced the bloodletting that was being experienced within the Republic of France, others such as Thomas Jefferson were mainly supportive of the process that was taking place. By much the same token, prominent philosophical debates within the French Revolution were oftentimes categorized by a level of abject awe and a discussion concerning the merits of the prior American Revolution; using it as a model for engagement with the ills of the current times. In all, scholars estimate that approximately 17,000 individuals perished under the hands of an especially Draconian “Reign of Terror”; highlighted by the use of the guillotine to dispatch the enemies of the French Republic.6 This element of bloodshed caused a distinctive fissure throughout much of the world and caused far reaching reverberations that would impact upon history and the growth of democracy for decades. As monarchs saw the brutal reign of terror that was instituted within revolutionary France, the fear that such a “sickness” could spread to their own nation and negatively impact upon their system of governance and/or the royal family within a particular region caused a series of reactionary monarchies to crush any and all decent that was being raised against their rule. Whereas the French Revolution is widely understood as a fundamental cornerstone of the ability and desire of a modern people to express their will and force a change in governance, the bloody way in which it was carried out might have actually negatively affected the representation of representative democracy throughout the world. By comparison, the revolution within the United States was widely regarded as a curiosity by many European courts and peoples; yet it was not considered as an eminent threat to legitimacy in the same way that the French Revolution was. This may have been in part due to the fact that the American Revolution took place so many thousands of miles away whereas the French Revolution was affected immediately within the continent of Europe. Another common misconception that exists concerning the French Revolution ahs to do with the belief that many individuals hold concerning the ultimately success of the revolution. A warped interpretation of history has caused individuals to understand that the French Revolution was somehow successful in achieving its goal of direct democracy. Whereas it is true that the French Revolution was successful in ridding the nation of the monarchy that had so abusively ruled over them for many centuries, it did not achieve a rapid level of immediate success in terms of establishing a representative republic. As the debates concerning how such a government should be formed and who should have a say in how the growth of this government proceeded, the many fragmented approaches caused a situation in which the clamor of anger and the many new ideas that could be put forward were stifled.7 As a result, the need for a strong and formal system that cold approach the issues that were being debated came to be clearly apparent. Rather than being purely successful in their quest to create more representative Franc, the French Revolution instead exhibited a partial success in that they were able to establish a bicameral legislature. However, without the existence of a strong executive branch, the effectiveness of the French Revolution was greatly reduced. Moreover, a direct consequence of this oversight, the likes of Napoleon was able to spring to a level of prominence and power within the chaos of post-revolutionary France. 8 Yet the importance of the French Revolution cannot be understood only in terms of the potential growth in representative republics or with regard to the impacts upon the European system of governance and responses; instead, it must also be understood that the French Revolution and its radicalism had a profound impact with regard to how France would evolve and understand its place within the future. The French Republic was very much revolutionary even after it was created; ultimately leading to the Napoleonic wars and the failed establishment of Republican forms of government elsewhere throughout Europe in the period immediately after the French Revolution. As a result of the fact that the status quo was removed and individuals sought to forge a new path forward, a new identity for the French was established.9 Arguably without this new identity, the power of Napoleon or any other leader would not have been able to exist and could not have created such a lasting impact with respect to the development of the late 18th and early 19th century within Europe. Another issue that is oftentimes misunderstood with respect to the French Revolution is with regard to the belief that it was the French Revolution which first exhibited the desire for self determinism and/or representative governance within the Europe. The fact of the matter is that the growth of democracy within Europe far predates the French Revolution. Ultimately, the Putney Debates, the establishment of the British Parliament, and even the Magna Carta illustrate that the path towards representative governance was a very long time in the making throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Whereas it is true that the French Revolution was one of the first violent uprisings in the name of representative governance and the end to the divine right of kings, elements within the British Civil war nearly 150 prior to the French Revolution, illustrated many of these same elements.10 Whereas the other democratic developments that had taken place within Europe up until this point approached the issue of representation within the framework of understanding that the system itself could still be used, the French Revolution was especially violent and unsettling to the rest of the monarchies within Europe due to the fact that it actively advocated a level of violent uprisings against existing powers.11 Drawing upon the success of their American counterparts, the French took the struggle for democracy a step further and sought to liberate social classes and set a new standard for the way in which society could be organized in the future. The power and importance of this is relevant to a further understanding of the French Revolution as it played a powerful role in defining the view of individuals such as Karl Marx and the way in which Communism would be practiced. Although it must not be misunderstood that the French Revolution had no direct connection with global communism, it did very much have a connection to the class warfare that would come to define much of the rest of history since this point in time. As individuals came to be partially liberated from their enslavement to the upper class, a renewed level of science, understanding, and philosophy came to be exhibited throughout France and within much of the rest of the word. In much the same way that the decline of the Catholic Church during the renaissance cleared the way for resurgence of human thought, the French Revolution had a pivotal impact with respect to the way in which the world would understand the role of the individual to the state.12 Consequently, France was transformed from an ailing member of the European community to a strong and self determinate empire that challenged the global order for many years to come. The unique dynamic within France was one that was completely incomparable with the experience of many individuals throughout the remainder of the world. As a result of this hardship, the seeds of fury, indignation, and a desire to be free were planted. By much the same token, the experience that the downtrodden French peasants had undergone under the cruel and in different leadership of the monarchy was completely and entirely dissimilar to the economic situation that the colonists experience within the 13 colonies. However, both of these revolutions fostered similar ideals and promoted and engagement and understanding with respect to the fact that the divine right of kings and the era of unquestioned monarchy was drawing to a close. Regardless of whether or not the French revolution or the American Revolution can be considered as one in the same, the reader can come to the profound appreciation of the fact that both of these occurrences had a transformative power with regards to the way in which governance and an understanding of the citizen’s role towards the government would be predicated in the years to come. Bibliography Bell, David A. 2014. "Questioning the Global Turn: The Case of the French Revolution." French Historical Studies 37, no. 1: 1-24.Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 23, 2014). Comay, Rebecca, and Joshua Nichols. 2012. 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Lorenz Educational Press, 2000 Sharp, Paul, and Jacob Weisdorf. 2012. "French revolution or industrial revolution? A note on the contrasting experiences of England and France up to 1800." Cliometrica 6, no. 1: 79-88. Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost (accessed March 23, 2014). Sieyès, Emmanuel, and Michael Sonenscher. Sieyès: Political Writings: Including the Debate Between Sieyès and Tom Paine in 1791. Hackett Publishing, 2003. Spicker, Paul. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. The Policy Press, 2006. Steinberg, R. n.d. "Transitional Justice in the Age of the French Revolution." International Journal Of Transitional Justice 7, no. 2: 267-285. Social Sciences Citation Index, EBSCOhost (accessed March 23, 2014). Vardalos, Marianne, and Guy Kirby Letts. Engaging Terror: A Critical and Interdisciplinary Approach. Universal-Publishers, 2009. Read More