Regents_Essay__Causes_of_the_French_Revolution

Global History Essay The French Revolution has led to major changes in France and other regions of the world, and is one of the most influential periods in history. The ideals of the French Revolution were noble; they wanted liberty, equality, and fraternity. The French Revolution’s ideas, ideals, and reforms would influence many people. The French Revolution has not only affected France, but has effected and has had a large impact on the rest of the world. It can be considered a major turning point in history. There are many causes of the French Revolution. As told in Document 1, one cause for the French Revolution is that the king, Louis XVI, had absolute power. He had the power to appoint all civil officials and military officers, he could make and enforce laws, and he could levy taxes and spend people’s money. Louis XVI also could control expression of thought by censoring speech and press, and could imprison anyone without trial. As shown in Document 2, another large cause of the French Revolution is that the Third Estate was the only estate to pay taxes and the land given to each estate was unfair. The First and Second Estate are only about 2% of the population of France, yet owned 35% of the land and paid no taxes. The Third Estate had to pay so many taxes as a result of the king’s lifestyle and from all the wars that France has been through. The Third Estate was the backbone of France, yet it had very few privileges and had no power to influence government. About 80% of France’s population consisted of peasants. Many of these peasants were very poor, had little to eat, worked very hard, and still had many taxes to pay (Document 3). The Third Estate includes a group called the bourgeoisie. They were well-educated and believed in Enlightenment ideals. The success of the American Revolution inspired them. New views about power and authority in government were spreading. The bourgeoisie were eager to make changes in the government. They thought it was unfair that the Third Estate only gets one vote in the Estates-General. A leading spokesperson, named Abbe Sieyes, said that the Third Estate is “Everything” and wanted more rights. He told the Third Estate to name themselves the National Assembly. Many people of the Third Estate agreed with Abbe Sieyes. This proclaimed the end of feudalism and the beginning of representative government (Document 4). Members of the Third Estate were locked out of their meeting room. They went to an indoor tennis court until they wrote a new constitution. This is known as the Tennis Court Oath. On July 14, 1789, a mob tried to get weapons from a Paris prison called the Bastille. The mob eventually overpowered the king’s soldiers and the Bastille was taken controlled of, which started the French Revolution. All these causes led to the French Revolution. The French Revolution affected the people of France in a large way. The Old Regime was ended. During the peasants uprising, nobles and others had left France. They were called emigres and they hoped to bring the Old Regime back. The emigres were on the extreme right. The sans-culottes were on the extreme left, and wanted a stronger voice in the government. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen attempted to redefine the relationship between the individual and the government. It states that men are born and remain free and equal in rights and that they could get a job according to there ability. It also states that there should be free communication of ideas and of opinions (Document 5). As described in Document 6, the Reign of Terror had a major impact on the people of France. During the Reign of Terror, suspicion was a warrant for imprisonment. Violence was rising and the guillotine killed both the innocent and the guilty. People were killed without having a trial. Some historians believe that as many as 40,000 people were killed all together during the Reign of Terror. The king and queen also lost their lives to the guillotine. Document 7 stated that the French Revolution brought freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Now education is free, compulsory, universal, and secular. People have a lot more opportunities now, and careers are now open to talent. There are also going to be more museums and libraries opening. The French Revolution not only a large impact on France, but on the rest of the world as well. As seen in Document 4, France declared war against Austria and Prussia, which ended up having a large impact on those countries. Napoleon Bonaparte did many things that are still influential to this day. Napoleon Bonaparte sold the Louisiana Purchase, which obviously had an extremely large impact. In Document 8, you see that Napoleon Bonaparte’s reforms stay in some places even after his defeat. Napoleon Bonaparte’s thirst for power led to a rise of nationalism in other countries. This nationalism was a cause for the unification of Italy and Germany. The French Revolution also served as a model for future revolutions. As told in Document 9, an important contribution of the French Revolution was that it made revolutions a part of the world’s political tradition. The French Revolution influenced revolutionaries in the 19th and 20th centuries. Karl Marx based and patterned some of his ideas on the French Revolution. The French Revolution was influence and was important to Chinese students who fought their government in Tiananmen Square. The French ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity inspired many Latin Americans to rise up against their masters. It’s unmistakable that the French Revolution has had a large effect on the world. The French Revolution has had a major impact on the world. It is a major turning point in history. Regardless of the thousands of executions, the French Revolution’s concept was honorable and fair. The French Revolution created both negative and positive effects in France. It challenged the idea of absolute monarchy in Europe and served as model for countries around the world.