The French Revolution Bryce Thomaschefsky Junior Division Research Paper Word Count: 1112
The French Revolution By: Bryce Thomaschefsky Thesis Statement The French Revolution started with the French citizens over-throwing decades of a powerful monarchy, which brought forth a new democratic state to France and improved the treatment of its citizens. The Revolution has also proved that anybody can bring a change if you have enough supporters behind them. Background to the Revolution Though the revolution s causes are still debated upon by historians, there is proof that one of the main causes was economic downfall. After the Seven Years War and financial aid to the colonists during the American Revolution, King Louis XV had cumulated over 1.3 billion livres (French currency,) in debt. When the king had died, this great amount of debt had passed on to his grandson, King Louis XVI, to which he did no help to repair the financial crisis. This did not make the citizens happy. The citizens of France were divided into 3 Estates. The first estate, being the Clergy (people who worked for the church) and the King and Queen, didn t have to pay taxes. The same went for the Second Estate, the Nobles (aristocrats). The Third Estate was everybody else, who all paid heavy taxes to the King and Queen. Another reason for the beginning of the Revolution, was a crop famine. And prices on bread for the peasants rose to over 50% more than it s original price. While the King and Queen ate heavily and had no worries, even with Queen Marie Antoinette s excessive spending. With all of this happening, the King decided to hold a meeting with representatives from each Estate. The Estate-General.
As the King held the Estate-General, the Third Estate declared they were going to break off away from everyone else, and create the National Assembly. When there was a break and the Third Estate was out, the King had locked the doors and basically told the Third Estate, If you cannot assemble, how can you ever be an assembly? In reply, the Third Estate went to a nearby tennis court and declared the Tennis Court Oath. This stated that the National Assembly (the third-estate) would not stop to force a new constitution on to the King, and on July 14, 1789 the revolutionaries stormed the Bastille, a prison that was believed to have weapons and ammunition. The French Revolution had begun. A possible look of what the Tennis Court Oath could have looked like. Source: Britannica Image Quest The Stand On July 14, 1789, French revolutionaries stormed the Bastille which according to the staff at Britannica.com, a trusted, knowledgeable database stated, The Bastille, stormed by an armed mob of Parisians in the opening days of the French Revolution, was a symbol of the despotism of the ruling Bourbon monarchy and held an important place in the ideology of the Revolution. (Britannica Staff, 2016, p.1) This is saying that storming the Bastille proved that the revolutionaries can propel themselves into a revolution, showing what power they have.
After gaining weapons and ammunition from storming the Bastille, the third estate made violent protests that almost worked until the National Assembly abolished feudalism which brought an end to the tax problems that were burdening the third estate. After the first victory for the third estate, the National Assembly created the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, in which they got the idea directly from Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration was just a statement of principles rather than constitutional list of laws. After the Declaration had been declared constitutional law, on October 5, 1789, over 7,000 women had marched from Paris to Versailles (the King and Queen's palace). Their reasoning was so that the officials can address all the economic concerns that they had, as almost all of them were living in poverty. As the mob of women marched, they brought with them cannons and other small weapons. The crowd had demanded to the King and Queen to relocate the monarchy to Paris and under General Lafayette s persuasion, they did. When the King and Queen had moved to Paris under protection of the National Guards (the National Assembly s guards), they had officially legitimized the National Assembly. The French Revolution was also the base for many new political parties in France. Seeing the rise of right-wing radicalism and, we also get to see the National Assembly more in favor of a constitutional monarchy rather that a republic. We also get to see a radical group called the Jacobins, who along with Maximilien Robespierre, A brilliant political tactician and leader of the radical Jacobins in the National Assembly. As chairman of the Committee of Public Safety, Robespierre pursued a planned economy and vigorous mobilization for war. He grew increasingly paranoid about counterrevolutionary opposition, however, and during the Reign of Terror of 1793-1794 attempted to silence all enemies of the Revolution in an effort to save France from invasion. After the moderates (yet another political faction) regained power and the Thermidorian Reaction was under way, they had Robespierre executed on July 28,
1794. The Reign of Terror executed almost 17,000 people by guillotine. Of these people, two were King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Aftermath and the Effect The aftermath of the French Revolution was that normal, everyday people can make a gigantic change in the world. It was how standing up for your freedom can bring down an entire monarchy. In a quote from Alphonse Aulard, a French historian, states, From the social point of view, the Revolution consisted of the suppression of what was called the feudal system, in the emancipation of the individual, in greater division of landed property, the abolition of the privileges of noble birth, the establishment of equality, the simplification of life The French Revolution differed from other revolutions in being not merely national, for it aimed at benefiting all humanity. (Aulard, 1922) This is telling us about the effects of the Revolution. The Revolution caused people to be more equal to each other by realizing that they didn't want this to happen again. It brought forth democracy to France. And it made an example to the world of what power can do when it goes to your head. The French Revolution may be forgotten in the future, but it s effect will last on for a very long time. In conclusion the French Revolution improved the treatment of the French citizens, overthrew a powerful and unfair monarchy, brought forth a new democracy for the French citizens, and gave a great example on how you can stand for the freedom of you and your country. `
Works Cited Secondary: "Bastille." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. This helped by showing me on what the symbolism behind the Bastille meant. Image/Primary: "Britannica ImageQuest." Britannica ImageQuest. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. This showed me the amount of people motivated by the cause to stop the King and Queen. Secondary: The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "French Revolution." Encyclopædia Britannica. This showed me some facts on the subject/topic. Secondary: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 23 Dec. 2016. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. Facts on the subject/topic. Secondary: "French Revolution." French Revolution - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. Some political insights on the subject/topic. Secondary: "FRENCH REVOLUTION." FRENCH REVOLUTION. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2017. This showed me citizens views on the revolution. Secondary: History.com Staff. "French Revolution." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 06 Feb. 2017. This gave me insights on the Monarchy during the French Revolution. Secondary: "Jacobin Club." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2017.
This showed me on the views on the radical Jacobins. Primary: Napoleon, and De Chair Somerset Struben. Napoleon on Napoleon: An Autobiography of the Emperor. London: Cassell, 1992. Print. N.p., n.d. Web. This showed me some effects on the revolution. Secondary: "Reign of Terror." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2017. This gave me facts on the Jacobins involvement in the executions of over 17,000 people during the Reign of Terror. Secondary: SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. This gave me more facts on the Revolution. Secondary: Stewart, Gail B. Life during the French Revolution. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 1995. Print. This gave me an idea on what it was like to live during the French Revolution. Primary: "[Three Panel Cartoon Representing the Change in Condition of French Peasants, Union of the Three Orders (clergy, Aristocracy, and People), and Miserable Plight of Peasants]." The Library of Congress. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2017. This showed in a cartoonish way, the humiliating treatment of the third-estate citizens.