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The French Revolution

Jennifer Vallejos

History 121 World Civilizations Since 1648 Professor Rietkerk 22 February 2011

Vallejos 2 Although the French Revolution involved brutal actions, the positive outcomes of the Revolution had a tremendous impact on the politics of France and brought fourth new ideas and changes that are still practiced today. It essentially transformed France, from a monarchial state with an unyielding social hierarchy, into a nation whose power lied in the hands of the middle class. Forty years prior to the French Revolution there had been several wars France had been involved in someway. The war involvement along with maintaining the French army took a toll on Frances treasury. Louis XVI along with Marie Antoinette, who had absolute power in France at the time, were completely uninvolved from the rest of France and continued to live lavishly. This disconnect from the people of France along with deteriorating funds were a couple of factors that caused the Revolution to happen but brought greater good to the country as I will explore (French Revolution). One of the most important outcomes of the French Revolution was the Declaration of the Rights of Man. Prior to the French Revolution the King and Queen had absolute power to do as they pleased. Since the feudal system did not accurately represent the French population, the Declaration of the Rights of Man sought to change the unfairness. It stated that, all men were born free, that the social classes would be abolished and that life, liberty and property were mans natural rights (French Revolution). As opposed to before when all power was in the hands of the King and Queen, the Declaration of the Rights of Man said that sovereignty would be in the hands of all citizens of France. This was a huge accomplishment for the people of France because they had been under monarchial control for centuries. The next positive outcome of the French Revolution was the creation of the National Assembly (The French Revolution). The Estates-General, which was the French congress, established in France prior to the Revolution, consisted of three estates. The First Estate was the clergy, the Second Estate was the

Vallejos 3 nobility and the Third Estate was the rest of the population of France. The Third Estate that had the most members in it was primarily made up of the common citizens, who were not given the same representation the other Estates were given. The Third Estate, which made up the majority varied greatly in socioeconomic status: some members were peasants and laborers, whereas others had occupations, wealth and lifestyles of nobility (Hunt 15). Having such diversity in the Third Estate made it challenging at times to reach a common solution (French Revolution). Disagreements among the Third Estate, was one of the reasons they were not as strong as they could have been. Joseph Sieys, one of the members of the Estate helped the Estate realize that fighting among themselves would not help them achieve the same representation the other Estates received despite their smaller size. This was another aspect the Revolution addressed. Seeing that neither the king nor other Estates gave the Third Estate their requests, the Third Estate began to organize within itself and recruit actively from other estates (The French Revolution). On June 17, 1789, the Third Estate officially broke away from the Estate-General and proclaimed itself the National Assembly (The French Revolution). Although the National Assembly lasted a short while it helped establish major changes that had a major impact in France. The abolition of feudalism took away both the rights of the nobility and the Roman Catholic clergy, who had taken advantage of their positions. While the upper class did not have to pay taxes and had more advantages, the lower class population struggled to survive. The Revolution helped distribute the power so that all men would be equal, rather than have the minority groups have the majority power in France. The end result was same representation (The French Revolution). Giving the Third Estate equal representation gave the National Assembly control over taxation, which allowed the power of France to represent more of the majority as opposed to before the Revolution (The French Revolution).

Vallejos 4 The third positive outcome of the French Revolution was the Napoleonic Codes. Napoleon declared himself the first consul for life, in a move reminiscent of Julius Caesar during the Roman Republic (Smitha). Although France was now a republic, all the power was in the hands of Napoleon. He established a series of codes known as the Napoleonic Codes, which stated, all citizens were equal before the law (Smitha). The codes also protected peasants, who prior to the Revolution not been accurately represented by the government and left to fight for themselves (Smitha). One of the major strengths Napoleon was able to establish was a centralized government in France. To establish this centralized government he created a series of prefects, sub-prefects and mayors (The French Revolution). Removing local authority to a federal level, he created the Legion of Honor, in which he rewarded soldiers and civilians with honorary titles and government positions (Smitha). This helped instill a sense of loyalty in the people of France and therefore helped him be so successful with their help. Napoleons central government helped complete the national unity of France, which would last over a century (The French Revolution). Another positive outcome of the French Revolution through Napoleon was economic improvement under Napoleon rule (Smitha). Napoleons success as a ruler was greatly measured by the improvements he made in the economy. Unlike the French monarch that was disconnected from the publics economic troubles, Napoleon practiced reasonable taxation. Tax collection was very efficient, with tax collectors under careful supervision (Smitha). The results benefited the state since there was more tax revenue for the state which essentially helped everyone rather than pre Revolution when taxes solely benefited the king and queen. According to research, workers had steady incomes and tolerable living conditions, which was a change from prior to the Revolution.

Vallejos 5 Although the French Revolution saw much bloodshed and violence with the guillotine, the fall of the Bastille and the revolts, it also established a government representative of the people where all men were born free and were entitled to natural rights. The positive impact of politics helped establish Frances economic status that established France as a major political player in Europe. The Revolution brought fourth positive outcomes for the majority of people of France although to accomplish that, it was done through brutal actions. The Revolution freed the state from the trammels of its medieval past and established concepts of national sovereignty and the will of the people, which proved the French Revolution, had an overall positive outcome (Smitha).

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Work Cited Betros, Gemma. "THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AND THE CATHOLIC CHURCH." History Review 68 (2010): 16-21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. "French Revolution." Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition (2010): 1-3. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Feb. 2011. Hunt, Lynn. "The Problem of Politics in the French Revolution." Chinese Studies in History 43.3 (2010): 6-16. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. Poole, Robert. "French Revolution or Peasants' Revolt? Petitioners and Rebels in England from the Blanketeers to the Chartists." Labour History Review 74.1 (2009): 6-26. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. Smitha, Frank. "Napoleon Bonaparte Becomes First Consul: 1796-99." MacroHistory : World History. Web. 22 Feb. 2011. <http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h33-fr6.htm>. Stone, Janet D. "Ending the French Revolution: Violence, Justice, and Repression from the Terror to Napoleon By Howard G. Brown." Historian 69.4 (2007): 813-814. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 18 Feb. 2011. "The French Revolution." Discover France - French Arts, Culture, Tourism. Web. 18 Feb. 2011.<http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/History/DF_revolution.shtml>.