The French Revolution - Essay Example

Section A 1. King Louis XVI convened the Estates General in 1789 in order to: C. raise tax revenues 2. The lévee en masse, issued in April 1793, was: A. a military requisition upon the entire French nation 3. The major powers at the Congress of Vienna included: d.Russia, Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain 4.The reform movement known as “Chartism” in Britain advocated for changes including: D. all of the above 5. By the end of the nineteenth century, Britain’s industrial advantage was being challenged by the growth of industrial production in: b. Germany. Section B Based on the original goals set out in 1789, was the French Revolution a success or a failure by 1815? The effects of the French revolution that took place from 1798 to 1799 was characterized by a need for radical and social change. Following the French revolution, this saw and marked the end powerful monarchies and churches. The French people felt that the monarchies’ and churches were abusing their authority by denying the citizens their democratic rights. A lot of people were not in favor of the way the clergy were using their power even during an economic crisis. This crisis was due to poor harvest and two expensive wars. These were the grounds for people wanting a revolution (Germana 52). King Luis XVI also escalated the need for a revolution because he was known to be indecisive. He also had the habit of letting the strong opposition bring him to a position where he could not make a decision on his own. In as much as he reduced the government expenditure, he often was not strong enough to prevent the opposition from thwarting his attempts to create and enact the most important reforms. Therefore, it was easy for those who were against the French monarchy to spread propaganda against the king, thus arousing resentment towards it. Apart from the above factors, other issues also led to the eruption of the French revolution. These include the resentment of the people towards the royal absolutism. The peasants and laborers were also driven by poverty so they thought with the monarchy and the church out of power, they would be able to improve their lives. The people also felt intimidated by the Catholic Church power over the public policies and institutions too. Others also advocated for freedom of worship, combined with resentment towards the French queen known for her extravagant style. These were just among other reasons as to why the French revolution occurred. The goals of the revolution The main goals of the 1789 revolution were to create a constitutional monarchy which would allow for liberty in the French society (Emmet 23-24). Some of the liberties that the French people wanted to have been for instance; sovereignty for the nation, right to speech and conscience, freedom of employment regardless the status, and most importantly, the rights to own property. The people also wanted to have a new constitution that stripped the church off their powers. The new constitution was not to oppose the king but make him as a part of the nation while the church was to be replaced as a source of sovereignty. The people’s goals were inclined towards the rights of the people against the government. However, they were not geared to overthrow the king but rather, stressed on the role of the king. The bourgeois lawyers, who had turned to be revolution lists, demanded that there be tax reforms from the Third Estate. They had the Estate general meeting at regular intervals and protecting property from being unequally distributed. The bourgeois lawyers also had the support of the Second Estate who shared the same goals. They saw that if France was bankrupt, then it will not be in a position to provide them with the essential finances. They also saw that it will not meet the expenses of having a clearer and preferably written constitution. The achievement of the goals Eventually, the 1789 revolution bore fruits. A new constitution that fostered liberal distribution of wealth in terms of employment and wealth came into being. Firstly, the revolution achievement began with the recognition of subsequent of rights, therefore, making it the basic ideology for the new constitution. Through this, they were able to achieve further by barring the arbitrary government and supporting a strong executive king Louis XVI. The king was given the power to protect people’s right especially when it entailed property, under the new constitution of 1791 (Schroeder 100-231). The revolutionists were also able to re-open a free economy by removing the maximum tax. In as much this move caused harm to the san-culottes for several years the Napoleon rule made it workable. The bourgeois were also able to secure their position in the civil constitution of the clergy. To ensure that the revolution survival was a success, they tied the new land owners to the revolution, through the oath of allegiance and the confiscation of the church land. The French revolution of 1718, also paved way for the consolidation of the bourgeois powers by being part of power and legacy. Through this, they managed to stay through the hurdles of the hurdles of the national assembly, which removed the opposition and only remained with the Montagnards, who were marked as the ‘89 biggest beneficiaries by the end of the terror (John 31). This can be well seen with the revolutionists of the ’89, through their words and actions that the bourgeoisie, were mainly concerned with the protection of property and individuals rights, of having equal opportunities. This however, was at the expense of the slaves and a degree of social freedoms. References Emmett. A. A cultural history of the French revolution. History Review Journal 2010. Germane, B. The French Revolution and the Catholic Church. Stanford University Press 2011. John, M. The French Revolution and the Church. New York Press 2009. Schroeder, P. The transformation of European politics. Oxford University press 2010. Read More