The French Revolution began in 1789. It was about words, and the great Montesquieu’s The Spirit of Laws became the bible for leaders of the French Revolution. On June 17, the Third Estate, the people, declared it is now the National Assembly (Schwartz). They were now the legislature of France. A month passed to bring the fall of the Bastille on July 14. The shot heard around the world from America years earlier was certainly heard in France. The people understood that they could rebel against their king and gain fair treatment. Had we unleashed the Golden Age? The fall of the French prison signified the end of Louis XVI’s authority and became a symbol of triumph over despotism. The cowardly nobility began emigrating, while the Assembly endorsed peasant revolution by abolishing feudalism. The “Great Fear” came about in August when nobles hired brigands to destroy peasant harvest and hopes of reform (Jones 182). The job of the nobility was to organize and lead the defense of their country and their king (Durant 251). I do not believe damaging crops fit in the category of defense. A nation is truly corrupted when it loses character and liberty (Halsall). This fear mobilized the peasantry into direct action against …show more content…
This included myself. I recollected Voltaire’s thoughts as I stepped closer to my death. There are no miracles, for if there were, I should not have my life cut short when I gave the French reason. My neck was positioned at the bottom and I closed my eyes to reason where I was going. There was no reasonable explanation for my destination after having my head sliced. None of Robespierre’s people deserved this because the Terror saved the republic. I did not witness from France the Convention being replaced by the Thermidorian Convention. In November, the new Convention closed all Jacobin clubs in Paris (Schwartz). The radical stage was