In your unit study, you explored the causes and effects, characteristics, as well as the consequences, of each of these revolutions. What did they have in common? How did they differ? For this portfolio, you will complete this document as you explore the similarities and differences between the French and American Revolutions.
Question #5 The French Revolution was an influential part of history that was inspired by liberal and radical ideas. The Revolution was known to be the Revolution that upset the course of history. The result of the French Revolution was the decline of the theocracies and also absolute monarchies. Instead of having theocracies and absolute monarchies they had republics and democracies.
By the late eighteenth century, France a country full of tension divided into three estates was on the brink of revolution. In the 17 to the 18 century the despiteful villages of France had no clemency from the nobles or clergy. It was disastrous for the peseants when they paid the immence levy. The absolute monarchy meant nobles had complete authority over peasants. In addition the enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire, John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Montesquieu and more encourage change which lead to the French revolution.
The French Revolution was a drastic time for the people of France. In 1789, the majority of people were living in poverty and dealing with terrible conditions. People were split into three estates: the first, second, and third, the first being the wealthiest. Political, economic, and social situations were what contributed to people’s desire for change. The three main, or biggest causes of the French Revolution, were taxes, inequality, and lack of reform.
Many different things caused the French Revolution of 1789-1799, ranging from social injustices to an economic crisis. In France during this time, the middle class and peasantry were combined into a single estate, causing many people in the middle class to become angry about their lack of rights. The French state was deeply in debt because of King Louis XVI’s extravagant spending, and it relied on the peasants to pay all of the taxes. This led to the frustration of peasants at the unjust taxes, many of whom could not afford to pay their dues. Finally, the Enlightenment, a time where many new ideas about human rights surfaced, had a great impact on the French people and their idea of government.
King Louis XVI was the king at the time and was an absolute ruler and gave privileges to the first and second estates. The third estate was the only state that paid taxes and it could be so overbearing they could be left with nothing while the other states lived extravagantly. When the people of France decide to take action they formed the national assembly and made a bill of rights. The bill of rights for the French Revolution outlined the goals for the end of the Revolution, which were Liberty, fraternity, equality, Property, Security, Resistance to oppression and freedom of religion. The French Revolution ended in 1799 but yet there was still war and chaos in France.
The French revolution was the result of decades of social inequality, national financial troubles and radical ideas developing in Europe. For years, the lower 99% of French society was tormented by the inability to rise up from their status to become nobility or become wealthy. While the people seethed under the aristocracy, the French national debt soared from their financial support to the American Revolution. France needed to raise more taxes to sustain the economy and maintain order, but this required major changes. Three things needed to be done to prevent a revolution: all three estates had to be taxed and not just the commoners of the third estate; voting had to be done by population rather than by estate; the horrific leadership of King Louis XIV had to come to end.
The term “Revolutionary” is an instantaneous change or shift that promotes equal rights, liberty, and freedom. So, while some may argue that the revolution was a turning point for America, The American revolution in this case is not revolutionary since slavery was still present, minority groups did not gain rights, and British ideals and tactics were still being used in the new government. One of the crucial pieces of evidence that this “revolution” could not be considered revolutionary is because of the slavery still taking place even after the war ended. Throughout the revolt against British rule in the 16th century, the American people fought under the banner of truth, justice, and liberty for all people, However, the only people that indeed
When Louis XVI came to power he was weak. The nation was nearly bankrupt, and though it seemed irreversible Louis had different ideas than just taking advantage of what little the nation had and using it for the rich. When he first took the throne he had decided that nobles and clergy should pay taxes like the rest of the people. It was unfair that the aristocracy had advantages that the others did not. Not only because it was unjust but it was hurting the country.
During the Eighteenth Century, France had an absolute monarchy with Louis XVI as king and Marie Antoinette as queen. In that time period, French society was based upon a system of Estates where the clergy made up the First Estate; the nobility comprised the Second Estate, and everyone else including professionals, peasants, and the bourgeoisie made up the Third Estate. The Third Estate was immensely unhappy with the old regime, the Estates General, and Louis XVI’s leadership. France was also in the midst of a fiscal crisis due to the American Revolution, Louis XVI’s lavish lifestyle, the Seven Years War, and the tax exemption of the First and Second Estate. Following the surge of new ideas and impactful philosophers from the Enlightenment,
This completely challenged Frances current system of an absolute monarchy. France also suffered through several years of poor harvests further increasing the gap between the rich and the poor. The years before the French Revolution would trouble both financially and socially, influenced by many more factors than the decisions of King Louis
The events which played out in 1688-89 saw an end to James II’s reign and in his place, the succession of William of Orange (William III) and Mary, protestant daughter of James II, to rule as joint monarch; this was known as the Glorious revolution. This period is often viewed as one of the most significant political changes in British constitutional history but also one of most controversial, particularly because it brought its name into question. In determining the degree to which the Glorious revolution was revolutionary, it is first vital to comprehend the motives behind William of Orange’s arrival to England. Second, although the glorious revolution was largely depicted as a premeditated and bloodless war, the dealings in Ireland and Scotland
The French revolution is considered to be the most significant and effective event in the history. It changed the lives of many peoples and changed the future. Since people of France were under the control of the King they wanted to get rid of French government to eliminate power of the king. There were numerous other factors that also lead the French to the revolution. There were also many social unfairness among the taxes between the estates.
Opening paragraph The French Revolution was a major failure and a minor success. After all of the blood shed, the laws, civil rights, and codes did not get instituted effectively and did not represent the values that the citizens had fought for. Examples of this were the Napoleonic Code and Declaration of Rights of Man. Another reason it was a failure was because during the revolts and reforms more than 40,000 men and women died.
The French Revolution was mostly successful because it created equality in the social classes and France was able to stabilize their economy with reforms but all the success was at the cost of many lives during the reign of terror and war. Napoleon made the Napoleonic Code that did not apply to just one social class but all of them. Napoleon also made tax reforms that equaled the taxes through out all the social classes. The simple tax reforms created equality through all the social classes in France. With the new tax reforms the economy of France started to stabilize.
