why was the french revolution justified

Fearing their own survival depended on Robespierre's removal, on 29 June three members of the Committee of Public Safety openly accused him of being a dictator. [15], The French state faced a series of budgetary crises during the 18th century, caused primarily by structural deficiencies rather than lack of resources. [11], The problem lay in the assessment and collection of the taxes used to fund government expenditure. The Guillotine: The Reign Of Terror [292], Recent studies of the French colonies have largely abandoned the Jacobin-Marxist approach of classic studies such as C. L. R. James' The Black Jacobins (1938) and Aim Csaire's Toussaint Louverture: La Rvolution franaise et le problme colonial (1960). Reign Of Terror Justified Dbq [46], With the suspension of the 13 regional parlements in November, the key institutional pillars of the old regime had all been abolished in less than four months. This meant that although wages increased by 22% between 1770 and 1790, food prices rose by 65%,[7] which many blamed on government failure to prevent profiteering. [103], Growing discontent allowed the clubs to mobilise against the Girondins. All Rights Reserved 2022 Theme: Promos by. Was The French Revolution Justified Like the clergy, this was not a uniform body, and was divided into the noblesse d'pe, or traditional aristocracy, and the noblesse de robe. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Britain led and funded the series of coalitions that fought France from 1793 to 1815, and then restored the Bourbons. The bourgeoisie merchants, manufacturers, professionalshad gained financial The assignats were withdrawn in 1796 but inflation continued until the introduction of the gold-based Franc germinal in 1803. ", or "Long live the king if he keeps his word". It stimulated the demand for further reform throughout Ireland, especially in Ulster. But the revolution had been going on for years before it. Others like Throigne de Mricourt, Pauline Lon and the Society of Revolutionary Republican Women supported the Jacobins, staged demonstrations in the National Assembly and took part in the October 1789 March to Versailles. WebThe first reason that the reign of terror was justified is because France was in need of a new government. French Revolution [82], The Legislative Assembly is often dismissed by historians as an ineffective body, compromised by divisions over the role of the monarchy which were exacerbated by Louis' resistance to limitations on his powers and attempts to reverse them using external support. Following the Paris-based Insurrection of 31 May 2 June 1793 the constitution was suspended and effective political power passed from the National Convention to the more radical Committee of Public Safety. From its early stages, the Revolution therefore displayed signs of its radical nature; what remained unclear was the constitutional mechanism for turning intentions into practical applications. french revolution justified He criticized the inequality in society that was justified by 'natural law' (some people are born low class and other to rule). Led by Bertrand Barre, Pierre Joseph Cambon and Lazare Carnot, as before this central faction acted as a swing vote. True, in the name of liberty, equality, and fraternity, it overthrew a corrupt regime. In a speech made to the Convention on 26 July, he claimed certain members were conspiring against the Republic, an almost certain death sentence if confirmed. [105] Ten members of the commission and another twenty-nine members of the Girondin faction were arrested, and on 10 June, the Montagnards took over the Committee of Public Safety. On 20 April 1792 the French Revolutionary Wars began when French armies attacked Austrian and Prussian forces along their borders, before suffering a series of disastrous defeats. The latter derived rank from judicial or administrative posts and tended to be hard-working professionals, who dominated the regional parlements and were often intensely socially conservative. So there is a truth to the idea of an influential American Revolution. Taken to the Htel de Ville, he was executed, his head placed on a pike and paraded around the city; the fortress was then torn down in a remarkably short time. [157] However, the radical National Convention passed laws in September 1793 and July 1794 imposing the death penalty for a range of offences including "disparaging the National Convention" and "misleading public opinion. However, it was clear power had shifted from his court; he was welcomed as 'Louis XVI, father of the French and king of a free people. Giving power back to the people. WebThe basic thrust of the Marxist historians, in any case, was to treat the Revolution as a whole - ''La Revolution est un bloc,'' Clemenceau once said -seeing the Terror as [280], Dupuy identifies three main strands in nineteenth century historiography of the revolution. Next morning, some of the protestors broke into the Royal apartments, searching for Marie Antoinette, who escaped. [43] The breakdown of law and order and frequent attacks on aristocratic property led much of the nobility to flee abroad. A major slave revolt followed in August. "Clubs, parties, factions". [129], The December 1794 Treaty of La Jaunaye ended the Chouannerie in western France by allowing freedom of worship and the return of non-juring priests. [84], This meant the new constitution was opposed by significant elements inside and outside the Assembly, itself split into three main groups. The French revolution is not a simpele Story of: one Day, the people of France had enough, and started to cut people's head of. The primary bequest were the clerics, the subsequent home were the nobilitys, and the third home were the laborers. Nearly everyone was Catholic, but the Church was repressed. "[115] [b], At the height of the Terror, not even its supporters were immune from suspicion, leading to divisions within the Montagnard faction between radical Hbertists and moderates led by Danton. In rural areas, wild rumours and paranoia resulted in the formation of militia and an agrarian insurrection known as la Grande Peur. When the French and Indian War finally ended in 1763, no British subject on either side of the Atlantic could have foreseen the coming conflicts between the parent country and its North American colonies. [108] They were helped by divisions among their internal opponents; while areas like the Vende and Brittany wanted to restore the monarchy, most supported the Republic but opposed the regime in Paris. This is generally seen as marking the end of the Revolutionary period. A poor harvest and rising food prices led to unrest among the sans-culottes (mostly politically active small businessmen, artisans and clerks), who increasingly saw the new regime as failing to meet their demands for bread and work. They also demanded vigorous price controls to keep bread the major food of the poor people from becoming too expensive. [218], Olympe de Gouges wrote a number of plays, short stories, and novels. WebSo let me help everyone sort this out. Giving power back to the people. [207], Its operation became a popular entertainment that attracted great crowds of spectators. They suggest that "areas that were occupied by the French and that underwent radical institutional reform experienced more rapid urbanization and economic growth, especially after 1850. [18], Two ministers followed in quick succession before the Swiss banker Necker took over in July 1777. This reduced government borrowing costs from 12% per year to under 6%, but he was dismissed in May 1776 after arguing France could not afford to intervene in the American Revolutionary War. It was celebrated on the left as the people's avenger, for example in the revolutionary song La guillotine permanente,[206] and cursed as the symbol of the Terror by the right. Was the chopping of heads on the ravished colored guillotine justified ? The region of modern-day Belgium was divided between two polities: the Austrian Netherlands and Prince-Bishopric of Lige. [124] The Law of 22 Prairial was repealed, any surviving Girondists reinstated as deputies, and the Jacobin Club was closed and banned. [191], In early 1793, royalist planters from Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue formed an alliance with Britain. France permanently became a society of equals under the law. Ultimately, The Reign of Terror in France was not justified because the threats did not require it, the methods were too extreme and It did not support the ideals of the revolution. He and Jean-Paul Marat opposed the criteria for 'active citizens', gaining them substantial support among the Parisian proletariat, many of whom had been disenfranchised by the measure. By 1799, much of its property and institutions had been confiscated and its senior leaders dead or in exile. Although those numbers have been challenged, Franois Furet concluded it "not only revealed massacre and destruction on an unprecedented scale, but a zeal so violent that it has bestowed as its legacy much of the region's identity. [192], In June, the commissioners in Saint-Domingue freed 10,000 slaves fighting for the republic. Melzer, Sara E., and Leslie W. Rabine, eds. While acknowledging that police shootings aimed at moving vehicles have increased since the law passed, French authorities say the rise is mostly because more drivers are refusing to stop. After the Convention passed the law in September 1793, the Revolutionary Republican Women demanded vigorous enforcement, but were countered by market women, former servants, and religious women who adamantly opposed price controls (which would drive them out of business) and resented attacks on the aristocracy and on religion. While the convention was evenly divided on the question of his guilt, members were increasingly influenced by radicals centred in the Jacobin clubs and Paris Commune. [190], Brissot and his supporters envisaged an eventual abolition of slavery but their immediate concern was securing trade and the support of merchants for the revolutionary wars. [106], Meanwhile, a committee led by Robespierre's close ally Saint-Just was tasked with preparing a new Constitution. [139] Although these criticisms were certainly valid, it also faced internal unrest, a stagnating economy and an expensive war, while hampered by the impracticality of the constitution. "[158], Revolutionaries also endorsed the principle of equality. The french way of government failed because there was too much power in the hands of a single person. [266], The French invaded Switzerland and turned it into the "Helvetic Republic" (17981803), a French puppet state. During the Revolutionary Wars, the French invaded and occupied the region between 1794 and 1814, a time known as the French period. Was the French Revolution Successful They also insisted on enforcing the rule that only those who owned land could sit as deputies for the Second Estate, and thus excluded the immensely popular Comte de Mirabeau. Censer and Hunt, "How to Read Images" LEF CD-ROM, Aulard in Arthur Tilley, ed. Resistance was strong in every sector, as Belgian nationalism emerged to oppose French rule. Committee of Public Safety The army recruited former slaves and eventually numbered 11,000, capturing Guadeloupe and other smaller islands. Although only 20% were committed Royalists, many centrists supported the restoration of the exiled Louis XVIII of France in the belief this would end the War of the First Coalition with Britain and Austria. Au carrefour des rvolutions: les clbrations de la rvolution anglaise de 1688 en Grande-Bretagne aprs 1789", "The Bicentenary of the Norwegian Constitution", "The Norwegian Constitution: from autocracy to democracy", "Beyond "The Black Jacobins": Haitian Revolutionary Historiography Comes of Age", "French political thought at the accession of Louis XVI", "The French Revolution and the Catholic Church", "Symbols and the world system: national anthems and flags", "Taxation as a Cause of the French Revolution: Setting the Record Straight", "Genocide and the Bicentenary: the French Revolution and the Revenge of the Vendee", "Emigration during the French Revolution: Consequences in the Short and Longue Dure", "The American and French Revolutions Compared: The View from the U.S.S.R.", "Social Conflict and the Grain Supply in Eighteenth-Century France", "The Failure of the Liberal Republic in France, 17951799: The Road to Brumaire", "The "Alien Origins" of the French Revolution: American, Scottish, Genevan, and Dutch Influences", "The French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen and the American Constitutional Development", "Expanding Women's Rural Medical Work in Early Modern Brittany: The Daughters of the Holy Spirit", "How Five Centuries of Educational Philanthropy Disappeared in the French Revolution", "The Origins, Causes, and Extension of the Wars of the French Revolution and Napoleon", "Macroeconomic features of the French Revolution", "Problems of Law and Order during 1790, the "Peaceful" Year of the French Revolution", "Peasants, Lords, and Leviathan: Winners and Losers from the Abolition of French Feudalism, 17801820", "Rumor and Revolution: The Case of the September Massacres", "Tontines, Public Finance, and Revolution in France and England, 16881789", "The French Revolution and the Politics of Government Finance, 17701815", "The Press and the French Revolution after Two Hundred Years", excerpts and online search from Amazon.com, "Reflections on the Revolution in France", History of the French Revolution from 1789 to 1814, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution, Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany, Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick, Frederick Louis, Prince of Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen, Franois Alexandre Frdric, duc de la Rochefoucauld-Liancourt, Honor Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, Alexandre-Thodore-Victor, comte de Lameth, Louis Michel le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau, Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution, Dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, Prayer of Consecration to the Sacred Heart, Persecutions of the Catholic Church and Pius XII, Pope Pius XII 1942 consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Dogma of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=French_Revolution&oldid=1158801875, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Wikipedia indefinitely move-protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Palmer, R.R. They were tolerated by officials because they had widespread support and were a link between elite male physicians and distrustful peasants who needed help. [232] Its impact on French nationalism was profound, while also stimulating nationalist movements throughout Europe. On 29 November, the Assembly passed a decree giving refractory clergy eight days to comply, or face charges of 'conspiracy against the nation', which even Robespierre viewed as too far, too soon. In December 1793, all members of the Jacobins were required to undergo a "purifying scrutiny" to determine whether they were "men of virtue". British Reforms and Colonial Resistance While all wars are political to some degree, this period was remarkable for the emphasis placed on reshaping boundaries and the creation of entirely new European states. [102], The Girondins hoped war would unite the people behind the government and provide an excuse for rising prices and food shortages, but found themselves the target of popular anger. Instead, it destabilized the country. WebThe French Revolution was mostly a failure because of the ineffective execution of reforms and unnecessary massacre of lives. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. [161], Equality of political rights for male citizens was another ideological issue which divided revolutionaries. One piece of evidence for this was that during the reign of terror the French people had no freedom of religion. French Revolution In conclusion, the French Revolution was very successful because multiple things were accomplished such as the tax prices going down, the social classes going away, and getting a new ruler, (Napoleon Bonaparte), who benefited France so much more than King Louis and Marie Antoinette. WebThe first reason the Reign of Terror was not justified was because of the huge amount of deaths that were caused by it. [152] Cobban, however, argues that "[t]he actions of the revolutionaries were most often prescribed by the need to find practical solutions to immediate problems, using the resources at hand, not by preconceived theories. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. [179] Despite high rates of desertion, this was large enough to manage multiple internal and external threats; for comparison, the combined Prussian-Austrian army was less than 90,000. Despite this show of unity, the Assembly was increasingly divided, while external players like the Paris Commune and National Guard competed for power. Anger flares in France after police shoot and kill teenage driver Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. On 5 October, Convention troops led by Napoleon put down a royalist rising in Paris; when the first elections were held two weeks later, over 100 of the 150 new deputies were royalists of some sort. [180], By February 1795, France had annexed the Austrian Netherlands, established their frontier on the left bank of the Rhine and replaced the Dutch Republic with the Batavian Republic, a satellite state. [85] After Louis officially accepted the new Constitution, one response was recorded as being "Vive le roi, s'il est de bon foi! The Reign of Terror [243], The church was a primary target during the Terror, due to its association with "counter-revolutionary" elements, resulting in the persecution of priests and destruction of churches and religious images throughout France. [225], Economically, many peasant women refused to sell their goods for assignats because this form of currency was unstable and was backed by the sale of confiscated Church property. [282][283] In his The Old Regime and the Revolution (1856), Tocqueville stressed the continuities between the reforms of the old regime and the revolutionary period, and argued that the revolution occurred because the middle classes and peasantry were becoming freer and more prosperous under the old regime and therefore more conscious of the remaining aristocratic privileges and feudal impositions. Emboldened by this, on 22 September the Convention replaced the monarchy with the French First Republic and introduced a new calendar, with 1792 becoming "Year One". [155], Doyle states that while all revolutionaries professed their devotion to liberty "it appeared to mean whatever those in power wanted. WebThe French Revolution (French: Rvolution franaise [evlysj fsz]) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of WebIn the late 1780s, Jefferson witnessed first-hand the beginnings of the French Revolution and what would become the eventual overthrow of King Louis XVI and the French "[156] The liberties specified in the Rights of Man included personal liberty, freedom of religious belief, and freedom of speech and the press, but these could be limited by law in cases where they might cause harm to others or be abused. The French Revolution (French: Rvolution franaise [evlysj fsz]) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. [21], De Brienne, who succeeded Calonne in May 1787, tried to address the budgetary impasse without raising taxes by devaluing the coinage instead; the result was runaway inflation, worsening the plight of the farmers and urban poor. Despite limited support from sections of the military, it was easily crushed, with Babeuf and other leaders executed. WebThe Reign of Terror was not justified because the it took away the rights that the French government had achieved during French Revolution. Why [126] A middle position suggests violence was not inevitable but the product of a series of complex internal events, exacerbated by war. In addition, rather than dissolving the previous legislature as in 1791 and 1792, the so-called 'law of two-thirds' ruled only 150 new deputies would be elected each year. [79], The massacre badly damaged Lafayette's reputation; the authorities responded by closing radical clubs and newspapers, while their leaders went into exile or hiding, including Marat. Prior to 1789, there have been a small number of heavily censored newspapers that needed a royal licence to operate, but the Estates-General created an enormous demand for news, and over 130 newspapers appeared by the end of the year. The Republic seemed on the verge of collapse. The French people were justified to revolt because their rulers, king Louis XVI and the queen, Marie Antoinette, were hoarding food in their palace while their people starved. [86], Although the Brissotins were a minority in the Assembly, control of key committees allowed them to focus on two issues, both intended to portray Louis as hostile to the Revolution by provoking him into using his veto. [285], Jean Jaurs, in his Socialist History of the French Revolution (1901-4) presented a social and economic interpretation of the revolution influenced by Marx and Michelet, and provided an analysis of the role of peasants and the urban poor in the revolutionary decade.

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