French Revolution

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==The Terror==
 
==The Terror==
Simply said, the revolutionaries became a bit paranoid and decided they were surrounded by "liberty ennemies" and reacted in consequence. They basically overwrote the need for a fair and balanced project and began to happily wed themselves to Madame Guillotine (a instrument of beheading). Ironically, the choice of the guillotine as a mean of execution was part of the egalitarian ideals of the Revolution because before its implementation decapitation was reserved to noblemen. The terror finished when his proponent and instigator Maximillien Robespierre "The Incorruptible" was beheaded.  
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Simply said, the revolutionaries became a bit paranoid and decided they were surrounded by "liberty's enemies" and reacted in consequence. They basically overwrote the need for a fair and balanced project and began to happily wed themselves to Madame Guillotine (a instrument of beheading). Ironically, the choice of the guillotine as a mean of execution was part of the egalitarian ideals of the Revolution because before its implementation decapitation was reserved to noblemen. The terror finished when his proponent and instigator Maximillien Robespierre "The Incorruptible" was beheaded.
 
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==An Atlantic revolution==
 
==An Atlantic revolution==

Revision as of 03:33, 2 May 2012

Viva la Vida! Oh wait, wrong revolution.

While there were several, the French Revolution generally refers to the overthrowing of French King Louis XVI and the established aristocracy from 1789 to 1792. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, particularly for libertine concepts such as democracy.

Contents

Background

In the years leading up to the revolution, the aristocracy of France enjoyed lavish lifestyles during a time of near-bankruptcy while the masses lived in abject poverty. The poor and clergy were subjected to increased taxes as a result of failed military engagements (such as the Seven Years), but also suffered food shortages due to food shortages and low crop yields, while the noblemen paid taxes disproportionate to their wealth (sound familiar?).

Revolution!

Following the storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July 1789, mob rule took over France's metropolitan centers. Partly inspired by the American Revolution, Frenchmen (and women) cast aside the aristocracy, performing citizens' arrests of noblepersons and anyone associated with them (including paid servants who would not cast aside their loyalties).

A secular republic was established to replace the monarchy and a constitution was drafted, with the King retaining title but power being placed in the hands of the populace. Church officials became employees of the state and a non-denominational church became the official "religion" (called the Cult of the Supreme Being).

Once warned of this great atrocity,Europe's monarchs decided to wage war to France hoping to reinstate Louis XVI in his absolute power. The king and his noblemen (which were the officers in the French Army) didn't show great zeal in the defense of their country. That and other factors (Learning that the Queen sent military secret to the Emperor of Austria), led at an uproar against the kings and nobles which were tried for treason and sentenced to death. The death of Louis XVI mark the beginning of the Terror.

The Terror

Simply said, the revolutionaries became a bit paranoid and decided they were surrounded by "liberty's enemies" and reacted in consequence. They basically overwrote the need for a fair and balanced project and began to happily wed themselves to Madame Guillotine (a instrument of beheading). Ironically, the choice of the guillotine as a mean of execution was part of the egalitarian ideals of the Revolution because before its implementation decapitation was reserved to noblemen. The terror finished when his proponent and instigator Maximillien Robespierre "The Incorruptible" was beheaded.

An Atlantic revolution

When France's Caribbean colonies got news that the French state was now based on the "universal" values of "liberty, equality and brotherhood," many of the occupants of those colonies pointed out that those ideas were somewhat incompatible with the fact that they were chattel slaves. The resulting uprisings brought an end to the slave system in those colonies. Although slavery was reinstated in Martinique and Guadaloupe when Napoleon came to power, the slaves of Saint Domingue (modern-day Haiti) successfully broke from France and became the second free republic in the New World.

Aftermath

The popularity of the Revolution would be its ultimate undoing. The laws of the new France, as well as the officials elected to carry out those laws, turned out to be more tyrannical than those that had been in place under the monarchy. Revolts against the Revolution in rural provinces and dissent among the empowered, including a large contingent of feminist freedom fighters who had been integral to the Revolution only to have their voices silenced by the misogynists in the new government, led to great internal civil strife. Even the Revolution's most prominent leader, Maximillian Robespierre, was eventually arrested for, convicted of and beheaded for treason against the new Republic. The constitutional monarchy failed, and eventually France was forced into a war against Austria during which Napoleon Bonaparte rose to power to become emperor in the early 1800s.

Modern consequences

All countries have a mythology that defines who they are as a people and as a nation. The French Revolution stands out to the French people, differently than the American Revolution does for citizens of the United States, because it was an internal movement against the established government. That has lead to a belief within France that "We the people" are not just the ones who elect the government, they can take it down, too. Consequently, French workers are always striking, as part of their French heritage, as if to say "we are still here, don't overlook us".

An Another consequence is that the Revolution was the overthrowing of a divine right monarchy so the struggle against religion is associated in France with the struggle against tyranny. This line of thought reached its height in 1905 when the French divided the Churches and the States (Even before that the French government was kind of obligated to finance every religion and not just catholiscism)

The musical theme of the French Revolution, "La Marsaillaise", was composed during the end of the Revolution and remains the country's national anthem.

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