A good informative video summarizing the main effects of the French Revolution.
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Liberty Project: Effects of the French Revolution on the World After the end of the French Revolution which took place from 1789-1799, the monarchy was abolished in favor of a new representative government. The French Revolution was a period of social and political change in France that primarily came as a result of displeasure with the King’s policy, a poor economy, and increasing taxes on the Third Estate (Cahier 3). Three main effects came as a result of the French Revolution: Its effect on Europe, its effect on the Latin American Revolutions, and its Effect on France itself. By exploring the aftermath of the French Revolution one finds that the French Revolution had a lasting aftermath on many parts of the world (Decree Abolishing Feudalism). The country that experienced the greatest aftermath from the French Revolution was France itself. The biggest change that France experienced after the French Revolution was political changes. France abolished the current absolute monarchy at the time, Louis XVI. Tensions between the common citizens of France, (The Third Estate), and Louis XVI were rising even before the French Revolution, due to high taxes on the Third Estate, no taxes on the Second Estate, a poor harvest, and a poor economy. Inspired by the American Revolution, the Third Estate formed the National Assembly. The National Assembly signed a published document known as the Tennis Court Oath promising not to give up until a constitution was established (Tennis Court Oath). They first imprisoned Louis XVI, and later put him on trial where he was sentenced to death for high treason. Before the revolution, the King would have absolute power over the people, the people would have little to no say and the nobles would only have small power over their respective lands they are representing (France Before The Revolution of 1789). The revolution led to the rule of Emperor Napoleon and later the Bourbons, and though they acted much like monarchs, ensured the common rights of the Third Estate which were liberté, égalite, and fraternité. France moved from an absolute monarch to a constitutional monarch. The following statement was included in the constitution: “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good” (Declaration of the Rights of Man). That declaration implies that the Third Estate thought that all men were naturally equal and everybody had an equal amount of rights. Also, it implies that the Third Estate were not necessarily against social distinctions, such as a monarch, but only if it was for the good of the public. Not only did the French Revolution affect France politically, but it only affected it economically. Harsh harvest taxes imposed on the Third Estate to pay off the national debt was ended. Large areas of land controlled by the Church were broken up and seized, giving more land to the common people. In more urban areas entrepreneurship flourished and thrived because taxes and laws were dissolved. In general, the French Revolution led to more wealth trickling down to the common citizens or people of France. Another major effect of the French Revolution was in the form of French conquests. The French Revolution led to many French land and property conquests of territories outside of its current one, primarily led by the successful and later emperor Napoleon. France and Napoleon were able to conquer Belgium, Netherlands, some certain German areas, Switzerland, and a large part of Italy . All of these conquests brought a huge influx of territory, citizens, and wealth into France itself. The area of France and its states grew tremendously after the French conquest, and French power and influence among Europe increased as a result of the French Revolution. In conclusion, the French Revolution reshaped and changed France politically, socially, and economically. The French Revolution did not only have an effect on France itself, rather its influence and aftermath spread throughout out the world. One of these places is Latin America. The French Revolution was a major inspiration for the Latin American Revolutions that would ensue about a century later, and along with the American Revolution acted as an example for Latin America to follow. The French Revolution raised and promoted many French liberal thoughts and Enlightenment ideas led Latin Americans to question the current state of affairs present in their region, which was held by Spanish absolutist rule (French Revolution). The collection of French liberal thoughts, known as Liberalism, were based on equality, equal rights, natural rights, separation of church and state, and individualism (Civil Constitution). These ideas, which were brought up in both the American Revolution and the French Revolution were both new and fresh ideas in Latin America that would gain a lot of support throughout Latin American thinkers and activists. People would start questioning Spain’s absolutist rule, and called for a separation of church and state. Liberalism would become very influential and dominant in many parts of Latin American including , which would lead to the Mexican Revolution in 1911 (Michael 4). The French Revolution would also have an outstanding amount of influence on the revolutions in Venezuela, Brazil, Chile, and Portugal. In conclusion, the French Revolution’s aftermath and the ideas and values presented in the French Revolution influenced the Latin American Revolutions. In addition to France itself and the Latin American Revolutions, the French Revolution would also significantly influence many parts of Europe. Most of the influence that the French Revolution would have on these parts of Europe are a result of the French conquests during this time period. The French would successfully conquer Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, parts of Italy and several Germanic states. As a result of the French conquests and ultimately the French Revolution, Belgium would for a definite time period become a province of France. Both the Netherlands and certain Germanic areas that France conquered would become states of France. The new territories of France served as an important influx of wealth and goods into France that helped to combat the vast amounts of national debts that Louis XVI and his predecessors accumulated as the years grew, which was a reason why the French Revolution started in the first place (Trans-Atlantic Crisis). These influxes of wealth substituted the heavy taxes Louis XVI imposed on the Third Estate that were abolished by the National Assembly. The influence of the French Revolution on the rest of Europe spread beyond these French Conquests, however. Other countries such as Britain and Scandinavia were affected by the ideas and core values of the French Revolution as well. Though there was limited support in Britain for the French Revolution, the vast majority of people saw the French Revolution in a context of distrust and did not support the French Revolution. This made tensions between Britain and the French rise even more, and led Britain to distrust France more than they already had in the past. The French Revolution led Britain’s treasury to sum large sums of money towards a coalition that neutralized some of French’s earlier military successes and French conquests. Britain grouped with the Ottoman Empire and Austria and all contributed large sums of money to neutralize and contain France as a whole. At the time Scandinavia, or the Kingdom of Denmark took into consideration the values and morals of the French Revolution. The Kingdom slowly reformed its current government and gradually shifted away from an absolute monarchy to a monarchy that would hold less and less power as time went on. More and more power would come into the hands of the people instead of the central government or monarch. Throughout Europe in general, the French Revolution led some people to question whether or not absolutism is a good idea and if the people should hold a larger say in the government. On the other hand, skeptics of the Revolution pointed towards the chaos and disruption that a country might experience if they were to give people power. Altogether, the French Revolution had a significant and lasting impact on the rest of Europe territorially, politically, and philosophically. When one looks at the diverse influence and effects that the French Revolution had on the rest of Europe, France and the Latin American Revolutions, one finds that the French Revolution had a large effect on many parts of the world. These effects were diverse in form and consisted of economical, social, political, philosophical, and territorial effects. The French Revolutions affected many aspects of the world in many different ways and still does to this day. The French Revolution had many lasting effects that shaped the world back then to how it is today. Works Cited France: Declaration of the Right of Man and the Citizen [], 26 August 1789, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b52410.html [accessed 09 November 2014] "The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, 1790."The Civil Constitution of the Clergy, 1790. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://history.hanover.edu/texts/civilcon.html>. "The Decree Abolishing the Feudal System."The Decree Abolishing the Feudal System. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://history.hanover.edu/texts/abolfeud.html>. "The French Revolution." The French Revolution. Web. 09 Nov. 2014. <http://www.fsmitha.com/h3/h33-fr.html>. "The Tennis Court Oath." French Revolution. Web. 10 Nov. 2014. <http://alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/tennis-court-oath/>. "Trans-Atlantic Crisis: The French Revolution." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association. Web. 08 Nov. 2014. <http://www.ushistory.org/us/19a.asp>. Sonenscher, Michael. Before the Deluge Public Debt, Inequality, and the Intellectual Origins of the French Revolution. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2007. Print. |