Assess the idea that is the ideologies, which emerge from the French revolution, rather than the events, which have had a greater impact.

The major causes of the French Revolution were the ongoing disputes between the different social classes of French society.

The ‘San Culottes’, were starving while the wealthy monarchy were living it up and enjoying a luxurious life. Louis the sixteenth was in power at this period, and was decreasing the Royal finances at a dramatic rate. It was quite possible he was unaware how the rest of society was living. He had no contact with lower classes and it is quite possible he was totally oblivious to the suffering he was causing. These peasant classes decided they were going to object to the way they were being forced to live, and this is how the revolution came about.

There was no planing behind the revolution and these people were unaware of the effect it would have throughout Europe and the world. The revolution began a government financial crisis, but quickly became a movement of reform and violent change. On July fourteenth, 1789, a huge crowd of Parisians rushed to the Bastille, now known as the ‘storming the Bastille’. They believed they would find food to feed themselves and ammunition there, for the use of defending themselves against the king’s army. “ A truly working class reaction to their situation would change politics forever”. (C/H French revolution).

King Louis the sixteenth was placed on trial for betraying his country, he was found guilty of treason. The people voted for the death penalty, and he was later beheaded (1793).

The peasants had a say in their country’s government and ‘the angry mob’ was now in power. It was at this time, they first questioned how they were to govern themselves.

“Through revolutionary ideology and institutional change, the bourgeoise gained a political authority not known before in any European country”. (C/H French revolution).

At this time in French history, the social classes played an important role in the lives of the people. The social structure was divided among three groups, the first estate, which was the church, second estate represents the nobles and the commoners made up third estate. Each social group had varied type of people within their structure, which were supposed to represent the different views of people.

When the king invited his subjects to express their opinions, about this great event, “hundreds did so….. and here the liberal or ‘patriot’ ideology of 1789 first began to take shape”. (C/H French revolution).

Louis the sixteenth had tried to ignore the third estates vote, and was convinced the upper two chambers would out weigh them, if this had of been so, he could have ruled the government the way he wished. This was to be proven a major error in his thinking. “The third Estate took a decisive revolutionary step by proclaiming its conversion into a National Assembly”. (C/H French revolution).

The Royal government, knew at this early stage they were getting nowhere, and there was to be no turning back for these newly empowered people. At this point it became a popular revolution.

The Paris Commune was established and the National Assembly continued to meet with the realisation that they needed to meet the needs of the masses, their main objective was for liberty, equality and fraternity.

On the 26th of August 1789 the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Men. The purpose of this document was to produce equality within France and to abolish the class ...

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The Royal government, knew at this early stage they were getting nowhere, and there was to be no turning back for these newly empowered people. At this point it became a popular revolution.

On the 26th of August 1789 the National Assembly issued the Declaration of the Rights of Men. The purpose of this document was to produce equality within France and to abolish the class system that was prevalent, meaning that a man could achieve high status despite his parentage. Throughout the country, peasants sat up and took notice, at what had been gained by the masses a ripple effect started to occur. “Similar municipal revolutions occurred in 26 of the 30 largest French cities, thus assuring that the capitals defiance would not be an isolated act”. (C/H French revolution).

This was to give the revolution a far more popular dimension. What lead from this was the storming of the Bastille. Now looked on with a different light, as it was the peasants fight for survival. There was now no turning back, the peasants were standing strong, and in their masses they burned the policies and documents that recorded their feudal obligations.

“From 1789 to 1791, the National Assembly acted as a Constituent Assembly, labouring productively on a constitution for a new regime”. (C/H French revolution). This was the starting point for women getting a fair say in society, by receiving a vote. This was not to come about just yet however, as the assembly had seen no place for women to have anything to do with government. A woman’s place was to be at home raising children for another few years.

Maximilien Robespierre then was the main leader, he was the leader of the twelve-man committee which effectively governed France at the height of the radical phase of the revolution. They put into effect policies, which stabilised the French economy and began the formation of the very successful French army. It also directed its energies against counter-revolution uprisings, which then brought about a new policy that involved the use of the guillotine across France. The Committee was in favour of imposing equality by direct democracy, punishment and violence. The guillotine was the scythe of equality, the people’s axe. This was later to be known as, ‘the reign of terror’ this took place between 1793-1794. “Political crimes were now so widely defined that nobody felt safe”. (2001, Doyle).

The people were concerned over the amount of deaths, and began to blame Robespierre. A group of deputies, who feared they might be his next targets, began to plot against him. Robespierre was shouted down at a convention and after issuing threats to the national convention, he himself was arrested in July 1794. He was guillotined, as a victim of the terror.

Robespierre was not a hero to any of the French, nor was he a great leader of his time, he was ruthless and determined to get what he wanted. He was a leader who never took into consideration his followers.

It was the French followers of the revolution, who then became the leaders. They were called the Jacobins. They lead their system of government with the beliefs of a free and democratic state.

1793 the Jacobin leaders created a new citizen's army to fight rebellion in France and war with other European nations”. (Internet site).

The Jacobins came close to their objectives but were only in power for one year.

The next guide for the people was Napoleon 1796. He was already known as a military hero. He was to take on a different role as a leader, than had previously been elected. Instead of looking where his previous leaders had gone wrong, he took a different route, and looked to the Romans for inspiration. Popular as a ruler because he provided the French with stability. He led a Roman type empire. The consulate had three consuls, as Napoleon was first consul, he controlled all the power. One of the major changes he brought about was that, Catholicism was re-established in France, after previously being forced underground during the revolution. He himself was a devoted Catholic. He retained control of the Church by having the authority to nominate all high church officials.

He went ahead and exploited his popularity by electing himself, consul for life.

In 1804, France was given a new constitution, this brought about the Republic being confided to an empire. This leader was very intelligent, he knew what he wanted, and would let nothing stand in the way of getting it. He has been remembered for many of the great changes brought about such as, reforming the university system, and establishing the bank of France. These were things that benefited all classes, but most importantly secured his hold on public authority.

Napoleon makes his biggest error of all, when he invades Russia in 1812. This stretched his army and supplies beyond endurance. He surrendered in 1814, and was sent to Elba. He became irritated at the powers that had previously defeated him, and returned to France. There he gathered up an army and returned to face the allied armies, who were under the Duke of Wellington. Napoleon and Wellington had long rival enemies, but yet again Napoleon was defeated.

“Napoleonic rule would bring it’s own problems and contradictions, but it endured because it began by resolving others that had torn the country apart for more than a decade”. (2001 Doyle).

The stage was set for a new secular age by his works.

The initial impulse of the French revolution was destructive, and the government now assumed that the French people would accept it’s place and take a step down. These people had other ideas, the revolutionaries wanted to abolish, what everyone now believed as the old order and ancient regime back in place. By the summer of 1791, the Constituent Assembly finalised the constitution. A lot of people were angered by this new document. One of the new rules declared, the law no longer recognises religious vows or any other engagement contrary to natural rights and the constitution.

“By 1793 they were so comprehensive that an outrage priest coined a new word to describe them: vandalism, evoking the anti-Christian depredations of ancient barbarians”.(2001 Doyle). What the men and women of 1789 and 1793, thought they had abolished forever often reappeared and there seemed to be no easy way of getting what they had fought for, for ten years. The women lost their vote and the ruling government yet again tried to create the Constitutional Monarchy. Despite this, religious practice had not been stamped out and in fact was the main starter of opposition to the new order. The Pope reconciled Catholics with a new regime by re-establishing their church.

For much of the restoration period, the estate was compelled to rely on men who had established themselves under the Emperor.

The old nobility was recognised once again.

The coronation of king Charles x this was to arouse more ridicule, it was said the king who succeeded him never made any rule by the grace of God and instead was chosen by the French Nation.

There was no point to reinforcing the old regime, as a reoccurrence of before was always possible even though monarchies, nobles and churches all reappeared after the revolution, none of them really returned to who they had once been before 1789.

Before 1789, there was no such thing as revolutionary. Nobody could have known the results it would achieve, and if a established order could be so quickly overthrown, there was no telling what other changes would come about.

The events which occurred during the French Revolution were very important, but even more so were ideas it created. It brought people to the forefront of politics. No longer were people going to sit back and allow higher authorities to dominate an unfair way of life. “If the mighty French Monarchy, the nobility and the feudal law from which it justified its pre-eminence, not to mention the Catholic Church itself, could be challenged and rejected on grounds of rationality, utility, and humanity, then nothing was beyond challenge”. (2001 Doyle).

The ideas of individual rights, and liberty expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Men began to spread into many other countries and many people started revolutions of their own.

Socialism, Liberalism and Nationalism are all results of the revolution. It gave people the idea, that if they tried, they could reorganise a society whenever it was needed.

Social movement was brought by the French revolution. The San Culottes marched together to change society as it was known. There was power in great numbers, more so then the voices of individuals, there was nothing the King’s army could do against the masses, other than listen to what they were speaking out about.

The ideologies of Liberalism had never before been heard, until Napoleon was in decline, so it was one of the new laws created by the French revolution.

The declaration of man and citizen, had meant freedom, of thought, believes and expression. Liberals believed in the equality embodied in the declaration, which meant, equality before the law, equality of rights, and equality of opportunity. This meant the law permitting slavery was abolished. These were human beings that had rights, and were no longer seen as someone else’s property.

Nationalism, is now one of the most enduring and potent ideologies of the French Revolution. For proof of this, one only has to look to the horrific and bloody struggles to see Nationalism in many African states today.

This has to be said, it is by far the most dangerous ideology to have came from the revolution, as it works on the emotional side of peoples feelings
and there is no telling the lengths people will go to get satisfactory results.

The French Revolution, at first it seemed a failure but had far-reaching results. In France the bourgeois and land-owning classes emerged as the dominant power. Feudalism was dead; social order and contractual relations were consolidated by Napoleon. The Revolution unified France and enhanced the power of the national state. The Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars tore down the ancient structure of Europe, hastened the advent of nationalism, and changed forever the era of modern society. It has been said, that it had an extraordinary influence on the making of the modern world, as we know it.

Furthermore ideologies such as Liberalism and Secularism which may have effected Europe in the 19th century, are now being played out in South Africa and Asia. Therefore I would agree with the opening question of this essay, the ideologies which emerged from the French Revolution have had a greater impact than the actual events which took place.