What features/factors can you see in the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras that would make it more difficult for a Bourbon monarchy to establish itself?
What features/factors can you see in the French Revolution and Napoleonic eras that would make it more difficult for a Bourbon monarchy to establish itself?
In the period of time the French Revolution and Napoleonic rule are an imperative part of French history. In this period of time the ideology of liberty, equality and fraternity was crucial. The French Revolution was the period in which the Third Estate rebelled against the loathed and detested Ancien Regime, and expands a certain level of authority and supremacy for themselves. Although at times the revolution gave the impression to descend into a travesty, Napoleon was intelligent enough to accomplish some of its aims by launching strong centralised organization. The years of Napoleon’s reign can possibly be considered as the glory years of France. It was the time when France was able to dictate the mainstream majority of Europe and to bring some of the ideology and principles of the revolution to other countries. While the Bourbon monarchy was able to go back to France, the principles and the management that Napoleon left behind in principal remained in place. Consequently it would make it tremendously complicated for the Bourbon monarchy as the changes that were made between 1789 and 1815 possibly could be seen as progressive, while the return to monarchy could be scrutinized as an endeavour to turn back the clock.
The causes of the revolution of 1789 would become an obstruction to the restored Bourbon monarchy. The main cause was the organization and management of government, the Ancien Regime. There were frequent faults with this technique of governing which caused grievances predominantly in the midst of the Third Estate. There were 360 feudal codes previous to the revolution and there were 29 single-handedly in one particular town. An additional key objection was that fundamentally all decisions were made by the monarch. Thus the bourgeoisie and lower class that made up the Third Estate had no influence at all. The monarch was directed only by his own opinions, the clergy and the aristocracy. This becomes an even major problem when it is considered that the Third Estate numbered around 24,700,000 out of a population of 25,000,000. The burden of taxation rested principally upon the peasantry. One of the most terrible of the taxes to hit the peasants was the gabelle, this was a salt-tax. This was such a burden on the peasants as salt was used in order to preserve food, and so for survival. The burden positioned on the Third Estate, and the complete lack of rights that they had, led to greater than ever detestation of the Ancien Regime. This would develop into a major issue for the return of the monarchy as they were associated with this regime, and received much of the blame for the lower classes problems. The taxation system also delayed and held up the development of the French industrial Bourgeoisie as several customs dues had to be paid in order to transport any goods across the country so it was unsuccessful and unbeneficial for businesses to do so. The administration was slow to act and overall the government was not progressing as industry progressed.
