Download and internal threats (of traitors inside France threatening to frustrate

THREE ESTATES AND FORMATION
OF ESTATE NATIONALE
THE CITIZENS OF FRANCE WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE POLITICAL
ESTATES . THEY WERE DIVIDED ON THE BASIS OF BIRTH RIGHTS
AND POWER GIVEN .THE THREE ESTATES INCLUDED OF CLERGY,
NOBLES AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC.
THE UPPER TWO ESTATES HAD TO PAY NO TAXES WHILE THE DEFICIT
OF THE TAXES HAD TO BE PAID BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC. SO IN
THE ASSEMBLY OF THE REPRESNTATIVES ABOUT 90% OF THE
TOTAL WERE PEOPLE OF GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND THE VALUE OF
THEIR VOTE WAS THE LEAST. AFTER THEIR NUMEROUS UNHEARD
DEMANDS AND UNEQUALITY IN EVERY FIELD THE PEOPLE RAISED
THEIR VOICE AGINST THE MONARCHY AND FORCEFULLY
DEMANDED FOR THEIR RIGHTS. THEY FINALLY BROKE OFF THEIR
TIES WITH THE MAIN MONARCHY AND SET OUT TO REVOLT
BASTILLE
ON 14 JULY 1789, AFTER THE THIRD ESTATE OR THE GENERAL PARTY BROKE
AWAY THIS BODY TO CREATE THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ON 17 JUNE 1789,
THE PEOPLE HAD ALREADY LEFT THE CHOICE OF JOINING THE ASSEMBLY,
TO THE WILLING FUTURE MEMBERS; SO AS THE PEOPLE RECIEVED NO
VALID RESPONSE THE GREW ANGRIER WITH THE SYSTEM. SO NOW THEY
STORMED THE NATIONAL PRISON OF BASTILLE WHICH WAS HELL ON
EARTH. THE SEVEN PRISONERS WHO WERE IN BASTILLE WERE ALL
FOUND TO BE INSANE IN DIFFERENT PSYCHOLOGICAL MATTERS
DIFFERING BY DIFFERENT REASONS. THOUGH THEPEOPLE HAD A
DIFFERENT REASON TO INVADE BASTILLE AND THAT WAS BECAUSE BACK
IN THE TIME, BASTILLE STOOD AS THE PROOF OF THE KING’S CRUEL AND
INTOLERANT OLICIES.THEY ALSO CELEBRATE THIS DAY AS THEIR
NATIONAL DAY AND THIS MARKED THE FIERCE STARTING OF THE
REVOLUTION. THEY SANG THE NATIONAL SONG ON THEIR WAY. THEY
WERE DENIED FOR ENTRY BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE JAIL, SO THEY
KILLED HIM AND TOOK HIS HEAD WHICH WAS CUT OFF FROM IT’S NECK
AND FLARED IT AS A SYMBOL TO IT’S FIRST VICTORY .
TAXES
WOMEN’S MARCH
THE FRENCH PEOPLE WERE DEEP IN THE SPIRITS OF REVOLT
WHEN THE WOMEN’S MARCH TOOK PLACE . AROUND
7,OOO PEASANT WOMEN COLLECTED IN THE MARKETS OF
PARIS AND THEN VISITED HOTEL DE VILLE FOR LISTENING OF
THEIR DEMANDS BUT WERE SEVERELY IGNORED SO NOW
THEY DECIDED TO MOVE THEIR MARCH TO VERSAILLES
WHERE THE ROYAL FAMILY THEN RESIDED. THE WOMEN
CARRIED WEAPONS AND THEY KILLED A FEW PALACE
GUARDS WHILE REACHING THE RESIDENCE OF THE ROYAL
FAMILY. THEY THEN FORCED THE ROYAL MONARCHY TO
MOVE TO PARIS WHICH THEY DID ON OCTOBER 6,1789.
BLOOD SHED THROUGHOUT THE WAR
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION IS KNOWN FOR ITS ACCOUNT OF
UNCOUNTABLE DEATHS. THE PEOPLE WERE NOW INCHARGE
OF THE MOST COUNTRY BUT THE MONARCHY STILL
REMAINED . THE FIRST TIME THEY KILLED PEOPLE ON
OFFICIAL SCALE WAS ON THE WOMEN’S MARCH. THEN THEY
CONTINUED THE SPREE UNDER DIFFERENT LEADERS AND FOR
THE SAKE OF A CONSTITUENT FRANCE. THE KING WAS
FORCED TO DECLARE THE BILL FOR THE CONSTITUITION BUT
THE CONSTITUITION WAS UNABLE TO TAME THE PEOPLES’
NEEDS. NOW THE COUNTRY WAS DISHEVELLED IN IT’S OWN
PEOPLE, CONSPIRACIES AND DISORIENTED PLANS LED TO
VARIOUS UNSIGNIFIED DEATHS. THE MOST CONTROVERSIAL
DEATH IS WHEN THAY EXECUTED THEIR KING LOUIS XVI
UNDER THE ACCUSATIONS OF HIM BEING INVOLVED WITH
THEIR RIVALS AND PLANNIG CONSPIRACIES AGAINST HIS
OWN COUNTRY . ON 17 JANUARY 1793, THE PEOPLE VOTED
FOR THE KINGS EXECUTION. SOON AFTER ON 21ST JANUARY
1793, KING LOUIS WAS EXECUTED BY THE GUILLOTINE ON
THE PLACE DE LA REVOLUTION. THE QUEEN WHO WAS
LABELLED AS MADAME DEFICIT BECAUSE OF HER
PAMPERED HABITS AND HER HABITS OF SPENDING
CARELESSLY ON UNWANTED LUXURIES, WAS ALSO
EXECUTED SOON SFTER THE KING.THIS DEMANDED
IMMEADIATE ACTION FROM THE NEIGHBOURING
COUNTRIES AS THIS ACT THREATENED THE SAFETY OF THE
COUNTRIES AND THE FIERCE SACRIFICE THE FRENCH WERE
WILLING TO MAKE FOR THE SAKE OF UNDEFINED JUSTICE.
REIGN OF TERROR
THE COMMITTEE OF PUBLIC SAFETY CAME UNDER THE
CONTROL OF MAXIMILIEN ROBESPIERRE, A LAWYER, AND
THE JACOBINS UNLEASHED THE REIGN OF TERROR (1793–
94)COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY ACTIVITIES.[AS MANY AS
40,000 ACCUSED PRISONERS MAY HAVE BEEN SUMMARILY
EXECUTED WITHOUT TRIAL OR DIED AWAITING TRIAL.
ON 24 JUNE, THE CONVENTION ADOPTED THE FIRST
REPUBLICAN CONSTITUTION OF FRANCE, VARIOUSLY
REFERRED TO AS THE FRENCH CONSTITUTION OF 1793 OR
CONSTITUTION OF THE YEAR I. IT WAS PROGRESSIVE IN
PARTICULAR BY ESTABLISHING UNIVERSAL MALE SUFFRAGE.
CONCLUSION OF REIGN OF TERROR
THE REIGN OF TERROR ULTIMATELY WEAKENED THE REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT, WHILE TEMPORARILY
ENDING INTERNAL OPPOSITION. THE JACOBINS EXPANDED THE SIZE OF THE ARMY, AND CARNOT
REPLACED MANY NOBLE RANKED OFFICERS WITH SOLDIERS WHO HAD DEMONSTRATED THEIR
PATRIOTISM, IF NOT THEIR ABILITY. THE REPUBLICAN ARMY REPULSED THE AUSTRIANS, PRUSSIANS,
BRITISH, AND SPANISH. AT THE END FEBRUARY–MARCH OF 1793, THE ARMY BEGAN TO PREVAIL AND
REVOLTS WERE DEFEATED WITH EASE. THE 1794) PROPOSED THE CONFISCATION OF THE GOODS OF
EXILES AND OPPONENTS OF THE REVOLUTION, AND THEIR REDISTRIBUTION TO THE NEEDY. HOWEVER,
THIS POLICY WAS NEVER FULLY IMPLEMENTED.
THREE APPROACHES ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN THE REIGN OF TERROR IMPOSED BY THE JACOBINS IN 1793–94.
THE OLDER MARXIST INTERPRETATION ARGUED THE TERROR WAS A NECESSARY RESPONSE TO OUTSIDE
THREATS (IN TERMS OF OTHER COUNTRIES GOING TO WAR WITH FRANCE) AND INTERNAL THREATS (OF
TRAITORS INSIDE FRANCE THREATENING TO FRUSTRATE THE REVOLUTION). IN THIS INTERPRETATION, AS
EXPRESSED BY THE MARXIST HISTORIAN ALBERT SOBOUL, ROBESPIERRE AND THE SANS-CULOTTES WERE
HEROES FOR DEFENDING THE REVOLUTION FROM ITS ENEMIES. FURET HAS ARGUED THAT FOREIGN
THREATS HAD LITTLE TO DO WITH THE TERROR. INSTEAD, THE EXTREME VIOLENCE WAS AN INHERENT
PART OF THE INTENSE IDEOLOGICAL COMMITMENT OF THE REVOLUTIONARIES – THEIR UTOPIAN GOALS
REQUIRED EXTERMINATING OPPOSITION. SOBOUL'S MARXIST INTERPRETATION HAS BEEN LARGELY
ABANDONED BY MOST HISTORIANS SINCE THE 1990S. HANSON (2009) TAKES A MIDDLE POSITION,
RECOGNISING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FOREIGN ENEMIES, AND SEES THE TERROR AS A CONTINGENCY
THAT WAS CAUSED BY THE INTERACTION OF A SERIES OF COMPLEX EVENTS AND THE FOREIGN THREAT.
HANSON SAYS THE TERROR WAS NOT INHERENT IN THE IDEOLOGY OF THE REVOLUTION, BUT THAT
CIRCUMSTANCES MADE IT NECESSARY.
LA MARSEILLAISE
"LA
MARSEILLAISE" BECAME THE NATIONAL ANTHEM
OF FRANCE. THE SONG WAS WRITTEN AND
COMPOSED IN 1792 BY CLAUDE JOSEPH ROUGET DE
LISLE, AND WAS ORIGINALLY TITLED "CHANT DE
GUERRE POUR L'ARMÉE DU RHIN". THE FRENCH
ADOPTED IT AS THE FIRST REPUBLIC'S ANTHEM IN
1795. IT ACQUIRED ITS NICKNAME AFTER BEING
SUNG IN PARIS BY VOLUNTEERS FROM MARSEILLE
MARCHING.
NAPOLEON BONAPARTE
NAPOLEON WAS A COSICAN SOLDIER WITH
EXCELLENT ABILITIES AND A PASSION TO RULE.
HE SERVED AS A SOLDIER IN A HIGH POST IN THE
FRENCH ARMY FROM 1796-1799.
HIS MOST IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTION BESIDE HIS
HELP IN MILITARY POWER IS THAT HE TOOK
CHARGE OF THE COUNTRY IN IT’S DISTURBED
TIME. HE POSSESSED EXCELLENT MANAGING
AND GOVERNING SKILLS WHICH CONCLUDED AS
HIM ENDING THE MONARCHY AND
ESTABLISHING DICTATORSHIP OVER FRANCE.
CONCLUSION
THE WARS DID NOT CONCLUDE TO ANY SPECIFIC DEMANDS
BEING HEARD, IT DID GIVE THE COUNTRY A TIME OF GREAT
HARDSHIP AND SORROWS. BUT THE ONE THING IT ENSURED
WAS THE POWER POSSESSED BY THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND
WHAT THE POWER COULD RESULT IN. THE PEOPLE EXECUTED
THE ULTIMATE RULERS OF THE GOVERNMENT. IT ALSO
DEMANED THE NEED FOR PROPER UNBIASED GOVERNMENT
AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ROLE OF PEOPLE IN
GOVERNING THEMSELVES.
IT GOT SHOWCASED AS THE FIRST REVOLUTION IN
HISTORY AND SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE GENERATIONS TO
FOLLOW, FOR VALUES LIKE COURAGE. IT STILL SWELLS THE
CHEST OF EVERY FRENCH CITIZEN WITH PRIDE AND IT
CONCLUDES TO THE FACT THAT EVERY SORROW OF THE
PEOPLE AND EVERY HARD SHIP HAVE GIVEN THE SHAPE TO
FRANCE’S CURRENT SUCCESS.
ARUSHI PUN
CLASS : VIII-G
RYAN INTERNATONAL SCHOOL, CHANDIGARH