French‌‌Revolution‌ ‌

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❖ French‌‌Revolution:‌ ‌
➢ The‌‌French‌‌Revolution‌‌was‌‌an‌‌important‌‌event‌‌in‌‌modern‌‌
European‌‌history‌‌that‌b
‌ egan‌‌in‌‌1789‌‌and‌‌ended‌‌in‌‌the‌‌late‌‌
1790s‌‌with‌‌the‌‌ascent‌‌of‌‌Napoleon‌‌Bonaparte‌.‌‌During‌‌this‌‌
period,‌‌French‌‌citizens‌r‌ edesigned‌‌their‌‌country’s‌‌political‌‌
landscape,‌‌uprooting‌‌centuries-old‌‌institutions‌‌such‌‌as‌‌
absolute‌‌monarchy‌‌and‌‌the‌‌feudal‌‌system‌.‌‌ ‌
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❖ The‌‌causes‌‌of‌‌the‌‌French‌‌Revolution:‌ ‌
➢ Political‌‌inequality:‌ ‌
■ There‌‌was‌‌political‌‌inequality,‌‌as‌t‌ he‌‌monarchy‌‌granted‌‌
extreme‌‌power‌‌to‌‌an‌‌individual‌‌family‌‌while‌‌denying‌‌
political‌‌representation‌‌for‌‌the‌‌vast‌‌majority‌‌of‌‌the‌
population.‌‌(e.g‌‌Power‌‌of‌‌nobles‌‌and‌‌clergy‌‌in‌‌the‌‌
Estate‌ ‌)‌ ‌
➢ E
‌ conomic‌‌inequality‌:‌ ‌
■ There‌‌was‌‌economic‌‌inequality,‌‌as‌‌the‌‌distribution‌‌of‌‌
wealth‌‌had‌‌become‌‌so‌‌extreme‌‌that‌‌a‌‌handful‌‌of‌‌people‌‌
were‌‌enormously‌‌wealthy‌‌while‌‌the‌‌majority‌‌were‌‌in‌‌
poverty.‌
➢ Social‌‌inequality:‌ ‌
■ There‌‌was‌‌social‌‌inequality,‌‌as‌‌the‌‌‌social‌‌classes‌‌
(royalty,‌‌nobility,‌‌peasantry,‌‌merchants)‌‌were‌‌rigidly‌‌
defined‌‌and‌‌often‌‌in‌‌conflict‌‌with‌‌one‌‌another.‌ ‌
➢ Rise‌‌of‌‌Middle‌‌Class:‌ ‌
■ During‌‌the‌‌same‌‌period,‌a ‌ ‌‌rising‌‌educated‌‌middle‌‌class‌‌
was‌‌forming,‌‌and‌‌they‌‌became‌‌involved‌‌in‌‌learning‌‌
and‌‌spreading‌‌ideas‌‌of‌‌liberty‌‌and‌‌equality‌‌from‌‌what‌‌
we‌‌now‌‌call‌‌the‌‌Enlightenment.‌‌‌They‌‌were‌‌growing‌‌
increasingly‌‌intolerant‌‌of‌‌these‌‌long-standard‌‌injustices,‌‌
and‌‌increasingly‌‌confident‌‌that‌‌they‌‌had‌‌the‌‌power‌‌to‌‌
rectify‌‌them.‌ ‌
 ❖ The‌‌French‌‌Estates:‌‌ ‌
➢ Before‌‌the‌‌French‌‌Revolution,‌t‌ he‌‌people‌‌of‌‌France‌‌were‌‌
divided‌‌into‌‌social‌‌groups‌‌called‌‌"Estates‌."‌‌The‌‌First‌‌Estate‌‌
included‌‌the‌c ‌ lergy‌‌(church‌‌leaders)‌,‌‌the‌‌Second‌‌Estate‌‌
included‌‌the‌‌‌nobles‌,‌‌and‌‌the‌‌Third‌‌Estate‌‌included‌‌the‌‌
commoners.‌‌Most‌‌of‌‌the‌‌people‌‌were‌‌members‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Third‌‌
Estate.‌‌The‌‌Third‌‌Estate‌‌paid‌‌most‌‌of‌‌the‌‌taxes,‌‌while‌‌the‌‌
nobility‌‌lived‌‌lives‌‌of‌‌luxury‌‌and‌‌got‌‌all‌‌the‌‌high-ranking‌‌jobs.‌ ‌
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❖ Third‌‌Estate:‌ ‌
➢ The‌‌Third‌‌Estate‌‌was‌m‌ ade‌‌up‌‌of‌‌everyone‌‌else,‌‌from‌‌
peasant‌‌farmers‌‌to‌‌the‌‌bourgeoisie‌‌(burz‌‌waa‌‌zeee)–‌‌the‌‌
wealthy‌‌business‌‌class.‌T ‌ he‌‌Third‌‌Estate‌‌was‌‌98%‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
total‌‌population‌‌and‌‌had‌‌none‌‌of‌‌the‌‌rights‌‌and‌‌privileges‌‌of‌‌the‌‌
other‌‌two‌‌estates.‌‌(Nobles‌‌and‌‌Clergy)‌ ‌
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❖ When‌‌did‌‌it‌‌take‌‌place?‌‌ ‌
➢ The‌‌French‌‌Revolution‌l‌asted‌‌10‌‌years‌‌from‌‌1789‌‌to‌‌1799‌.‌‌It‌‌
began‌‌on‌J
‌ uly‌‌14,‌‌1789,‌‌when‌‌revolutionaries‌‌stormed‌‌a‌‌
prison‌‌called‌‌the‌‌Bastille.‌‌‌The‌‌revolution‌‌came‌‌to‌‌an‌‌end‌‌in‌‌
1799‌‌when‌‌a‌‌general‌‌named‌N ‌ apoleon‌‌overthrew‌‌the‌‌
revolutionary‌‌government‌‌and‌‌established‌‌the‌‌French‌‌
Consulate‌‌‌(with‌‌Napoleon‌‌as‌‌leader).‌ ‌
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Outcome:‌T
‌ he‌‌French‌‌Revolution‌‌completely‌‌changed‌‌the‌‌social‌‌
and‌‌political‌‌structure‌‌of‌‌France‌.‌I‌t‌‌put‌‌an‌‌end‌‌to‌‌the‌‌French‌‌
monarchy,‌‌feudalism,‌‌and‌‌took‌‌political‌‌power‌‌from‌‌the‌‌Catholic‌
church.‌I‌t‌‌brought‌‌new‌‌ideas‌‌to‌‌Europe‌‌including‌‌liberty‌‌and‌‌freedom‌‌for‌‌
the‌‌commoner‌‌as‌‌well‌‌as‌‌the‌‌abolishment‌‌of‌‌slavery‌‌and‌‌the‌‌rights‌‌of‌‌
women.‌‌Although‌‌the‌‌revolution‌‌ended‌‌with‌‌the‌‌rise‌‌of‌‌Napoleon,‌‌the‌‌ideas‌‌
and‌‌reforms‌‌did‌‌not‌‌die.‌‌These‌‌new‌‌ideas‌‌continued‌‌to‌‌influence‌‌Europe‌‌
and‌‌helped‌‌to‌‌shape‌‌many‌‌of‌‌Europe's‌‌modern-day‌‌governments.‌ ‌
 ‌
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The‌‌role‌‌of‌‌philosophers‌‌in‌‌the‌‌french‌‌revolution‌‌are‌‌as‌‌
follows:‌ ‌
(1)‌‌During‌‌the‌‌18th‌‌century,‌‌France‌‌had‌‌many‌‌revolutionary‌‌thinkers.‌‌
Among‌‌them‌‌were‌‌Voltaire,‌‌Rousseau,‌‌Montesquieu‌‌and‌‌Diderot.Their‌‌
revolutionary‌‌ideas‌‌helped‌‌the‌‌people‌‌to‌‌fight‌‌for‌‌their‌‌rights.‌ ‌
(2)‌‌They‌‌exposed‌‌the‌‌inefficiency‌‌of‌‌the‌‌monarch‌‌and‌‌his‌‌government.‌ ‌
(3)Voltaire's‌‌ideas‌‌encouraged‌‌people‌‌to‌‌fight‌‌against‌‌the‌‌privileges‌‌and‌‌
finance‌‌of‌‌the‌‌Church‌‌without‌‌guilt.‌ ‌
(4)‌‌John‌‌Locke‌‌propounded‌‌the‌‌ideas‌‌refuting‌‌divinity‌‌and‌‌absolute‌‌rights‌‌of‌‌
monarch.‌ ‌
(5)‌‌Montesquieu‌‌believed‌‌that‌‌all‌‌the‌‌powers‌‌should‌‌not‌‌be‌‌concentrated‌‌in‌‌
one‌‌person's‌‌hand.‌ ‌
(6)Rousseau‌‌asserted‌‌the‌‌doctrine‌‌of‌‌democracy‌‌and‌‌popular‌‌sovereignty.‌‌
He‌‌believed‌‌that‌‌the‌‌government‌‌should‌‌be‌‌based‌‌on‌‌the‌‌consent‌‌if‌‌the‌‌
governed‌‌.‌‌He‌‌wrote‌‌a‌‌book‌‌known‌‌as‌‌"‌‌Social‌‌Contract"‌‌.‌ ‌
(7)‌‌Thus‌‌the‌‌ideas‌‌of‌‌the‌‌philosophers‌‌were‌‌a‌‌direct‌‌attack‌‌on‌‌privileges‌‌
and‌‌feudal‌‌rights‌‌which‌‌protected‌‌the‌‌upper‌‌classes.‌‌They‌‌played‌‌a‌‌vital‌‌
role‌‌in‌‌bringing‌‌about‌‌the‌‌revolution.‌ ‌
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