French Revolution. There Are Three References Used

¶ … French Revolution. There are three references used for this paper.

The French Revolution was known as a Reign of Terror. It is important to understand why it began, how it was justified, its goals and whether the goals were accomplished.

Beginning of Terror

The first stage of the Revolution was from 1787 to 1789, and was mainly a "legal debate between monarchy and aristocracy over the financing of the state and the political authority which each claimed to enjoy and exercise (www.britannia.com/history/euro/1/2_2.html)." Aristocrats known as an Assembly of Notables demanded "political authority in return for tax reform. This assembly achieved nothing but further aggravation between monarch and aristocracy (www.britannia.com/history/euro/1/2_2.html)."

The major phase began in 1789 as competing classes encountered each other, and when an extension of the nation's political base was "demanded and obtained by the bourgeoisie. This initiated an aristocratic protest against the absolute monarchy bequeathed by Louis XIV, then enlarged in scope as a bourgeois movement sought fundamental political change, and finally took on popular dimensions with working-class participation, particularly in Paris (www.britannia.com/history/euro/1/2_2.html)."

Reign of Terror

The era, which is known as the Reign of Terror, "resulted in the death of over 250,000 during a nine-month period (www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/summary.html)." The leaders of the revolution eventually lost control, with one of the main participants, Robespierre, being "executed by the very system of justice and terror he had implemented in his effort to save the revolution (www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/summary.html)." This was directly responsible for the "moderate-conservative Thermidorian Reaction against radical revolution in France, and resulted in a new constitution in 1795. The final phase of the French Revolution ended with a coup d'etat by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 and the return of dictatorial rule (www.sparknotes.com/history/european/frenchrev/summary.html)."

Accomplishments and Justification

The French Revolution achieved a number of things. It "unleashed new forces, destroyed old ideas, offered new promises, and restored harmony between fact and law (www.britannia.com/history/euro/1/2_2.html)." Through "revolutionary ideology and institutional change, the bourgeoisie gained a political authority not known before in any European country. The abolition of aristocratic privileges, the confiscation of church and aristocratic lands and their purchase by the bourgeoisie, and the removal of internal obstacles to trade and commerce allowed the middle class greater economic and social mobility (www.britannia.com/history/euro/1/2_2.html)."