The French Republic is one of the first states in Europe to abolish the traditional monarchical form of government and thereby give an impetus to large changes in the public consciousness of people in many countries.
The economic background of the French revolution
The French Republic led to the revolution, which lasted from 1789 to 1794. The reasons for the revolution can be considered a deep social and economic crisis that hit France at that moment. An absolute monarchy dominated the country , and it could not solve all the problems, protecting only the interests of the privileged elite of society. The history of the state of France has always been the history of royal rule, but by 1789 it became clear that this could not continue. A large land aristocracy ruled the country; there were a huge number of peasants who were economically dependent on feudal lords. Meanwhile, the development of industrial production began, workers for the plants were needed. Freedom, equality, fraternity in French were understood as an opportunity for an ordinary person to work not only in the village, but also in the city.
In addition, the peasants continued to go bankrupt, while the monarch and his entourage devastated the treasury for their entertainment. This fact caused great discontent among the people.
The spiritual background of the French revolution
The French Revolution was prepared by the works of the eighteenth-century enlighteners. Philosophers such as Voltaire and Larochefoucault preached the outstanding qualities of the human mind. They believed that the main meaning of the transformation of society is freedom, fraternity, and equality. All people should have equal rights, regardless of their class and their financial condition. The prevention of the exploitation of one part of the people by another, the abolition of serfdom - these are the basic principles promoted by the French Enlightenment.
Drivers of the revolution
The French Revolution was prepared by three main forces. The first of them can be considered the French peasants, who found it very difficult to pay feudal duties, the second is the population of the city - artisans, workers, in general, working people. The third force can be considered the bourgeoisie, which owned industrial enterprises and was engaged in entrepreneurship. All of them were united by the motto of France: "Freedom, fraternity, equality."
All these forces were united in the fact that the king should be removed from power and given to the people a constitution in which the rights of man and citizen would be designated. But there were disagreements. So, representatives of the bourgeoisie believed that freedom, fraternity, equality are good until a certain point, and then you can begin to concentrate capital and wealth in one hand.
The course of the revolution. General States
King Louis XVI decided that, due to the difficult financial and economic situation in the country, it was necessary to collect the General States, and instructed Minister Necker to do this. May 5, 1789 they were collected, led by Minister Mirabeau. He believed that the slogans of the French Revolution could scare a large part of the population, so we must go to the union of the king, the clergy and the people. But then it turned out that the king did not want to make concessions and carry out reforms. Moreover, he tried to disperse the General States, which by that time had turned into the National Assembly. The motto of France "Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood" was not suitable for everyone.
Since Minister Mirabeau refused to dissolve the meeting, foreign troops consisting of German and Swedish mercenaries were brought into Paris. Minister Necker was dismissed, and this served as an impetus for the start of a large-scale popular uprising. “Freedom, fraternity, equality!” shouted the Parisians, who wanted to overthrow the almighty monarch.
The capture of the Bastille
July 14, 1789 is considered an outstanding date in the history of France. On this day, eight hundred Parisians went to storm the prison, that is, the Bastille, and two more Russians were with them.
The Bastille was initially considered a prison for aristocrats, but then, during the time of Louis the Sixteenth, they made an ordinary prison out of it. Its peculiarity was tolerable conditions of detention, here prisoners had the opportunity to work and read. Basically, the Bastille was empty - at the time of its capture, it contained only seven prisoners.
The capture of the Bastille was perceived throughout the world as a triumph of freedom and justice. Many believed that freedom, fraternity, equality after the destruction of this prison finally came true.
The triumph of the republic
At this time, the municipality of Paris was canceled, and the city was ruled by the Commune, which believed that it was subordinate only to the National Assembly. Under pressure from the masses in August, representatives of the clergy and nobles renounced their privileged status. On August 26, the famous Declaration of Human and Citizen Rights appeared. Freedom, fraternity, equality have become its key concepts. The free will of each person, his right to self-determination, was recognized. Many taxes were abolished, and the peasants sighed freely. Church tithes and the obligatory tax payment to the feudal lords were canceled.
King Louis the Sixteenth became hostage to the new authorities, and his brother and other representatives of the French nobility emigrated. June 20, 1791 the royal family tried to escape abroad on a carriage, but failed, and she was returned back.
The overthrow of the monarchy and the accession of the Republic
In August 1792, elections to the National Convention were held, the situation was turbulent. September 20 saw its first meeting, and the first decree abolished the monarchy.
Soon King Louis was executed, and France began a war with other countries. “Freedom, equality, fraternity” - the token with these inscriptions was wanted by residents of other countries. On February 1, France began a war with Great Britain. English Minister Pitt William the Younger launched an economic blockade of France, and this affected the state of the country. In France, famine and rebellion against military mobilization began. Then the Jacobins and Girondins, two parties to the Convention, began to war with each other. One of the leading revolutionaries, Danton created the Committee for Public Safety, which for several years effectively addressed economic and political issues.
Peasant Reform
In 1792, the Convention initiated a major reform of the redistribution of land in favor of the peasants. Peasants received other privileges. They realized that the main motto of the French Republic is to help the working people of the city and agricultural workers. All feudal duties were abolished, estates of emigrant nobles were divided into small plots and sold, so that even not very wealthy peasants could buy them. This reform strongly connected the peasants with the revolution, and they no longer dreamed of the restoration of the monarchy.
Land reform proved to be the most persistent in French history, and the new administrative division of France remained for a long time, while the central vertical of power was unstable.
Further changes in the power structure of France
In 1794, the country was ruled by Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre executed Eber and other revolutionaries. On July 27, the Robespierre regime was liquidated, and he was sent to the guillotine.
The convention was dispersed in 1795, and the emigrant royalists began to look for ways to return to their homeland. Freedom, equality, fraternity in French were understood by them as an opportunity to regain some of the former power.
On October 28, 1795, the new French Republic began to exist. At its head stood the Directory. At this time, France waged aggressive wars in Europe, and the Directory tried its best to find means to continue the war.
At the end of 1795, Count Barras brought in a young general, Napoleon Bonaparte, to suppress the uprising in Paris. Bonaparte believed that "Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood" is the slogan of the French mob, which must be silenced. His brother, Lucien Bonaparte, was a smart and visionary politician who helped Napoleon seize power.
On October 16, Napoleon arrived in Paris with troops, and they considered it to be symbols of the French Revolution. Therefore, he was greeted with enthusiasm. Under Bonaparte’s rule, the Directory created a series of satellite states around France that supported the regime prevailing in it. The territory of the country has become larger, and at the head of it a new strong leader has appeared - Napoleon Bonaparte.
The meaning of the French revolution was that it finally overthrew the feudal system and helped the accession of capitalism. It was the most powerful shock of the eighteenth century, and with its help radical transformations of the country's social system were achieved.