The great French revolution is known as the largest transformation of the country's political and social systems with the complete elimination of the absolute monarchy. According to historians, it lasted more than ten years (from 1789 to 1799).
Causes
Eighteenth-century France is a country with an absolute monarchy and complete disorder in the socio-economic sphere. Power in its rule relied on the army and bureaucratic centralization. Due to the numerous civil and peasant wars in the last century, the rulers had to make compromises that were unprofitable for themselves (with the peasants, the bourgeois, and the privileged estates). But even despite the perfect concessions, the masses were increasingly dissatisfied.
The first wave of dissent rose even under Louis XV, and reached its peak during the reign of Louis XVI. The philosophical and political work of the enlighteners added fuel to the fire (for example, Montesquieu criticized the government, calling the king a usurper, and Russo rejoiced for the rights of the people). Thus, discontent ripened not only among the lower strata of the population, but also among an educated society.
So, the main reasons for the French revolution:
- the decline and stagnation of market relations;
- mess in the control system;
- corruption and sale of public office;
- incomprehensible tax system;
- poorly formulated legislation;
- archaic privilege system for different classes;
- lack of trust in the authorities;
- the need for reforms in the economic and political spheres.
Events
The above reasons for the French revolution reflect only the internal state of the country. But the first impulse to the coup was made by the war for independence in America, when the British colonies revolted. This served as a signal for all classes to support the ideas of human rights, freedom and equality.
The war demanded huge costs, treasury funds were exhausted, there was a deficit. It was decided to convene the General States in order to carry out financial reform. But what was planned by the king and his advisers did not happen. During a meeting in Versailles, the third estate came into opposition and declared himself the National Assembly, demanding the adoption of the French Constitution.
From the point of view of historians, the French revolution itself (its stages will be briefly described) began with the capture of the Bastille , the symbol of the monarchy, on July 14, 1789.
All events of a ten-year period can be divided into parts:
- Constitutional monarchy (until 1792).
- Gironde period (until May 1793).
- Jacobin period (until 1794).
- Thermidorian period (until 1795).
- Directory period (until 1799).
- The Brumaire Coup (the end of the revolution, in November 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power).
The reasons for the French revolution during this decade were never resolved, but the people had hope for a better future, and Bonaparte became their "savior" and ideal ruler.
Monarchy
King Louis XVI was deposed on September 21, 1792, after about twenty thousand rebels surrounded his palace.
Together with his family, he was closed in Temple. The monarch was accused of betraying the nation and state. Louis refused all lawyers; in the process, relying on the Constitution, he defended himself. By a decision of twenty-four deputies, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On January 21, 1793 the sentence was brought into effect. On October 16, 1793, his wife Marie Antoinette was executed.
After the execution of Louis XVI, some countries and French monarchists recognized his young son Louis Charles as the next king. However, he was not destined to ascend the throne. At the age of ten, the boy died in Temple, the place of his confinement. Formally, the cause of death was tuberculosis.
Thus, of all the children alive, only Maria Theresa was left, who was released from captivity in 1793 in exchange for French prisoners of war. She went abroad. She managed to return to her homeland only in 1814.
Summary
The results of the French revolution are such that the collapse of the old order. The country has entered a new era with a democratic and progressive future.
However, many historians argue that the causes of the French Revolution did not imply such a long and bloody transformation. According to Alexis Tocqueville, what the coup led to would happen by itself over time and would not entail so many victims.
Another part of historians highly appreciates the significance of the French revolution, noting that, based on its example, Latin America freed itself from colonization.