1789 Revolution In France example essay topic

The 1789 revolution in France was an extremely extraordinary and radical event. The French Revolution not only altered lives of people who lived in France and its colonies, it impacted the rest of the world. The war in France lasted for about ten years and although many horrible things happened to innocent people, it was on the whole beneficial. Slavery, the feudal system, and the monarchy were all done away with. Ridding itself of these three things has helped France become the nation that it is today.

There was no slavery in the country of France itself; instead it was located in their Caribbean colonies. White settlers began to expand the African slave trade in the late 1600's in order to help with the hard labor required for sugar cultivation. By the time of the revolution, the ratio of slave to white had increased to eight to one in Martinique, six and a half to one in Guadeloupe, and fifteen to one in Saint Dominique (Censor and Hunt 117). The treatment of black slaves began to make their way to France and before long, anti-slavery groups began to form in Paris. In 1791 the slaves on Saint Dominique began a revolt that was followed by several years of fighting against mainland France. The result was the republic of Haiti and the abolition of slavery in the Caribbean colonies.

The feudal system was a structure in Europe that was based on classes and established hierarchy. Under feudalism, France was divided into three estates: "the clergy (the First Estate, those who prayed), the nobility (the Second Estate, those who fought), and the Third Estate (everyone else, those who worked) " (Censor and Hunt 4). The First Estate owned about ten percent of the land in the kingdom of France, paid no taxes, and levied their own tax (tithe) which allowed them to take money and also to take goods from people during the harvest. The nobility owned about thirty percent of the land in France and were exempt from paying taxes on it.

Nobles also held most of the high positions in the church, the judiciary, the army, and government positions. The Third Estate was a wide range of different people and was itself divided into three different groups. The middle class made up about five percent of the population, and the lower class made up around ten percent of the French population. The majority of the Third Estate was made up of the peasants (eighty percent of the population). The Third Estate was often abused and taken advantage of.

They had no say in politics, less than half of them could read or write, and their general welfare was not usually a concern to the members of the other estates. The abolishment of the feudal system brought the people of the Third Estate equal rights and put an end to the privileges that the nobles had enjoyed (Censer and Hunt 3-5). For centuries France had been controlled by an absolute monarch who in theory could attempt to run every aspect of the country. France unlike England had no law that could halt the amount of money that the king could spend. By 1789 the French treasury was in debt from frequent wars and the luxurious lifestyle of the king. Many despised the monarchy because of its treatment toward the Huguenots.

During the reign of Louis XIV (grandfather of Louis XVI) the Huguenots were forced to convert to Catholicism. Anyone who had anything negative to say about their king could be tried and executed for treason. When the actual moment came the monarchy was overturned it was a tremendous accomplishment for the French people. These were three of the reasons why the French Revolution was, on the whole, beneficial.

The French Revolution was arguably the most radical turn around that the world has ever seen. The abolishment of slavery, the feudal system, and the monarchy were just a few aspects that made the French Revolution such an incredible event. Censer, Jack R., and Lynn Hunt. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.

Pennsylvania: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2001.