Political lessons of French Revolution

Political lessons of French Revolution

Introduction

            To begin with, there are number of revolutions which were done in history. For example, French, American, industrial revolutions. These revolutions have been done by many causes and factors. The Revolutions are different one another in term of reasons as well as results. However, all Revolutions had done the same thing which is the change, they made change from bad to good condition. This change gave important impacts to the world and the people themselves. From this perspective, this paper chooses one among many revolutions to study and come out with lessons and knowledge. It is French Revolution which may give significant lessons to the students.

            In order to come out with many lessons from the French Revolution it is needed to be mentioned a brief historical background about it. French Revolution was a revolution in France from 1789 to 1799. The revolution made the end of the Old Regime which is known as Ancien Regime. The country was ruled by absolutism where the monarchy has absolute power and control over the government. The people were divided into three classes or estates which were high-ranking members of the church who were known as the privileged class, noble class who had also privileges and the third was everyone else who came from peasants, artisans, bourgeois, merchants, and others who had no privilege. The people were asked to pay taxes even they had no enough money for survive themselves. The king and his people wasted money a lot which caused the bankrupt in country. This led country to face the problem of deficit spending when the government spending more money than it took in from tax revenues. Also they faced super inflation where the people had to pay for food price a lot. In 1789, people had to pay for food price 80% from their total income money. Because of this, bourgeois, peasants and others supported to eliminate the feudalism. It is stated by T.C.W Blanning (1987) that:

There were not three revolutions in 1789, but just the one alone, bourgeois and liberal, with popular support and especially with peasant support. Although in a subjective sense the masses may have appeared at times anti-capitalist and at odds with the bourgeois leadership, objective their participation drove the Revolution on to its goal-the elimination of feudalism (p.3).

It led to revolution eventually and there are many causes that led the country to revolution. However, this paper provides the lessons that can be taken from French Revolution in term of causes, reforms and results. To do so, it needs to look out of the scope and look beyond than that till the point that say what the factors that could French revolution be avoided.

Causes of French Revolution

French Revolution brought many lessons to today generation to take the study to know the causes that lead to revolution and to avoid disaster that France was facing before. T.C.W Blanning stated in his book that:

The Revolution brought disaster to the French textile trade in every imaginable form: currency disorders, radical changes of fashion in clothing, loss of foreign customers, severe raw material shortages. Hundreds of thousands of cottagers were forced to abandon the trade; bankruptcy swallowed up hundreds of merchant houses (p.47). (Blanning 1987)

There are many causes of the French Revolution and they can be divided into two terms. First is long-term causes. For example, the system of absolutism, unfair socio-political system, poor harvests, influence of enlightenment and others. Second is short-term causes which were bankruptcy, great fear and estates-general.

            However, this paper will not criticize all causes of it but it will provide some lessons and perspectives on it as a general. As it is known that bad governmental system can lead to chaos in country. Its ruler and officers were not good enough to have control over the people and the country which led to the worse condition because they did not work for the the people but they worked for their own interests and appetites. Because of this, they imposed high taxation to fulfil their desires and they wasted that money without returning benefits to the people. If the government could have managed financial system properly and equally the problems might not occur. Financial system was very significant to all community. It could determine the condition of the people and country. People should not be treated unjustly and they should be given rights equally. All people must be pay tax with the equal amount that they could survive with the rest of the money. They should pay tax that they deserved which did not give negative impacts to their daily money. There should not have anyone given privilege to not pay or pay less money. All should be required to pay tax and no one could avoid from tax payment regardless the position, class and wealth. Moreover, the money that came from taxes should be used properly and rightly. It should not be given to some privilege people, status or groups. It must be distributed for the welfare of the people themselves, not to the noble people only. This money was the money of the people and it must be used to make their condition better. It should not be wasted by the king or anyone in government. Government should not forget the people in term of their food, wealth, and health. Money was important to be used in the right ways and not to be wasted for any interest of any people. It is important to note that government must not impose or increase the amount of the taxes because of unnecessary reason because people were not the slaves of the government but they were the citizens of state.

Moreover, the government should give intellectual class more chance to say in Government. Because of this people could criticize the government and the government could know its weaknesses as well as the strengths of the government. By giving chain to them the government could know the weaknesses of it in order to solve with the correct way. Government should give the importance of it for intellectual class who were those people that could make the government become better. They knew the shortcomings of the king as well as the government so they should be those people who had more participation in governmental system.

            Furthermore, the king should be chosen properly because he was the determination of the country. If he was accountable enough to his action the problems were not occurred. According to Thomas H.D. Mahoney (1790), it is stated that:

To keep a balance between the power of acquisition on the part of the subject and the demands he is to answer on the part of the state is the fundamental part of the skill of a true politician. The means of acquisition are prior in time and in arrangement. Good order is the foundation of all good things (p.287). (Mahoney 1790)

From this, it can be understood that having a good ruler the country would become better. So ruler or king is very important, not anyone can be given the power and authority. It should be more concerned to the people so that they will choose the right person to control over them as well as the country itself.

The effect of France Revolution

The revolution of France effects many aspects of life. The France revolution that started in 1789 brought fundamental social, political and economic changes in the history of France. These   three aspects bring important effect to the France in the past and also it can be preserved till now. These are the three aspects that is affected of French Revolution:

Social effects

The revolution of French bring the social effect that change the way people live and interact. Some of the changes are the social classes, men rights, and social ideas. The first about social classes, The French revolution destroyed the social discriminative class system in France and declared equality for all. The revolution came up with the equality and career open to talents, such as the appointment and promotion was to base on talents and ability. This led to rise of middle class who had acquired education to positions of responsibilities. Next, about the men rights, the revolution of French brings the declaration of the rights of the men and citizens. It means that it granted the liberty of people such as freedom of speech, press, association, worship and ownership of property. (Effects of the French revolution on France, 2017) In 1789, The Declaration of Man rights and the Citizen had been published by the National Constituent Assembly. This declaration had not been a new constitution exactly, but instead had been a “body” or draft of a future constitution. In 1791 the publication of the Constitution of 1791 had been presented as France’s official constitution. (Angeles, 2013) Lastly, the social ideas also change because of the French revolution. The ideas and the way of thinking of people in that time has change into liberty, equality, and fraternity. These ideas lead to the idea of democracy in France. (Effects of the French revolution on France, 2017).

Political effects

The revolution of French has big effect to politics. The rule of monarchy and aristocracy is abolished and ended. The new government system such as democratic style is tested in that time, however it does not work well. The effect of French revolution in political aspects is preserved in the whole of Europe till now. The removing of monarchy system and the implementation of the rule of people become a model for many others countries as well as the abolishing of divine right and hereditary succession by concepts of equality and the self-made man. (Political Effect, 2017)

A constitutional monarchy is a result of the political effect of French Revolution. There are many changes because of the success of the French Revolution and the Tennis Court Oath, One of the most important being the eradication of the absolute monarchy in France and the implementation of a constitutional monarchy. The Tennis Court Oath had called for the Third Estate General to take a vow to create a new constitution, effectively making the absolute monarchy obsolete when combined with the effects of Bastille Day. The aim of the implementation of the constitutional monarchy is to make parliament has right to control and check the function of the monarch in governing the state. This system of government had created and encouraged a more democratic state in France and allowed for reduced influence of the upper class and had increased the powers of the middle and lower classes. (Angeles, 2013)

Economic Effect
            The impact of the French revolution, France is able to overcome the economic crisis that they faced in France before the revolution and stabilize their economy because of Napoleon.
Before the French Revolution, there was an economic crisis that was happening in France. Since the King and Queen refused to stabilize the economy by contributing some of their wealth that was advised by ministers called Turgot and Necker. (Economic Effects of the French Revolution, 2014)

The reforms after French Revolution

Political and assembly Reforms

In the political and assembly reforms, there some important reformations that need to be highlighted. Those are the Legislative Assembly was elected in 1791 and it has the power to create laws, the king was to be called the King of the French instead of the King of France and there were 83 new departments that were created to replace the old administrative areas and dioceses. (Fregoso, 2016)

In 1791, the National Assembly completed their constitution and created the Legislative Assembly. The constitution established a constitutional monarchy and Louis XVI accepted it (reluctantly, but he didn’t have many options).The Legislative Assembly split along three lines:

·         Sitting in the right wing of the assembly hall were the conservatives who favored a British-style constitutional monarchy.

·         Sitting in the left wing of the assembly hall were the radicals who wanted to get rid of the monarchy altogether and impose sweeping changes

·          Sitting in the middle were the moderates who were somewhere in between. (Ewert, 2008)

Conclusion

There were several causes of French Revolution such as bad government, unjust socio-political system and others but the most important causes, based on writer's perspective, are bad king and his people. However, if the government managed to have a good financial system, give educated persons more say to the government and choose a good ruler the revolution and the problems were not emerged. This paper hopes that there will be further study to come with more lessons from the French Revolution.

French revolution bring many effects and reforms to the France especially in government system which is before revolution, the state is governed by the absolute monarch system, the king as divine power and superior upon others. French revolution leads the life in France better than before revolution where after revolution people rights is more likely to be secured and equal from one another. The changes in political system, constitutional monarch bring the stability of life in France due to the existence of parliament who has function to control and check the works of king.

Bibliography

Angeles, J. H. (2013). Effects of the French Revolution . Retrieved from AP World History 2012-2013: http://apworldhistory2012-2013.weebly.com/effects-of-the-french-revolution.html

Blanning, T.C.W. 1987. the French Revolution : aristocrates versus bourgeois?-(Studies in European          history). Hong Kong: Macmillian Education LTD.

Economic Effects of the French Revolution. (2014, april). Retrieved from Prezi: https://prezi.com/hu1bqfs9z5ve/economic-effects-of-the-french-revolution/

Effects of the French revolution on France. (2017). Retrieved from Napoleon Bonaparte: http://thehistoryofnapoleon.blogspot.my/2013/07/effects-of-french-revolution-on-france.html

Ewert, D. (2008, march 26). The French Revolution Brings Reform and Terror. Retrieved from In slide share: https://www.slideshare.net/dewert/232-revolution-brings-reform-and-terror

Fregoso, M. L. (2016, september 30). Reforms after French Revolution, changes by the Assembly, and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen. Retrieved from Prezi: https://prezi.com/qga-b5pujmml/reforms-after-french-revolution-changes-by-the-assembly-and-the-declaration-of-the-rights-of-man-and-citizen/

Mahoney, Thomas H.D. 1790. reflections on the revolution in France. the United States of America: Macmillian Publishing Company.

Political Effect. (2017). Retrieved from The French Revolution: https://sites.google.com/site/thefrenchrevolution6/home/political-effects