The French Revolution - People Power
For the complete report from Cyberessays on the French revolution click on this link
Analysis of the French Revolution - Can similar methods be applied to break today's economic and political powers global stranglehold?
The major cause of the French Revolution were the differences the three major economic groups (called Estates during that period) had. The First Estate (the Church) and the second Estate (Nobility/Privileged) owned just about everything and paid very little taxes. The Third Estate consisted of the commoners. It included the bourgeoisie, peasants and city workers. The bourgeoisie, or the middle class, were probably the most fortunate in this group. In the bourgeoisie, there were the merchants and manufacturers, lawyers, doctors and others similar to those types of professions. Peasants made up the largest group within the Third Estate. They were forced to pay hefty taxes, tithes to the church, and rents to their landlords for the land that they lived on. The last group within the Third Estate were the city workers. They were servants, apprentices, and household maids.
However, there was another important factor during these times. France suffered from harsh economic problems. Poor farm harvests by farmers hurt the economy, and trade rules from the Middle Ages still survived, making trade difficult. However, the most serious problem was the problem facing the government during this time. The French government borrowed much money to pay for the wars of Louis XIV. Louis still borrowed money to fight wars and to keep French power alive in Europe. These costs greatly increased the national debt, which was, at the time, already too high. It all sounds very familiar doesn't it?
This time in French History was not only important to the people of France because of the different types of government they had, but also had an historical impact on the world. Socialism, liberalism and nationalism all were results of the French Revolution. It gave people the confidence that if they tried, they could reorganize a society whenever it was needed and could change anything that they wanted with political ideas, words, action and laws. What people seem to have forgotten today is that they still have that same power to overthrow, by force if necessary, those which have infiltrated and exploited our social, economic and political systems to their benefit.
No comments:
Post a Comment