School of Education/ English Department
Rayak Campus
Oral communication
Educ321
Name: Diana Mechchaalany
ID: 81810058
Course Instructor: Dr Miriam AbouDib
Fall 2019-2020
The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the
people overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government.
The French Revolution lasted 10 years from 1789 to 1799. It began on
July 14, 1789 when revolutionaries stormed a prison called the
Bastille. The revolution came to an end 1799 when a general named
Napoleon overthrew the revolutionary government and established the
French Consulate (with Napoleon as leader).
For years, in France, there was a vast difference between the
poor and the rich. The rich became wealthier and made merry while
the poor struggled for day to day living and became poorer. The poor
saw the rich grow; while they got nothing. This angered them and
finally a group of poor people rebelled against a few rich in the
French society.
The French society prior to the French Revolution, was ruled by King
Louis XVI. For years, in France, there was a vast difference between
the poor and the rich. The rich became wealthier and made merry
while the poor struggled for day to day living and became poorer.The
rich of the French society were called the Nobles who they lived in
palaces and were gifted large lands by the King.Then there was
another class of people called the Church who owned most of the land
in France and they levied heavy taxes on crops which were paid by
the common man.The Common Man was the third category of people
who not only had to work extremely hard but also had to pay heavy
taxes, leaving nothing for their savings or family .The French
Revolution was fought between the Common men on one side and the
Nobles and Church of the French society on the other.
The British colonies of America had declared Independence. France’s
costly involvement in the American War of Independence had left
France bankrupt. Two decades of poverty and difficulties had left the
common man absolutely disillusioned and struggling with inflation
due to heavy taxation. This was the beginning of a revolt. A
revolution started in 1789 when the common men created a group
called the National Assembly. The representatives of the National
Assembly had taken an oath that they would not leave until a new
constitution has been written for France. The members then attacked
the Bastille prison, a symbol of power for the nobles and the King, on
14th July, 1789.
Several other regions of France followed this event and a
revolutionary movement was started. There was chaos all over.
Peasants burned down castles of the nobles; some wealthy people left
their privileges and ran away. There was a wave of violence across
Europe known as the Great Fear. The violence kept spreading wherein
the members of the third class wanted equal rights for themselves, but
the members of the first class did not want to give full rights.
The French Republic had a group called the National Convention
which was later taken over by the Jacobins, an extremist group. The
Jacobins began a period called the Reign of Terror. They arrested
anyone who was against the revolution and killed many, including
King Louis XVI in 1793. It was only in 1795 that a less extremist
government called the Directory took over. A new constitution
declined the right to vote for all those who could not pay taxes.
During the Revolution, a General named Napoleon Bonaparte
became famous. He was a skilled leader and helped expand the
territories of France, including a victory over the powerful Austrian
Army.
It was in 1799 that Napoleon Bonaparte did away with the Directory
and the Revolution came to an end. He made himself the leader of a
new government called the Consulate. Napoleon brought peace back
to France. He rewrote the old French Feudal laws and created a new
Napoleonic Code of laws, which remains in France even to this day.
Napoleon declared himself the Emperor of France in 1804. France
became a republic in 1871.
The French Revolution completely changed the social and political
structure of France. It put an end to the French monarchy, feudalism,
and took political power from the Catholic church. It brought new
ideas to Europe including liberty and freedom for the commoner as
well as the abolishment of slavery and the rights of women. Although
the revolution ended with the rise of Napoleon, the ideas and reforms
did not die. These new ideas continued to influence Europe and
helped to shape many of Europe's modern-day governments.
References :
Primary source documents from The Internet Modern History Sourcebook.
Liberty, Equality, Fraternity: Exploring the French Revolution, a collaborative site
by the Center for History and New Media (George Mason University) and the
American Social History Project (City University of New York).
Vancea, S. The Cahiers de Doleances of 1789, Clio History Journal, 2008.
French Revolution Digital Archive a collaboration of the Stanford University
Libraries and the Bibliothèque nationale de France, containing 12000 digitised
images
The guillotined of the French Revolution factsheets of all the sentenced to death of the
French Revolution
Jean-Baptiste Lingaud papers, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and
Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania. Includes a vast number of name lists and
secret surveillance records as well as arrest warrants for aristocrats and their
sympathisers. Most notable in this part of the collection are letters and documents
from the Revolutionary Committee and the Surveillance Committee.
French Revolution Pamphlets, Division of Special Collections, University of Alabama
Libraries. Over 300 digitised pamphlets, from writers including Robespierre, St.
Juste, Desmoulins, and Danton.
"The French Revolution's Legacy" BBC Radio 4 discussion with Stefan Collini, Anne
Janowitz and Andrew Roberts (In Our Time, 14 June 2001
