Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

French Revolution

Good Essays
830 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
French Revolution
The painting by Jean- Pierre Houel shows the event that starts the French Revolution, which is the Storming of the Bastille. The Bastille is a royal fortress that had been converted into a prison in Paris; the prison is used for king Louies XIV to lock up people who speak against him. On July 14, 1789 angry Parisians successfully attack the Bastille and took control of the Bastille. The Storming of Bastille inspired many other French citizens to take up against the royal king and queen. It is a defining moment in the history of France, which is consider as French citizen’s collective consciousness. This is the first time in France that French citizen have proven that as a nation they can govern themselves, without the rulers. The painting suggests that the violence of French Revolution had a great impact of the society. The deconstruction of the buildings shows that the French Revolution is breaking the peace in France. Even though the revolutionists have taken control of the Bastille however they did not success as a nation, as they did not accomplish their goal of French Revolution which is to make France a better place to live. Instead the revolutionists have breaks the peace that had once existed in France. Therefore the perspective of this source does not support French Revolution. The second source is showing the period of The Reign of Terror occurred in France. This is a period were both external and internal conflict is against France. Internally the French people was divided themselves as they have different beliefs and views about the revolution which result in mass murder, started with the murdering of the royal family by guillotine. Externally some foreign nations began to fought against France like Sardinia, Austria and England, for these nations, it is the best time to conquer France, due to the conflict inside of France. During this period of time, terror and war had caused the death of many innocent individual. People who were thought to be counterrevolutionary were guillotined. This source does not support the French Revolution. The French Revolution has brought wars in France both externally and internally, and causes the death of many innocent individuals. One of the goals of French Revolution is to let ordinary citizens have rights, freedom of speech and opinion. However revolutionists have failed to keep their goal, they have murdered many individual who is not afraid to show their own individual ideas to be against the revolutionists. This source is linked to source one, in which both sources believe that the revolution has led France to be in an worse situation than before. The last source suggests that as time changes, the society will change too, due to the growth and development in technology and ideas of each individual. During the period of enlightenment many philosophy and new idea had been promoted to people, as citizen learns more stuff about rights, science and freedom, they have developed the idea that the king and the queens are not promoted by god to rule the country. The enlightenment has changed the idea of how ordinary citizens see the government. People began to demands for equality, rights and freedom, the result of this idea have encouraged many people to act against the royal family. The quotation demonstrates that King Louis XIV thought that people’s idea about government, country and individual rights and freedom will not change, as people believes in him so strongly that they will never act against him. The result of this belief of Louis XIV’s has brought him to great failure. The French Revolution has changed the future of France forever. The author of this quotation is a former Irish writer and poet, Oscar Wilde. His opinion is different from both source I and source II. He is in favor of French Revolution. He believes that French Revolution has brought a “brand new” France that is run by a better governor system, and the result of French Revolution has brought new ideas to French people that cause the improvement of the society both economically and politically. The common idea of these sources is to reflect the events that happened during the period of French revolution, in which it has shaped what France is today. Source one and source two shows the events that took place in France during revolution period. They have both demonstrated that the French revolution have brought violence and took away many innocent individuals’ lives, French Revolution have made France worse than before. Therefore their perspective of French Revolution is the same, which is not supporting the French Revolution. The third source is opposite idea from the first two sources. Source three suggests that French Revolution led people to have freedom of thoughts, that it has started the growth and development of France both politically and economically. Therefore the author of this source- Oscar Wilde is in supportive of French Revolution. Different people have different thoughts and perspective on French Revolution.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    On this day 220 years ago, a group of French insurgents stormed a national arms house, the Bastille, and set off the events of the French Revolution. This changed France forever, bringing an end to the monarchy that had dominated the political landscape for years, bringing about the Napoleonic period and ultimately, Democratic France that we see today. Perhaps the driving force behind the movement could be pointed at the period of oppression rained down on the French peasantry by the nobility in the 17th and 18th centuries.…

    • 1008 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    1. Battle disasters quickly inflamed revolutionaries who thought the king was in league with the enemies. On August 10, 1792, a crowd of Parisians stormed the royal palace of the Tuileries and slaughtered the king’s guards. The royal family fled to the Legislative Assembly, escaping before the mob arrived. A month later, citizens attacked prisons that held nobles and priests accused of political offenses. About 1,200 prisoners were killed; among them were many ordinary criminals. Historians disagree about the people who carried out the “September massacres.” Some call them bloodthirsty mobs. Others describe them as patriots defending France from its enemies. In fact, most were ordinary citizens fired to fury by real and imagined grievances.…

    • 1527 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The picture exhibited in source one reflects back to July 14, 1789 on a day that stood symbolic for a revolutionary change in France. The building seen in the picture is known as the Bastille, a French prison well recognized by the Third Estate for being unjust. The source indicates the importance of this event in history that is referred to as the storming of the Bastille. During the time of this picture, the third estate had a strong desire for immediate change. Recent news of revolutionary changes at Versailles had become apparent, but the third estate was still in disarray and needed things to change at a faster rate. From there an angry mob attacked the prison, releasing some prisoners, and beheading the guards. This marked a national uprising against the Monarchy that strengthened and united the bond of the people. The source highlights how this event was proof that power no longer resided in the King, but in the people. The ideas of the Enlightenment philosophers on the ideologies of egalitarianism and liberalism prospered.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American and French revolutions introduced similar ideas in fixing society, but different methods of implementing ideas. The American Revolution was created by the American colonists need for financial independence from the overpowering nation of Great Britain, while the French revolution was a struggle to gain social equality among the masses. People claim that the French had a greater impact on a lot of things than the American Revolution, and I agree on it being true. Therefore, the French revolution had a greater impact on everything because it improved human rights, social equality, and being free from oppressive government. I will nextly explain the comparisons of ideas.…

    • 912 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    French Revolution - 1

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The French Revolution, which occurred around 1789 to 1814, which included Napoleon’s reign, is considered a major turning point in world history. This revolution led to major changes in France and other nations and regions of the world. For example, some changes were Napoleon changing peoples’ rights and the Latin American Revolution.…

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the course of history, civilizations have become discontent with their government or governing force and demanded change. When this change is not proposed or given, the people of the civilization revolt. This concept is justified very well when looking at the the revolutions of 18th century France and Haiti. France and Haiti both revolted against the France; however, these two nations revolted for different reasons.…

    • 733 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This source is a book about Robespierre’s influence on the French Revolution. The author is called Tom McGowen and it was published on the year 2000 in the United States of America. The purpose of this book is to inform the process that occurred for the fall of the monarchy and what occurred after it. The author chose to do it in a story format so that the reader understands the information in a entertaining and interesting way. The author wrote this book intended to a person who is researching about Robespierre and would like to learn about it in an interesting way. From this book it is noticeable that the Jacobins, led by Robespierre, influenced the fall of the monarchy. As well, it is clear that at that time in history, people saw Robespierre as a person that would benefit France, and that made them follow his ideas. The limitations of this source are that it does not have an expert review from a person of that time. Also, it does not give the perspective of King Louis…

    • 1938 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The storming of bastille is very important in the stirring up of the French Revolution. The storming of the bastille overturned the French system of monarchical government and introduced the ideas of liberty, equality, fraternity, and human and civil rights to modernize political practice. (The Bastille was a medieval fortress with 8 towers, which at the time of the French Revolution housed only a few common criminals. Taken from the French word ‘bastide’, meaning fortress, the Bastille was constructed to defend the eastern wall of Paris in 1382. But because it had previously been used to house political prisoners, it had long been a symbol of royal tyranny.) http://www.historywiz.com/bastillefall.htm. In the 1791 King Louie XVI agreed to a new constitution that limited power and also limited their monarchy. (Fearing the spread of France’s revolutionary ideas, Austria and Prussia assembled armies to restore France’s absolute monarchy.). But, then came economic crisis.…

    • 425 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    French Revolution

    • 1371 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Go up to the white board and indicate whether you think the following are True or False.…

    • 1371 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the late 1700’s, France went through a period of time that changed their country drastically. The French Revolution was how France changed the way their government was and how their people lived.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The Revolutionary Storming

    • 3503 Words
    • 101 Pages

    "Essay on World History. College Papers, Research Papers on The Reign of Terror and the French Revolution." _Dream Essays: Custom Term Paper and Essay Writing Firm_. Web. 28 Sept. 2009. <http://www.dreamessays.com/customessays/World%20History/7589.htm>.…

    • 3503 Words
    • 101 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    1789 - Fall of Bastille - the storming of the fortress that represented authority in France; began the French Revolution…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Liberté, Egalité, and Fraternité were the main principles of the French revolution. However, it was a time where these three ideals would be twisted into nothing more than moral and physical violence. The revolution was ultimately a failure which spun out of control and began to murder itself. The French wanted Freedom from its absolutist ruler, but in turn saw themselves being governed by the devil. These citizens wanted a sense of brotherhood amongst their country, but saw their nation being torn apart by violence. Furthermore, the third estate sought to benefit from a new government that promised equality; however, the result was a further imbalance in an already corrupt society. Ironically, the gruesome reign of terror which was fabricated by the French government, contradicted the ideals of which the very revolution stood for, further illustrating the utter failure of this event. In the beginning, the French saw the revolution as a way to improve their lives, but this path quickly turned into a horrifying ascent into oblivion, which aside from immense suffering, achieved nothing.…

    • 1819 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Bastille was a fortress and state prison in Paris until its demolition which started in 1789. On July 14th, 1789, between eight and nine hundred Parisians, (mostly women) gathered in front of a medieval fortress, the Bastille. They were looking for weapons and gunpowder. They stormed the prison; 98 were killed, and 73 wounded. This was a Jacquerie. Although the Bastille contained no hope for weapons, the FALL OF BASTILLE served as a great symbol of the Revolution. When the storming of the Bastille occurred in the book, it was to get vengeance on the mercenaries whom had oppressed them, not to look for weapons and gun powder. Another difference is that there were seven newly liberated prisoners, and seven murdered men at the end of this gory siege. "Seven prisoners released, seven gory heads on pikes, the keys of the accursed fortress of the eight strong towers, some discovered letters and other memorials of prisoners of old time, long dead of broken hearts--such, and such-like, the loudly echoing footsteps of Saint Antoine escort through Paris streets in mid-July, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-nine." (1)…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the heart of a poor neighborhood at the eastern edge of Paris, there was a massive fortress prison, the Bastille. It had eight huge towers and thick walls 80 feet high. On the 14th of July 1789, hundreds of ordinary Parisians, mostly men but a few women as well, poured over the drawbridge of the Bastille looking for gunpowder and changed the course of French history. On that day, they made the French Revolution a reality. The paper will cover the storming of the Bastille shortly. But first, let’s talk about July 15th, the very day after the successful assault on the Bastille. Paris was still barricading against a possible attack by the royal army, and a man named Palloy, Pierre- Francois Palloy 1755-1835,…

    • 1211 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays