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French Revolution Research Paper

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French Revolution Research Paper
The French Revolution began as a movement against the oppression of monarchal government and separatist powers within French citizens; an idea, manifested in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen, where men are born with natural freedoms. The Declaration ratified that “men are born and remain free and equal in rights,” and it was the responsibility of the French government to uphold those rights. After ten years of revolution, the French government finally settled into an uncomfortable disarray, where the once strong and clear fervor of revolt had turned into an aimless attempt at orderly government. While the idea of freedom was still noted within the French, the people were so starved for leadership that they were willing to …show more content…
At the beginning of the revolution, a surge of nationalism spread throughout the citizens as France joined together to take over their government. This sense of nationalism was lost in the later years of revolution, until Napoleon arrived and the French, once again, united under the strength of a motivated, capable, and determined leader. One of Napoleons most famous achievements was his creation of the Napoleonic Code in 1804; though few of the Napoleonic laws correspond with the ideals of the revolution, the concept of a single set of laws for all of France was continuously strived for during the revolution, but never attained. However, during the revolution, laws were created to promote equality between men and women, as well as equality between all classes and rankings of citizen. Napoleon’s laws undid most of the legislation pertaining to women’s rights; and though Napoleon did not bring back the old class system, he did create a system of rank based on demonstrated abilities. These alterations, and others, completely undermined the progress that the revolution had made towards lawful

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