If They Are Hungry Then Let Them Eat Cake Analysis

Chris Dente
Modern Europe 1684-present
Professor Whelan

If They Are Hungry Then Let Them Eat Cake: The Extremities of the French Revolution

Throughout history, many civilizations started out with some form of a monarchy, that type of government in which one person rules a country. The most common monarchy was a royal family. Monarchies have proven to be successful where the ruler has been competent, rules in a way which strengthened their nation, and acted in the best interests of its citizens. Some monarchs strayed from these principles, and, instead, acting from greed, focused on their own personal satisfaction or gain. In France, this self-interest resulted in an enormous national debt, suppression of the lower class citizens, and
They had no desire to change the existing system of government in England. In the end, the English monarchy agreed to the separation. However, the French citizens, on the other hand, wanted a democratic ideology for their entire nation. They sought to change every segment of France, including the social structure, the economy, the political system, and the legal system. The existence of the feudal state in France, with an extreme difference between the classes, was a contributing factor to the chaos that occurred during this revolution. Although King Louis XVI showed some support, at times, for the people, he never wanted to give up his power or control of his country. As a result, the people were forced to use extreme measures to gain equality and try to bring France out of financial and political turmoil. Fear, suspicion, and desperation drove the revolutionaries to commit violent and fanatical acts to gain the attention for their
However, because of the inequality of the representation that existed in the organization of the estates, the third estate had the highest population and was made up of the commoners, but they had the least amount of power. This ratio demonstrated the inequality of the existing government. In order to ensure that the people were treated fairly, the third estate was compelled to separate from the estates and create their own National Assembly. This was a drastic act needed to ensure equal representation of the people. When the assembly was locked out of the Estates General meeting, they met in the Tennis Court to swear an oath that they would not separate until a new constitution was in place. The next extreme feat for the National Assembly was to try to eliminate the privileges that members of the nobility and clergy had. When some noblemen voluntarily gave up their rights, the people hoped that Louis would agree to the constitution. However, their hopes were dashed when the king instead stationed his troops in the streets of Paris. King Louis XVI was a weak leader who let events get quickly out of control. It was then that the citizens realized that they could not win reform through agreements. The French people, who had become impulsive and dangerous in their fight for freedom, stormed the Bastille. They killed the guards and marched through