The French Revolution is a moment in France’s history that brought upon a political upheaval and chaotic mess. What many people do not realize is the enormous impact the French Revolution has on current European Civilization and other societies in the world. The revolution changed not only France, but other countries as well. Consequently, the revolution was not a mark in history, but a stepping stone. The Revolution started a domino effect which led to imperative events in the world’s history and inspired many notorious leaders. The French Revolution was a historical moment for the lower class of society, change. Unlike the Old Regime the aristocracy was “…stripped of its privileges” and no longer maintained a dominant social status. The French Revolution was able to annihilate the feudal system by removing any trace of feudalism. Some changes were that peasants were no longer demanded to pay unreasonable dues or religious tithes (Sherman). Corporations and monopolies were eliminated and the national market was unified. In The Decree Abolishing the Feudal System it states in the first article that, “The National Assembly hereby completely abolishes the feudal system. It decrees that, among the existing rights and dues…all those originating in or representing real or personal serfdom shall be abolished without indemnification”(The Decree1). The Revolution abolished the feudal system and brought upon a new way of living, capitalism, which is still practiced today throughout Europe. Throughout European history the Catholic Church had a large role in European affairs. Consequently, when the revolution occurred, the Catholic Church lost most of their independence (McCrory 58). The French revolution saw many of the worst aspects of the Old Regime in the Catholic Church (Sherman 518) since they did enjoy “extensive property rights and special privileges under the Old Regime” (Kaiser 3). Officials of the Revolution sold, rededicated, and even transformed the
Cited: Haine, Scott. The History of France. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2000. Kaiser, Thomas E. French Revolution. Little Rock: Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia, 2008. McCrory, Martin McManners, John. The French Revolution & The Church. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1970. Mosse, George L. “Fascism and the French Revolution.” Journal of Contemporary History 24.1 (1989):1-24. Jstor. 11 October 2008. http://www.jstor.org/stable/260298. Sherman, Dennis, Salisbury, Joyce. The West in the World. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education, 2008 Soboul, Albert Primary: “A Left-Wing Newspaper Continues the Attack on Slavery (October 1790).” The Revolutions of Paris 66