The Best of Times, The Worst of Times

Presented by Karma Accius

Three Basic Causes of the French Revolution

The American Revolution – The French saw how successful the American colonies were in declaring independence from England. Additionally, the French used the main ideas in the Declaration of Independence to support their desire for freedom

High Taxes – The majority of the population was extremely poor and they were the ones that the taxes affected the most. They also were not represented in government and felt they should be part of the decision-making process if they were going to be taxed so much.

Enlightenment – During the Enlightenment, the philosophers questioned what had always been accepted. They questioned authority. The French revolutionaries began to do the same. They questioned why they couldn’t be represented, why were they always the one to suffer, etc.

Three Events that Occurred During The French Revolution

Lack of Religious Freedom – Christians were not allowed to practice their religion. Many churches were destroyed by fire. Christian priests were forced to take an oath that said that France was above God.

Who Can Vote – The newly established government passed laws that seemed unreasonable to many. One set of laws established who was able to vote. The only people who were allowed to vote were property owners. This law was a step backwards because once again the poor didn’t have a say.

The Reign of Terror – The French Revolutionaries created the Committee of Public Safety. This Committee did not want anyone to oppose the French Revolution. If you opposed the Revolution, you were given a death sentence. More often than not, their heads were decapitated by the guillotine.

Effects of the French Revolution Rise of Napoleon –

Napoleon was an officer in the French Army. France had been involved in many wars so when Napoleon came back to France he was considered a hero and looked at with great respect. Napoleon was able to overthrow the government of France and attain the role of leader.

A New Social Class is Born – A middle class emerged from the French Revolution. These were the landowners and they began to make up the majority of the people. This also helped contribute to the end of feudalism.

The Fall of Napoleon – Napoleon went to war with Russia, even though the odds were against France winning. Many of the French soldiers were killed during this war. When Napoleon came back to France he was no longer looked at as a hero. The French colonies in Europe began to rebel and this led to Napoleon’s downfall.