The French Republic is one of the first states in Europe to abolish the traditional monarchical form of government and thereby gave impetus to great changes in the public consciousness of the people of many countries.
Economic background of the French Revolution
The French Republic was brought about by a revolution that lasted from 1789 to 1794. The causes of the revolution can be considered a deep social and economic crisis that struck France at that moment. The country was dominated by an absolute monarchy, and it could not solve all problems, protecting only the interests of the privileged elite of society. The history of the state of France has always been the history of royal rule, but by 1789 it became clear that this could not continue. A large landed aristocracy ruled the country, there was a huge number of peasants who were economically dependent on the feudal lords. Meanwhile, the development of industrial production began, workers were needed for factories. Freedom, equality, fraternity in French were understood as an opportunity for the common manwork not only in the countryside, but also in the city.
In addition, the peasants continued to go bankrupt, while the monarch and his entourage emptied the treasury for their entertainment. This fact caused great discontent among the people.
Spiritual background of the French Revolution
The French Revolution was prepared by the labors of the Enlightenment of the eighteenth century. Philosophers such as Voltaire and La Rochefoucauld preached the outstanding qualities of the human mind. They believed that the main meaning of the transformation of society is freedom, brotherhood, equality. All people should have equal rights, regardless of what class they are and what their financial condition is. Prevention of the exploitation of one part of the people by another, the abolition of serfdom - these are the basic principles that were promoted by the French enlighteners.
Drivers of the Revolution
The French Revolution was prepared by three main forces. The first of them can be considered French peasants, who found it very difficult to pay feudal duties, the second is the population of the city - artisans, workers, in general, working people. The third force can be considered the bourgeoisie, which owned industrial enterprises and was engaged in entrepreneurship. All of them were united by the motto of France: "Liberty, fraternity, equality".
All these forces were unanimous in the fact that the king should be removed from power and give the people a constitution in which human rights andcitizen. But there were also disagreements. Thus, representatives of the bourgeoisie believed that freedom, fraternity, equality are good up to a certain point, and then you can start concentrating capital and we alth in one hand.
The course of the revolution. States General
King Louis XVI decided that, due to the difficult financial and economic situation in the country, it was necessary to assemble the Estates General, and instructed Minister Necker to do this. On May 5, 1789, they were assembled, led by Minister Mirabeau. He believed that the slogans of the French Revolution could frighten most of the population, so it is necessary to go for an alliance between the king, the clergy and the people. But then it turned out that the king did not want to make concessions and carry out reforms. Moreover, he tried to disperse the States General, which by that time had become the National Assembly. The French motto "Liberty, equality, fraternity" was not suitable for everyone.
Because Minister Mirabeau refused to dissolve the meeting, foreign troops were brought into Paris, consisting of German and Swedish mercenaries. Minister Necker was dismissed, and this served as an impetus for the start of a large-scale popular uprising. "Freedom, fraternity, equality!" - shouted the Parisians, who wanted to overthrow the almighty monarch.
The Storming of the Bastille
July 14, 1789 is considered an outstanding date in the history of France. On this day, eight hundred Parisians went to storm the prison, that is, the Bastille, and two more Russians were with them.
The Bastille was consideredoriginally a prison for aristocrats, but then, during the time of Louis the Sixteenth, it was made into an ordinary prison. Its peculiarity was tolerable conditions of detention, here the prisoners had the opportunity to work and read. Basically, the Bastille was empty - at the time of its capture, it contained only seven prisoners.
The storming of the Bastille was perceived throughout the world as a triumph of freedom and justice. Many believed that freedom, brotherhood, equality after the destruction of this prison finally became a reality.
Triumph of the Republic
At this time, the municipality of Paris was abolished, and the city was ruled by the Commune, which believed that it was subordinate only to the National Assembly. Under pressure from the masses, in August the clergy and nobles renounced their privileged status. On August 26, the famous Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen appeared. Freedom, brotherhood, equality became its key concepts. The free will of each individual, his right to self-determination was recognized. Many taxes were abolished and the peasants breathed a sigh of relief. Abolished the church tithe and the obligatory payment of tax to feudal lords.
King Louis XVI became a hostage of the new authorities, and his brother and other representatives of the French nobility emigrated. On June 20, 1791, the royal family tried to escape abroad in a carriage, but failed and was brought back.
The overthrow of the monarchy and the accession of the Republic
In August 1792Elections were being held for the National Convention, the situation was turbulent. On September 20, its first meeting took place, and the monarchy was abolished by the first decree.
Soon, King Louis was executed, and France began a war with other countries. "Freedom, equality, fraternity" - residents of other countries wanted to see a token with these inscriptions. On February 1, France went to war with Great Britain. The British Minister Pitt William the Younger began an economic blockade of France, and this affected the state of the country. In France, famine and uprisings against military mobilization began. Then the Jacobins and the Girondins, two parties in the Convention, began to quarrel with each other. One of the leading revolutionaries, Danton, created the Committee of Public Safety, which for several years effectively resolved economic and political issues.
Peasant reform
In 1792, the Convention initiated a major reform to redistribute land in favor of the peasants. Peasants also received other privileges. They realized that the main motto of the French Republic is to help the working people of the city and agricultural workers. All feudal duties were abolished, the estates of the emigrant nobles were divided into small plots and sold, so that even not very we althy peasants could buy them. This reform firmly tied the peasants to the revolution, and they no longer dreamed of restoring the monarchy.
Land reform proved to be the most enduring in French history, and the new administrative division of France remained for a long time, whilehow the central power vertical was unstable.
Further changes in the power structure of France
In 1794, the country was ruled by Robespierre and the Committee of Public Safety. Robespierre executed Hébert and other revolutionaries. On July 27, Robespierre's regime was liquidated and he was sent to the guillotine.
The convention was dispersed in 1795, and royalist emigrants began to look for ways to return to their homeland. Freedom, equality, fraternity in French were understood by them as an opportunity to regain some of their former power.
On October 28, 1795, the new French Republic began its existence. It was headed by the Directory. At this time, France was waging wars of conquest in Europe, and the Directory was trying in every possible way to find funds to continue the war.
At the end of 1795, Count Barras enlisted the young General Napoleon Bonaparte to put down an uprising in Paris. Bonaparte believed that "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" is the slogan of the French mob, which must be silenced. His brother - Lucien Bonaparte - was a smart and far-sighted politician who helped Napoleon seize power.
On October 16, Napoleon came to Paris with troops, and they considered them to be symbols of the French Revolution. Therefore, he was greeted with enthusiasm. Under the rule of Bonaparte, the Directory created around France a series of satellite states that supported the reigning regime in it. The territory of the country has become larger, and a new strong leader has appeared at its head - Napoleon Bonaparte.
The meaning of Frenchrevolution was that it finally overthrew the feudal system and helped the reign of capitalism. It was the most powerful shock of the eighteenth century, and with its help, radical transformations of the social order of the country were achieved.
