Myths of the Modern Nation-State – The French Revolution

Many of its concepts are regarded as fundamental principles of liberal democracy,  while phrases like freedom, equality, and fraternity resurfaced in other revolutions, such as the Russian Revolution of 1917,and inspired campaigns for the abolition of slavery and universal suffrage.

Anonymous Contribution to the Atlantic Revolutions During the French Revolution 

The assault on the Bastille, which took place on July 14, 1789

Dates range from May 5, 1789, to November 9, 1799. (10 years, 6 months and 4 days)

Location- France’s monarchical state

Outcome

The end of the Old Regime and the beginning of the Constitutional Monarchy in France

In September of 1792, the Proclamation of the First French Republic was made.

The Terror and the Assassination of King Louis XVI During the French Revolutionary Wars

During the month of November in 1799, the French Consulate was established.

It is generally agreed that the causes are a combination of social, political, and economic factors, and that the existing regime was unable to manage these factors effectively. In May of 1789, widespread social unrest was the impetus behind the calling together of the Estates General, which later became the National Assembly in June of that same year. The culmination of the ongoing unrest was the storming of the Bastille on July 14, which in turn led to a series of radical measures being passed by the Assembly. These measures included the abolition of feudalism, the imposition of state control over the Catholic Church in France, and the extension of the right to vote.

The subsequent three years were dominated by the conflict over who would exercise political control, which was made worse by the ongoing economic depression and civil unrest. The French Revolutionary Wars began in April 1792 as a direct result of opposition from foreign powers such as Austria, Britain, and Prussia. The execution of King Louis XVI came about as a direct result of the French Revolution, which began on September 22, 1792, and led to the establishment of the First Republic of France on September 22, 1792. An uprising in Paris in June resulted in the Girondins, who had dominated the National Assembly, being deposed and replaced by the Committee of Public Safety, which Maximilien Robespierre was in charge of.

This led to the beginning of the Reign of Terror, which was an attempt to get rid of people who were thought to be “counter-revolutionaries.” By the time it came to an end in July 1794, over 16,600 people had been put to death in Paris and the provinces. In addition to its external foes, the Republic faced internal opposition from both Royalists and Jacobins. In November 1795, the French Directory took power in order to deal with these threats and put an end to the Republic’s struggles. In spite of a string of military victories, the majority of which were won by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Directory was succeeded by the Consulate in November of 1799. This was due to the fact that political divisions and economic stagnation led to these problems. It is generally agreed that this event marks the end of the time period known as the Revolutionary period.

Specifics Regarding the Lies Relating to the Formation of the Modern Nation-State – The French Revolution

The fact that the French Revolution is considered such an iconic event in history does not exempt it from also being one of the most contentious happenings in all of history; in fact, the latter distinction is probably necessary for the former. The role of the French Revolution in what Furet refers to as “the invention of the political form of modern society” or, to put it more poetically, “the empirical modality through which the world of free and equal individuals has made its appearance in our history” (1990: 798–9), is one point on which theorists and historians appear to be in agreement. This point refers to the invention of the modern nation-state. The historiography of the French Revolution has played a significant role in establishing the year 1789, or more specifically the years 1789 to 1815, as the beginning of a new historical epoch known as the modern. According to Furet (1981), the Revolution was not merely understood as an event within a complex of events; rather, it was seen as constitutive of the advent of a new age; one that was founded upon the idea of equality and expressed through the establishment of modern political institutions.

Conclusion 

 In other words, the Revolution was seen as constitutive of the advent of a new age. This contributed to a heightened awareness of the present as being singular and unprecedented, and as a consequence, the manner in which the connection between the past and the present was conceptualised presented some challenges.