Impact of French Revolution

French Revolution, also commonly referred to as the Revolution of 1789, was a political movement that occurred in France in the years between 1787 and 1799. The peak of the revolution came in 1789, hence, also came the name for the movement. The French Revolution instigated the infamous siege of Bastille, which happened on 14 July 1789. Out of all the revolutions that occurred in the 18th century, the French Revolution is regarded as one of the most significant and one of the most violent ones, due to its particular causes. The social, economic, political, and intellectual factors in the French society during these years, all resulted in the inevitable fall of the monarchy and the decline of feudalism. The revolution ended with Napoleon Bonaparte’s rise to power.

Impact of the French Revolution

• France Becomes a Social Monarchy

After the events of the French Revolution, France moved towards becoming a social monarchy. In 1791, the National Assembly adopted Man’s Rights and the Citizen 1789. This charter was formed around the ideas of enlightenment thinkers and was grounded in the democratic process. In 1791, France adopted a constitution, which limited the powers of the monarchy and divided the powers between the legislature, judiciary, and executive. 

• Republic of France

Even after the establishment of the constitution, radical members were not completely satisfied with the laws. In 1792, a group of people attacked the residence of the royalty in Paris, arresting Louis XVI to put him on trial. This led to the revolution becoming more radical and violent. Many were massacred during this period, including several moderate voices, accused of not supporting the revolution.  The recently established Legislative Assembly was then replaced by the National Convention, which proclaimed the Republic of France alongside the abolition of Monarchy. In January 1793, King Louis XVI was sentenced to death and then guillotined. The same fate awaited Marie Antionette nine months later. 

• Reign Of Terror

After the King was executed, The French Revolution saw its most bloody and violent phase, which came to be known as the Reign of Terror. The established National Convention was held under the control of Robespierre, who was an extremist. Under his rule, thousands of innocents were killed in the name of treason or conducting anti-revolutionary activities. Robespierre also abolished slavery. The Reign of Terror ended with the execution of Robespierre in 1794. Following the extremely radical reign of terror, France entered a moderate phase, known as the Thermidorian Reaction.

• Directory Rules France

In 1795, a new constitution was adopted in France, created by the new National Convention, now composed of moderates. The constitution said that The Directory would hold power in France. The Directory was a five-member group that the Parliament selected. The laws and regulations laid down by the Directory were considered final. The military handled any opposition to the Directory, which was operating under a new and successful general, Napoleon Bonaparte. The rule of the directory was chock-full of corruption and economic crises. The Directory also constantly clashed with the Legislative, which resulted in them giving a large part of their authority to the army. This paved the way for the rise of the military dictator, Napoleon Bonaparte. 

• Rise of Napoleon Bonaparte

The resentment and complaints about the Directory soon reached a fever high, which led to a coup d’état by the military general Napoleon himself. After removing the Directory from power, Napoleon installed himself as the ‘first consul,’ or the dictator. This marked the end of the French Revolution and began the Napoleanic era. Napoleon’s era also became synonymous with the age where French dominion was the default in continental Europe. 

• Napoleon’s Rule

In 1802, after overthrowing the Directory, Napoleon became the dictator of France for life. In 1804, he crowned himself the Emperor of France in the Cathedral of Notre Dame. At the beginning of his rule, he was seen as a moderniser and forward thinker. With his clever military tactics, he even started gaining control over neighbouring countries. The feudal system was abolished, and Bonaparte saw himself as a liberator. He centralised the government, introduced several reforms in education and banking systems, and even supported science and art financially. His most well-lauded accomplishment was the development of the Napoleonic code. The code transformed the legal system of France and remains the basis of the legal system in most of western Europe and France.  

• Fall of Napoleon

Earlier regarded as a liberator, Napoleon’s military tactics were soon seen as crude, violent and brutal. He also revoked the degree of abolishing slavery in 1802, which led to turbulence in the general public. In 1803, The Napoleonic Wars broke out, which was the name given to a series of wars that happened between the French Empire and other European nations. These wars lasted until 1815, ending with the Battle of Waterloo, where Napoleon lost the battle. After being dethroned, Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena. He passed away in the subsequent years while on the remote island. 

Conclusion

Even though regarded as one of the most violent times in the country’s history, the French Revolution is seen as a major turning point in history. It led to the rise of new ideas in French society, like enlightenment, liberalism and democracy. These ideas were then spread throughout European society via the wars fought by the French armies. The French Revolution also brought an end to feudalism which opened up a new path for thinkers to construct a social structure that respected individual freedoms. The French Revolution also inspired the general public that they could enforce change in their nations and rise against the monarchy that oppressed them. It caused a wave of revolutions all around Europe, many of which were sadly not successful. Though, by the early 19th century, several revolutions continued in the European continent and led to the fall of numerous absolute monarchies.