Throughout the French Revolution, I had many names. First, I was a member of the Second Estate, living without struggles. Overtime, I became known as a waster, a waster of resources, a waster of land, and a waster of power. Then, I was a traitor, betraying my King, and betraying my identity. I hid myself amongst crowds, afraid to show my true colours to the world. My name is Claude Blanchet, and below is my journey through the French Revolution.

The years of the French Revolution were years of blood, suffering, chaos, and death. The Revolution changed many things, but was also able to maintain many aspects of France. In 1789, France was ruled by an absolute monarch, King Louis XVI. Throughout the revolution, the nation had many governing forces, including the National Assembly, the Paris Commune, the National Convention, and the Committee of Public Safety. After the disastrous Reign of Terror, Napoleon Bonaparte became the Emperor of France in 1804. Even though France had different governments throughout the revolution, the French Revolution resulted in a single leader, like the nation had before. Originally, peasants were unsatisfied with their leader, demanding changes in the society. They followed the Old Regime, with drastic differences between social classes. After the revolution, the peasants were still unhappy due to famine, poor harvests, and bankruptcy, which were all prominent before the rise of Napoleon. Additionally, France also had a corrupt government and political system despite the changes they tolerated, including the Reign of Terror, which was intended to rid France of royalists or supporters of the King. However, a change that spread throughout France after the revolution was the decline of power. Many privileged members of the First and Second Estates’ rights were abolished, causing them to have the inability to own land or have access to private courts. Because of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, many members of the unprivileged Third Estate gained the ability to vote and own land. In addition, the authority of the church weakened. Because of the philosophies of The Enlightenment, many peasants impugned their churches, and gained ideas of secularism and nationalism. Towards the end of the French Revolution, education in men increased. With easier access to higher education, Napoleon was able to bring men opportunities of education in science, technology, engineering, and more, which led to an era of new innovations. He established the Napoleonic Code in 1802, and the French Empire in 1804. In conclusion, the French Revolution was able to unify a suffering nation, but also redefine the nature of political power.