“The ship of the revolution can only arrive safely at its destination on a sea that is red with torrents of blood.”
— Louis Saint-Just (French Revolutionary, Jacobin Leader, National Convention President)
The fall of absolutism, an uprising of peasants, a reign of terror with countless individuals guillotined, and the rise of a military war hero – Bienvenue aux citoyens, à la Révolution Française.
Pre-revolutionary France was governed by the Ancien Régime, resulting in an unequal and extravagantly royal society, as the common people faced insurmountable taxation while the clergy and nobles paid none. Furthermore, poor harvests left them with little money for taxes, naturally leading to commoner dissatisfaction, both factors sparking the Revolution.
Due to deficit spending by the clergy and nobility, 18th-century France was on the verge of bankruptcy. With no other choice, King Louis XVI called together the Estates-General of each estate, hoping to save France’s economy. Unfortunately, the meeting’s voting system was heavily biased against the third estate, comprised mainly of peasants, eventually triggering the abolition of the absolute monarchy and becoming a driving cause of the Revolution.
Meanwhile, whispers of liberty and equality, inspired by the recent American Revolution, drifted through the air, igniting the imaginations of the common people. Alongside the newly emerging ideas from the Enlightenment, the commoners were now filled with the determination, that they too could overthrow social injustice, and redeem the freedom that’d been locked up for centuries.
“Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité”
Did the commoners achieve their aspirations and manage a successful revolution? Was the French Revolution justified, given the cost of countless lives and a decade of instability? For more information, please watch the video below: French Revolution Explained In Plain English.
Photo Citation:
“Exécution de Marie Antoinette le 16 octobre 1793: Marie Antoinette’s execution in 1793 at the Place de la Révolution” 16 October 1793. Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ex%C3%A9cution_de_Marie_Antoinette_le_16_octobre_1793.jpg
March 29, 2024 at 3:25 pm
I really enjoyed your video! I loved the editing and sound effects. While our revolutions are similar when it comes to the fact that the revolution was caused by peasants who wanted more rights, they are very different in the way that the war occured. Although the American Revolution also had many violent moments, I think the French revolution was much more bloody than the American.