The French Revolution 3
Since the days of Louis XIV, France had been the most populous, riches and most powerful country in Western Europe. France set European trends in literature, fashion, the arts, and politics. The French Revolution (1789-1799) violently transformed France from a monarch state with a rigid social class system into a modern nation in which the social structure was loosened and power passed increasingly to the middle classes. This Revolution had an impact on the world and all of Europe. The French societies, known as the Old Regime, were divided into estates. The first estate consisted of clergies (priests), the second were the nobles, and the third were the commoners. The third estate was the largest estate and the most influential group, which consisted of the middle class (bourgeoisie) that rose to power (composed of merchants, professionals, and shopkeepers). According to a sheet, the third estate had the biggest population and had the most land ownership.There were many inequalities in Old Regime France, which was based on age-old traditions, that we would find hard to accept today. The clergies and the nobles had many special privileges like as being exempt from most taxes. Only nobles could fill cer
tain posts in the army or the King's court. As the middle class grew wealthier and powerful, they came to resent the special privileges of the nobles. After the defeat of Napoleon, European ministers and rulers met at the Congress of Vienna (1814-1815) to redraw the boundaries of Europe. It brought Europe back in some measure to the way it had been before the French Revolution. Under the leadership of Austria's Prince Metternich, he established a "balance of power" that came to create equality in military strength between countries and caused unity and stability. The French Revolution ignited the spirit of nationalism in Europe by spreading the view that the government should be based on the will of the people. This caused other countries to reform too. Once war began, radicals gained control of the government and feared attempts to restore the King's absolute power. So because of this they executed Louis XVI, which caused France to turn into a republic. The new French government formed a special executive committee, which took over the Revolution called the Committee of Public Safety. It was led by Maximilien Robespierre, a dictator, and the Committee launched a Reign of Terror in 1793 to save the Revolution from foreign invasions and domestic protesters. In an article of "Robespierre: Architect of Terror", it says that Robespierre and other members that were in the 12-man Committee of Public Safety, believed the Reign of Terror was necessary because "they had to defend the gains made by the French Revolution by eliminating all those who might oppose or even criticize the National Co
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1081
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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