The causes of the French Revolution, the years, events, results

The Great French Revolution is known as the largest transformation of the political and social systems of the country with the complete elimination of absolute monarchy. According to historians, it lasted more than ten years (from 1789 to 1799).

Causes

France of the eighteenth century is a country with an absolute monarchy and complete unsettledness in the social and economic sphere. The government in its government relied on the army and bureaucratic centralization. Because of numerous civil and peasant wars in the last century, the rulers had to take advantage of compromises (with the peasants, the bourgeoisie, the privileged classes). But even in spite of the concessions made, the masses were increasingly displeased.

The first wave of dissenters rose even under Louis XV, and peaked during the reign of Louis XVI. The oil was poured into the fire by the philosophical and political work of the Enlightenment (for example, Montesquieu criticized the authorities, calling the king a usurper, and Rousseau paid for the rights of the people). Thus, discontent ripened not only among the lower strata of the population, but also among the educated society.

So, the main reasons for the French Revolution:

• Decline and stagnation of market relations;
• Disorder in the management system;
• Corruption and the sale of public positions;
• Incomprehensible taxation system;
• Poorly worded legislation;
• Archaic system of privileges for different classes;
• Lack of trust in the authorities;
• Need for reforms in the economic and political spheres.

Developments

The above reasons for the French Revolution reflect only the internal state of the country. But the first impetus to the coup was made by the War of Independence in America, when the English colonies rose. This served as a signal for all estates to support the ideas of human rights, freedom and equality.

The war required enormous expenses, the treasury funds were exhausted, and a deficit came. It was decided to convene the General States, in order to carry out financial reform. But what was planned by the king and his advisers did not happen. During the meeting in Versailles, the third estate stood in opposition and declared itself to be the National Assembly, demanding the adoption of the French Constitution.

From the point of view of historians, the French revolution itself (briefly described its stages) began with the capture of the Bastille , the symbol of the monarchy, on July 14, 1789.

All events of the ten-year period can be conditionally divided into parts:

1. Constitutional monarchy (until 1792).
2. The Girondist period (until May 1793).
3. The Jacobin period (until 1794).
4. The Thermidorian period (until 1795).
5. The period of the Directory (until 1799).
6. The Bruxelles coup (the end of the revolution, in November 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte came to power).

The causes of the French revolution during this decade were never resolved, but the people had a hope for a better future, and Bonaparte became their "savior" and ideal ruler.

Monarchy

King Louis XVI was deposed on September 21, 1792, after his palace was surrounded by about twenty thousand rebels.

Together with his family he was closed in the Temple. The monarch was accused of betraying the nation and the state. Louis refused all lawyers, at the trial, relying on the Constitution, he defended himself. By a decision of twenty-four deputies, he was found guilty and sentenced to death. On January 21, 1793, the verdict was put into effect. On October 16, 1793, his wife Maria-Antoinette was executed.

After the execution of Louis XVI, some countries and French monarchists recognized as the next king his young son Louis-Charles. However, he was not destined to ascend to the throne. At the age of ten, the boy died in Temple, the place of his imprisonment. Formally, the cause of death was tuberculosis.

Thus, of all the children, only Maria Teresa remained, who was released from imprisonment in 1793 in exchange for French prisoners of war. She went abroad. She managed to return home only in 1814.

Results

The results of the French Revolution are such that the collapse of the old order took place. The country entered a new era with a democratic and progressive future.

However, many historians argue that the reasons for the French revolution did not imply such a long and bloody transformation. According to Alexis Tocqueville, what the coup led to would happen by itself in the course of time and would not entail such a large number of victims.

Another part of the historians highly appreciates the importance of the French revolution, noting that, based on its example, Latin America has freed itself from colonization.