Preview

How Do People's Rights Change During The French Revolution

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
642 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Do People's Rights Change During The French Revolution
King Louis XVI was the absolute king of France, and his wife Marie Antoinette lived in luxury in their palace of Versailles, while the people of France lived in extreme poverty. In 1789 he decided to call the Estates-General, a gathering which includes three different estates, the clergy, the nobility and the third estate which consisted of poor people and the middle class. The King locked the Third Estate out of the Estates-General, so its members created the Tennis Court Oath, swearing that they would not stop until a new constitution had been agreed upon, in which caused a revolution. Shortly thereafter, the assembly released the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, which established a limited, constitutional monarchy. However, peace soon ended and they established a new government known as the National Convention it first focused on declaring France a Republic. The convention tried and executed Louis XVI by beheading him, but this only made France’s enemies more angry. Therefore, Maximilien Robespierre and his followers took control. After, Robespierre was killed it then changed into a military dictatorship. During this revolution, people’s rights increased as the government changed to a constitutional …show more content…
An example of this is in the Declaration of the Rights of Man were it states, “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights; social distinctions can be established only for the common benefit” (Source 1). This quote exemplifies the first stage of the French Revolution and illustrates the rights of people, in which the National Assembly wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Constitution of 1791. The main goal of the Declaration of the Rights of Man is that it gave men the right to vote for all other public offices. This relates back to the quote because it illustrates how men are free and have equal

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    French Revolution Dbq

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages

    King Louis XVI was in power during the revolution, he was thrown into this position when King Louis XV attempted to flee the country. Extravagant spending by the king’s father left the country on the brink of bankruptcy. Unrest among the peasants knowing there situation, were not willing to support the feudal system any longer. When the three states assembled, they imposed heavy tax increases, which were approved by Nobility and Clergy. This left the country in flames, while the taxes did not provide relief, the French Revolution was created.…

    • 597 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the late 1780s, France had a monarchy with 3 different social classes called estates. The First Estate consisted of the clergy. They owned 10% of the land when they were only 1% of the population. The Second Estate had the nobles, and they owned 20% of the land and paid no tax. Nobles counted for 2% of the population leaving the other 97% to the Third Estate. The Third Estate paid high taxes and lacked privileges. Half of their income was used to pay their taxes and they were starving due to the high bread cost. While the Third Estate was suffering, King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette threw extravagant parties and borrowed money to help with the American Revolution.…

    • 591 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    DBQ French Revolution

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages

    After the revolution, the peasants made sure they were heard. They started killing nobles; the guillotine was made making the death sentence faster and cheaper. Thousands were killed with the guillotine including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, his wife. The time after this was known as the Reign of Terror, when Maximilien Robespierre took over. During this period of famine and panic, the peasants were finally heard and released from feudalism. This French Revolution changed a lot helping commoners, but not the other people. It actually created a bigger war killing thousands of people. The people were…

    • 408 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This revolutionary event in history is most noted for the execution of thousands of citizens under the influence of other rebellious acts that grew popularity at the time. Famously, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were included under the list as these were important figures that were deeply involved in French revolutions. Despite this tragedy, this event is often times considered a momentous occasion in French history as it exemplifies the claim that this became the turning point for the outspoken France citizens. In order to acknowledge components of the French Revolution, it is essential to recognize the involvements of previous revolutionary acts, main causes, significant outcomes, recovery or possible solutions, and impacts on modern society.…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    King Louis XIV famously declared, “I am the state,” and there is no question that he identified himself as the sole ruler of France. During the so-called Sun King’s absolute monarchy, the nobility had little or no role in or control over the French government. Instead, King Louis built the glamorous palace at Versailles and invited members of the nobility to live on the palace grounds. Most didn’t pay taxes and led an indulgent lifestyle but with no political influence. Most of King Louis’s reign was spent fighting foreign wars that also kept the nobles occupied as soldiers. The French nobility retained their status in high society under King Louis XIV but were never given the powerful political titles that were reserved for men of great intelligence.…

    • 584 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of the numerous documents that helped to influence the French Revolution, the Declaration of the Rights of Man provoked the Revolution in that it introduced the idea of separation of powers, liberalism, and citizen responsibility.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    SOCIAL: Transcript of The Lasting Social Effects of the French Revolution as evide The Lasting Social Effects of the French Revolution as evident in Mid 19th-Century France Bryttan, Mary, Daniel Social Structure before the French Revolution Large class differences between the rich and the poor French leaders were known to be very extravagant and constantly found themselves in debt The French Revolution Abolished the feudal system and monarchy of France Peasants burned and pillaged many places Mass murder of nobles and noble sympathizers Long Lasting Effects Changed the social structure beginning with the feudal system and monarchy Bourgeois and land owning classes emerged as dominant classes Caused widespread reform in other monarchies Gave…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    King Louis XVI took power when his father, who was the previous ruler, died. Many people did not agree with this because he as a young man at the time and had no experience running a country. King Louis XVI enjoyed the riches that came with being King but he did not have any experience and made random decisions that hurt the common people of the country which made France a target for other countries. King Louis XVI did not know what he was doing, obviously, but he controlled everything. The French people had no say in how their country was ran because the King paid no attention to them. France wanted him executed. Document F shows an image of when King Louis XVI was killed by the guillotine. The image also shows Maximilien Robespierre, another inspiring figure of the American Revolution, holding the king’s head while everybody else was happy and laughing as it was an enjoyable event. This event happened on January 21, 1793 long after King Louis XVI started ruling, so France was still incredibly poor.…

    • 645 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Change is like the domino effect. When something major changes, it will cause something else to change and that will cause something else to change and so on. Revolutions call for change in the world. They happen because the people want change from their government. The French Revolution was one of the biggest revolutions in history. Although the French Revolution happened so that the government would change, other things changed as well. During the enlightenment, new ideas were constructed. Not just in politics but in music as well. It seemed as if every aspect of the world was revolting. A completely new way of thinking and creating music was made because of the revolution.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution was a time of sweeping social and political change in France that kept going from 1789 until 1799, and was mostly conveyed forward by Napoleon amid the later development of the French Empire. The Revolution toppled the government, set up a republic, experienced fierce times of political turmoil, lastly finished in an autocracy under Napoleon that quickly conveyed a large number of its standards to Western Europe and past. Motivated by liberal and radical thoughts, the Revolution significantly modified the course of cutting edge history, setting off the worldwide decrease of outright governments while supplanting them with republics and liberal democracies. Through the Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a rush of worldwide…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The French Revolution (1788-1799) was known as the biggest event in world history because it changed the people’s perspective of France. The people in France wanted political and social rights that they felt were not being given. The news of Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke, Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques , Rousseau, and Voltaire were spreading like wildfire, and the society of France were hearing about the Natural Rights of life,liberty,and property. People started to realize they didn't have any of these things because of their King Louis XVI. The citizens of France starting revolting because of the unfair treatment of the third estate, unfair taxing system, and debt owed by France.…

    • 541 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    French Revolution - 1

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The French Revolution, which occurred around 1789 to 1814, which included Napoleon’s reign, is considered a major turning point in world history. This revolution led to major changes in France and other nations and regions of the world. For example, some changes were Napoleon changing peoples’ rights and the Latin American Revolution.…

    • 634 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The effects of the French Revolution were vast and far reaching. The overthrowing of the monarchy quickly dealt a near fatal blow to the old feudal and monarchic system that had controlled Europe for centuries (Jörgensen, C). The Revolution got rid of serfdom and federal dues peasants previously had to pay to kings (Jörgensen, C). Outside of Europe, in South America, the spanish colonies saw a weakened Spain and the slave revolt in Haiti and began to free themselves of colonial rule. This overthrowing of large absolute governments was perhaps there greatest effect of the French Revolution (Jörgensen, C). As well there were cultural effects of the…

    • 409 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A flawed fixed social structure and fiscal mismanagement are some of the plethora of issues that demonstrated the disdain for the rights of man in pre-revolutionary times. During this time, unequal distribution of wealth, status, and land lead to the economic downfall of France. To put a stop to the financial ruin, leaders knew they needed to make a radical change to their taxation system. Because the first and second estate benefited from tax exemption, the third estate felt the need to fight for their individual freedom and social equality, bringing about the revolution, it’s main goal being the pursuit of the rights of man.…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    French Revolution Essay

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The world has seen many revolutions in history. One of the biggest revolutions was the French Revolution because it came with many consequences and influences. Nothing else like this had ever happened this powerful to change the political status quo. Many people surprisingly don’t know how the French Revolution started but through this paper we will be learning more about it. Starting in 1789 through 1794 the people of France dethroned and arrested their king Louis XVI, took apart his monarchy, and executed him, his wife, and thousands of nobles. The French people then set up a new system of government on concepts of popular rule, personal liberty, and equal justice for all to replace their old leaders. This was a new start for France and would hopefully put them in the position they wanted to be in as a country.…

    • 1127 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays