Question

‘It was not new burdens but new impatience to bare old burdens that brought about the French Revolution of 1789’. Discuss.

Answer 1

Approach:

1. Give an introduction about the French revolution.
2. Discuss the conditions led to the outbreak of the revolution.
3. Mention the sections of the society participated in the revolution.
4. Mention the consequences of the French revolution.
5. Provide a befitting conclusion.

French Revolution:
French Revolution was the major political event in world history. It led to the fall of the monarchy and the proclamation of the republic in France. It gave the values of liberty, equality and fraternity to the world. The upheaval was caused by widespread discontent with the French monarchy and its poor economic policies.

Causes of the outbreak of the revolution:

• The French revolution did not happen in one day, the crisis was brewing for many decades before the actual revolution. SOme of the important causes are
• Renaissance movement of Europe.
• Rise of the third estate.
• Social and economic inequality in the society.
• French involvement in American War of Independence and its economic consequences.
• Policies and actions of King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette.

Major players in the revolution:
France’s population had changed considerably since 1614. The non-aristocratic members of the Third Estate now represented

98 percent of the people but could still be outvoted by the other two bodies.

The Third Estate began to mobilize support for equal representation and the abolishment of the noble veto in other words, they wanted voting by head and not by status.

While all of the orders shared a common desire for fiscal and judicial reform as well as a more representative form of government, the nobles in particular were loath to give up the privileges they enjoyed under the traditional system.

Consequences of French revolution:

• Some of the major results of the French revolution are
• End of monarchy and rise of Republic in France.
• Change in land ownership pattern.
• Loss of power to the Catholic Churches in France.
• Rise of modern nationalism.
• Spread of values of liberalism to other parts of the world.
• Laid the groundwork for the development of the communist ideology.
• Acted as inspiration to revolutions all over the world.

Conclusion:
Thus the French revolution was mainly due to the awakening of the people through the renaissance movement and the raising of the third estate. This new impatience of the people towards the inefficient monarchy led to the bursting in the form of revolution. The revolution inspired the world through its value of liberalism.