The French Revolution

Paper Summary:

This paper argues that the French Revolution was begun by certain "liberal" revolutionary leaders who sought to end the outmoded government controlled by the French aristocracy, particularly the monarchy and the reign of Louis XVI. It also discusses how the monarchy of France was greatly responsible for the revolution as were the nobility and the aristocrats, due to their greed and desire for absolute power over their French underlings. It contends that Louis XVI should have seen the revolution coming and should have done everything in his power to prevent it.

From the Paper:

"In May of 1789, King Louis XVI attempted to enforce limited economic reforms, and by June, the Third Estate, made up of representatives of the French people who were neither aristocrats nor clergy, established itself as the National Assembly; this was followed by the clergy who then joined the Third Estate. In response, a Paris mob stormed the Bastille, a huge government-run prison, on July 14 which marked the beginning of the end for the French aristocracy and the reign of Louis XVI. This led in August to the formation of the Constituent Assembly that ratified the "Declarations of the Rights of Man" which abolished feudalism and established a constitution that greatly limited the powers of the monarchy. "

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