Abstract This six-page undergraduate paper is a comparison and contrast of the accounts of the fall of the Bastille by Taine and Michelet. One paragraph is a discussion of Godechot since he has the best account of the three.
Abstract On July 14th 1789, Parisian crowds initiated a new chapter in French history, when they successfully stormed the historic Bastille. France had been governed by a monarchy for centuries - what could have provoked such anger and courage? Was this just a mob of low-class people running amuck? This paper uses historical evidence to show that these were ordinary Parisians, many of them women, who were provoked by unbearable conditions into taking action to try and improve their lot.
From the Paper "The storming of the Bastille was an important and dramatic event in the unfolding of the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Because of this, it has attracted a lot of interest from historians and government officials. For centuries, these interested parties have believed that the people who stormed the Bastille were merely low criminals, not ordinary, respectable Parisian men and women, such as women who were wives and mothers, and also the primary marketers for their families. For example, records compiled in the 18th century by French police refer to the revolutionary crowds as "the scum of the people." "
Abstract This paper discusses how Rodney Allen's book "Threshold of Terror: The Last Hours of the Monarchy in the French Revolution" provides a detailed account of the events of August 10, 1792, when the revolutionaries attacked the Tuileries palace and delivered Louis XVI up to his trial and execution. It analyzes how this date is seen by Allen as more significant than the better-known July 14, 1789, the day the Bastille was stormed. It looks at how Allen tells the story of that day beginning with some background on the Revolution itself with descriptions of the setting and the individuals most involved. It shows how it then details the events in chronological order, with commentary and explanation from the author to explain what he sees as the meaning of these events and their place in French history.
From the Paper "Allen explains the structure of Paris, noting how it was divided into 487 sections for electoral purposes and how different sections became controlled by different factions. The sections controlled by the Jacobins, for instance, agitated for further revolutionary change, demanding that the king be dethroned and giving specific dates by when this should be accomplished if an uprising was to be averted. The Girondins had been protecting the king, but they now advised that they would not be able to do so if there were an uprising. Advisers told the king he should flee from Paris, which he almost did. in the end, though, events came to a culmination on August 10, 1792, and any effort to flee was simply too late."
Abstract This paper explains that Alexandre Dumas' storyline in his book "Man in the Iron Mask" follows the theory that the man in the iron mask is the identical twin to Louis XIV, who was in a power struggle for the crown. The paper points out that the two main settings of the French Court and the Bastille are essential to the theme of plot. The paper also points out that, although there are many ways in which Dumas stretches the reality of not just the characters involved but also the history of France itself to accommodate his telling of conspiracy and suspense, over the years, no one has been able to resolve if this book is truth or fiction.
Table of Contents:
Plot Summary
Settings
Reality v Fiction
From the Paper "The French Court also serves to contrast the life between the privileged wealthy, the middle class - like the Musketeers - who are allowed to mingle with the wealthy, but whose own fortunes and social position prevent them from being elevated to the highest levels of society. It does, however, afford them enough freedom and power to be able to assist in carrying out the plot to switch the prisoners. In fact, the middle class Musketeers are essential to a successful plot against the king. This is true in Dumas' story, as it would be in reality."
Abstract This paper argues that there were multiple factors which caused the French Revolution. It examines the political and royal rule at the time as well as the terrible state of the economy. It also shows the desperate state the people were in and how many of them had nothing more to lose.
From the Paper "The French Revolution did not stem from one single cause. It stemmed from a combination of factors that had been building for quite some time. The country was ready for change and on July 14, 1789, tensions exploded into what later became known as Bastille Day. This began a series of changes which eventually led to the downfall of the French Ruling Class as it was previously known."
Tags: rule, french, revolution, bastille, louis, marie, antoinette, france
Abstract This paper presents a close examination of the French Revolution and how it impacted the end of the old regime in Europe and set the stage for what was to come in the 19th and 20th century. The writer uses several examples to illustrate the cause and effect pattern between the revolution and the end of the regime.
From the Paper "History has a way of telegraphing its punches. It repeats itself and tends to give mankind some warning about what it wants to do before it happens. This has allowed nations to prepare in many cases, as long as they were tuned in to the signals being given. The French Revolution is an illustrative example of how this can work. The French Revolution signaled the beginning of the end for the European Old Regime and gave many hints as to what could be expected in the 19th and 20th century."
Abstract In "Threshold of Terror: The Last Hours of the Monarchy in the French Revolution", Rodney Allen details the events that occurred during the crucial twenty-four hours between the 9th and 10th of August 1792, which led to the fall and execution of King Louis XVI of France. The paper shows that using previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, illustrations, direct quotations and paraphrases, Allen describes the final hours of this crucial collapse and examines its importance in eroding the ideals that had emerged after the fall of the Bastille in 1789. Through the use of intimate sources and documents, such as the personal accounts of the Swiss Guards who had tried to save the ill-fated King Louis XVI and the stories of individuals who had survived the "Reign of Terror", the author gives the reader a greater level of insight into the events and emotions that existed during the Revolution in France. The paper discusses how this provocative book offers a fascinating account of one of the most remarkable and important events in French and European history and, unlike many other books to be written on this subject, the author does not merely recount the political and social details. The paper shows that the difference between this book and many others is that Allen also deals with the human side of the events and describes the effects that this historical event had upon the individuals who were involved.
From the Paper "On several occasions Allen suggests that, even if the radicals among the revolutionaries had agreed to keep the monarchy as a part of the new system, it would merely have been in the role of a "puppet" with "no real control over local and regional authorities and no direct command over forces for maintaining public order" (2). The Terror occurred as a result of the new regime's resolution to destroy counter-revolutionary forces, to intimidate and deter opponents of the republic, and to reassure its supporters. The continued existence of a token monarch, with no influence over social or political control, would have had no power or authority to prevent or lessen the violence or executions that occurred during the Terror. Once again it is the author's personal values and political beliefs, rather than factual evidence, that lead him to his conclusions."
Abstract "The Story of the Eye" (George Bastille) and the "Story of O" (Pauline Reage) are both very early examples of erotic fiction. In many respects, they establish themes that will often be repeated in this modernist genre. The paper analyzes Bataille's "The Story of the Eye" (Histoire de l?Oille) which was written in the late 1920's and discusses the author's intention to exaggerate sexual encounters to the level of absurdity so as to illustrate the purely sensual, irrational nature of sex. The paper then discusses "The Story of O" and shows that it is much different from the "Story of the Eye" in that the protagonist is a slave instead of a master.
From the Paper "Simone transforms the protagonist from a boy into the fantasy figure Marcelle describes as ?The Cardinal,? which we can imagine to be a cardinal of the inquisition. This image is evidenced in the bloody scene at the party to which Marcelle owes her compromised sanity, in which the protagonist approaches Marcelle in the wardrobe covered in blood and surrounded by passed-out bodies. The "evil cardinal" image is an appropriate symbolic approximation of evil and religious perversion in both southern France and Spain, as the Inquisition took place in Spain and Provence was home to the Albegensian heresy of the Middle Ages. "
Abstract This paper discusses the first French Revolution. It analyzes some of the theory of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and shows how some of his arguments were similar to those of the revolutionaries. However, it also shows how, after the revolution, the French revolutionaries departed from Rousseau's political theory.
From the Paper "Jean-Jacques Rousseau was an important political philosopher whose works rose to prominence during the French Revolution. The commoners of France (or the Third Estate, as they were called) would revolt against policies that First and Second Estate. Many argue that the philosophies of those who would rise to power during the French Revolution of 1789 were based on the Rousseau's philosophy. Although Rousseau's arguments for sovereignty of the people were an important part of the French Revolution of 1789, a careful look at the political thought and history behind the first French Revolution also shows a radical departure from Rousseau's political theory."
Tags:bastille, france, history, political, politics, revolt
Abstract This paper explains that some women had been able to vote for deputies of the First and Second Estates before the Revolution, but the r?glement royal (royal decree) of January 24, 1789, took those voting rights away; women could only vote through a male representative. The author points out that professional and working women joined in the fight from the storming of the Bastille in 1789 through the many years of revolt that followed. The paper relates that, even as they worked diligently for liberty, women were not considered citizens of France and did not win the right to vote until 1944.
From the Paper "Most of the women who championed and worked for the Revolution believed in the rights of women, and that the Revolution would create a new age for women in France. One of these women was Th"roigne de M"ricourt, a single woman and singer who worked tirelessly throughout the Revolution, and was awarded a couronne civique for her activity in the August 10, 1792 attack on the Tuileries. She gave numerous speeches about the Revolution, started a club for both sexes called the "Amis de la loi," a club who hoped to inform the populace in political matters and to drive out fear and ignorance. She traveled to Belgium to incite revolution, where she was jailed in Austria until 1791. "She described her persecutors as abominable and hideous liars, saying 'not only is their goal to incriminate and defile an innocent woman, but they tend also to compromise and dishonour persons who are respectable and deserving of the esteem of the public.'" When she returned to Paris after her release, she was greeted with admiration and applause. De M?ricourt is representative of women who worked for the Revolution in many ways."
A discussion of the theme in Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" that, although not the only answer or key, love is an important, defining portion of achieving freedom.
Abstract This paper discusses Charles Dickens' famous novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" and looks at how Dickens illustrates in the novel that, without the redeeming power of love, there is no chance of escaping or freeing oneself from any prison, whether it is literal or metaphorical, brought upon oneself or brought upon one by the doings of another.
From the Paper "The first category of imprisonment in A Tale of Two Cities is that of literal confinements. For example, Dr. Manette was literally imprisoned in the Bastille by two Marquis during the unjust Ancien Regime in France. Because of the customs and thoughts of the time, the Bastille was a horrid prison that, due to the fact that the prisoners were not properly treated, could strike fear into the hearts of all citizens. These characteristics are owing to the common thought of society, "if you were a criminal in prison, you deserved what happened to you in there" (Stordahl). Manette's literal liberator is assumed to be Monsieur Defarge as he said, "I went through a lot of trouble to get him," however, Manette is not mentally freed from the Bastille. The Doctor's confinement in the Bastille takes both physical and mental tolls upon him, his hair turned a brilliant white and his mind became greatly deterred from the ability to function normally under stress. "
