...Hardy Western Civilization 242 February 22, 2013 Anatole France’s Mindset of the French Revolution Anatole France’s The Gods will have Blood took place in the late time period of the French Revolution. He used this story to depict the cultural and social impacts that this time period had upon the French society. All classes at this time were targeted and were given little to no cause of justification. France uses characters to portray this time era and their struggle for the embodiment of power and whether it is good or evil. Throughout The Gods will have Blood, Gamelin speaks of his beliefs within the revolution and on his trust within the ideas of Marat and Robespierre. He used the theme of violence that eventually helped progress into an inspiration leading to the Revolution. Throughout this novel, we find that Robespierre and Gamelin are two very influential people because not only do their actions characterize power, they show how power is a corrupting force when put in the hands of a few. During the years of the French Revolution there were blasts of changes that were being made that would perpetually change history. Anatole France’s The Gods will have Blood took place during the terrifying time of terror in which many were executed for the belief that it was justice to kill those who were no longer loyal to the Republic. This time period caused such a stir of emotions within society because it targeted anyone and showed little mercy. A new tool during the terror time...
Words: 1049 - Pages: 5
...Chapter 17 Atlantic Revolutions and Their Echoes 1750–1914 MARGIN REVIEW QUESTIONS Q. In what ways did the ideas of the Enlightenment contribute to the Atlantic revolutions? • The Enlightenment promoted the idea that human political and social arrangements could be engineered, and improved, by human action. • New ideas of liberty, equality, free trade, religious tolerance, republicanism, human rationality, popular sovereignty, natural rights, the consent of the governed, and social contracts developed during the Enlightenment, providing the intellectual underpinnings of the Atlantic revolutions. Q. What was revolutionary about the American Revolution, and what was not? • The American Revolution was revolutionary in that it marked a decisive political change. • It was not revolutionary in that it sought to preserve the existing liberties of the colonies rather than to create new ones. Q. How did the French Revolution differ from the American Revolution? • While the American Revolution expressed the tensions of a colonial relationship with a distant imperial power, the French insurrection was driven by sharp conflicts within French society. • The French Revolution, especially during its first five years, was a much more violent, far-reaching, and radical movement than its American counterpart. • The French revolutionaries perceived themselves as starting from scratch in recreating the social order, while the Americans sought...
Words: 969 - Pages: 4
...To what extent was the French Revolution of 1789 a bourgeois revolution? The French Revolution was a revolutionary movement which signified the end of the ancien régime and the increase of the ‘bourgeois’ class. However, it is still a long debated topic of interest when it comes to the idea if the French revolution was a bourgeois revolution or did other events come into play. Throughout 1787 and 1789 ‘one step led to another through a series of moves and counter-moves that later proved to have been an escalation’ of problems already highlighted earlier on in the history of France. To begin with, we analysis the idea presented in the original question of to what extent was the French revolution of 1789 a bourgeois revolution. When it comes to the events that led to the French Revolution ‘the origins must therefore be sought not merely in the general conditions of Europe, but in the specific situation of France’. This was due to the ongoing conflict between the ‘vested interests of the old régime and the new rising social forces’ which were much more prominent in France. These new rising social forces are more than likely the bourgeois class so this clearly highlights the fact that the French revolution was indeed to with if not caused by the bourgeois. It has also be stated that the French revolution was purely down to an uprising which instated the ideology and literally actions which allowed the ‘middle class to assume power by overthrowing the political and social order...
Words: 1749 - Pages: 7
...How did the March on Versailles affect how women were treated during the French Revolution and what were the results? Before the French Revolution began the amount of rights women had was questioned very little. No one questioned women being expected to only do things around the house until 1789 when women became vocal and demanded to have the same freedoms as men. After lower class men demanded for more rights with the Declaration of the Rights of Man, women were given confidence to make a stand for their own rights. Although it was sent by an anonymous writer, a petition was sent to the king by women from the third estate wishing for more privileges . The March on Versailles was due to the outrage over rising bread prices. Thousands of women...
Words: 1758 - Pages: 8
...crusade and discuss the extent to which it accomplished its objectives. Why did it succeed or fail? Jonathan Riley-Smith, The Crusades: A Short History; Carole Hillenbrand, The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives; Christopher Tyerman, God’s War: A New History of the Crusades 2. How did anti-Semitism manifest itself in medieval Europe? Kenneth R. Stow, Alienated Minority: The Jews of Medieval Latin Europe; Mark R. Cohen, Under Crescent and Cross: The Jews in the Middle Ages; Solomon Grayzel, The Church and the Jews in the Thirteenth Century 3. What was the position of prostitutes in medieval society? Ruth Mazo Karras, Common Women; Leah Otis, Prostitution in Medieval Society; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 4. Why did the French choose to follow Joan of Arc during the the Hundred Years War? Kelly DeVries, Joan of Arc: A Military Leader; Bonnie Wheeler, ed., Fresh Verdicts on Joan of Arc; Margaret Wade Labarge, A Small Sound of the Trumpet: Women in Medieval Life 5. Discuss the significance of siege warfare during the crusades. You may narrow this question down to a single crusade if you wish. Jim Bradbury, The Medieval Siege; Randall Rogers, Latin Siege Warfare in the Twelfth Century; John France, Victory in the East: A Military History of the First Crusade 6. Why did the persecution of heretics increase during the high and later Middle Ages...
Words: 5531 - Pages: 23
...Symbolism: Regeneration of French Society The Regeneration of French Society came from the revolutionaries’ aggravation with the government of France. King Louis XVI was an incompetent and ineffective ruler. The Monarchy and nobility engaged in political conflict over reform of the tax system, leading France to bankruptcy. In order to regenerate French society the revolutionaries had to reform the main leading figure and symbol of power, King Louis XVI and the absolute monarchy. Although the revolutionaries at first did not intentionally try to inspire nationalist symbols from the events of the French Revolution, the republican ideals of liberty, freedom, and equality that arose from the fighting, nevertheless came to be embodied in French art as powerful symbols that helped to further drive the revolution. The events of the French Revolution were not intended to create nationalist symbols, and only later developed symbolic significance, they were at the time rational acts in attempt to reach a goal. Nevertheless, paintings of the events reinforced republican ideals and symbolism and artwork became a visual aid to the revolution. The artwork was a way for the revolutionaries to visually express nationalism and their goals in a coterminous fashion, combining the two and linking them. French art in a way advertised the revolutionary ideals and the events which publicized the French Revolution. In July 1788 the announcement that the king was going to make the Estates...
Words: 1922 - Pages: 8
...Causes of the French revolution The French Revolution of 1789 had many long-range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions in France contributed to the discontent felt by many French people-especially those of the third estate. The ideas of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the French Revolution. The political dissatisfaction of France was one of the causes of the Revolution. In the 17th and 18th centuries, France was ruled by an absolute government. The king had all the political powers. Anyone who criticized the government could be arrested and put in prison without trial. Louis XVI was king at the time of the French Revolution. He was more interested in hunting than governing France. He and his Austrian queen, Marie Antoinette, lived an extravagant life at the Palace of Versailles. They did not really care about the state of their country. The people of the 3rd estate felt a sense of betrayal when the king supported the block voting over the head voting. The first two estates worked together to outvote the large third estate to keep them from becoming a threat to the power. An Englishmen, states that the monarchy being overthrown wasn't the spark of the Revolution. He recognizes the American Independence as the spark of the French Revolution. The French government was inefficient, unjust and corrupt. There were numerous government departments, different laws in different parts of the country and...
Words: 969 - Pages: 4
...Modern society owes much of its origin to a great upheaval in the 18th century, the French Revolution. It was one aspect of a broader pattern of change that, since the Renaissance and Reformation, has set the West on a different path of development from that of the rest of the world. This pattern included the individualism and, in the end, the secularism, that was the Protestant legacy. It also included the rise of science, as a method and as a practice. This culminated in explosive events toward the end of the 18th century. The French Revolution ‘was a phenomenon as awful and irreversible as the first nuclear explosion, and all history has been permanently changed by it.’ The French Revolution is largely regarded as an important event in modern international history because of the way it has had international impact and continued to have international repercussions and influences on society and thought today. This essay will look at different aspects of the French Revolution and discuss how the different components of the revolution have affected the world and the impact of these at the time of the event. For the purposes of this essay the French Revolution will be defined as the insurrection in France that began in 1789 and ended in 1815 with the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. The actual dates of the revolution are widely contested but for the purposes of this essay, these dates will be used as a framework. Modern international will be assumed to mean the...
Words: 1808 - Pages: 8
...Revolutions such as the American Revolution and the French Revolution are often referred to as major turning points in history. These revolutions have left lasting impacts on countless nations and regions worldwide. Revolutions represent major changes in a society, government systems and the economic lives of the people impacted. The French Revolution, which began in 1789 and lasted until 1814, set into a motion a course of revolutions that impacted not only the people of France but other groups around the world seeking independence and changes in their government. There were many causes of the French Revolution. One cause of the French Revolution was that King Louis the XVI could imprison anybody for however long he felt, and did not have...
Words: 664 - Pages: 3
...The French Revolution of 1789 had many long-range causes. Political, social, and economic conditions in France contributed to the discontent felt by many French people-especially those of the third estate. The ideas of the intellectuals of the Enlightenment brought new views to government and society. The American Revolution also influenced the coming of the French Revolution. The Philosophes planted the seeds for the French Revolution. Their goals were to expose and destroy the inequalities of the ancient regime (old order). The political discontent of France was one of the causes of the Revolution. In the 17th and 18th centuries, France was ruled by an absolute government. The king had all the political powers. Anyone who criticized the government could be arrested and put in prison without trial. Louis XVI was king at the time of the French Revolution. He was more interested in hunting than governing France. He and his Austrian queen, Marie Antoinette, lived an extravagant life at the Palace of Versailles. They did not really care about the state of their country. The excerpt from the cahiers mentioned in document 3 shows that the votes in the assembly were not taken by head. The people of the 3rd estate felt a sense of betrayal when the king supported the block voting over the head voting. The first two estates worked together to outvote the large third estate to keep them from becoming a threat to the power. Lord Acton, an Englishmen, states that the monarchy being overthrown...
Words: 1173 - Pages: 5
...Political revolutions have a prolonged history of drastically altering the societal, political, and economic conditions of the states they take place in. The American Revolution was no exception to this rule. Thus, the events that took place within the war and subsequent political metamorphosis, from the defeat of the British to the final ratification of the Constitution, all work to restructure much of the characteristics of the states. The American Revolution revolutionized the states and the world by organizing the states together into a national republic and by proving globally that a colony could successfully gain and maintain its independence from its ruling state. However, the Revolution did not significantly alter the individual rights of many citizens, including those of African Americans and women, which largely stayed the same in the years immediately following the revolution. Initially, the most massive change to both the social and...
Words: 814 - Pages: 4
...of European history, the French Revolution of 1789 is without doubt one of the most important and controversial. Similarly Napoleon Bonaparte has to be amongst the most written on and opinion dividing individuals world history has ever seen. Therefore the question as to weather Napoleon was an heir to the revolution, its saviour, hijacker, or simply consolidator is probably the most frequently asked question regarding the revolution and Napoleon. In this essay I will be attempting to answer the question of weather Napoleon was an heir to the French Revolution. This will involve me firstly exploring my definition of the term heir, and my views on the explanations and definitions of the French Revolution. Having done this I will then move on to examine the reign of Napoleon. By doing this I hope to prove my view that, whilst Napoleon may be considered an inevitable consequence of the revolution, he was not its heir. In my opinion the word heir describes a person's or events natural successor. Therefore the term heir to the revolution would in my opinion be used to describe the next regime, which came to embody the principles and morals of the revolution. The revolution's heir must be the regime that follows on from were the revolution left France, and presides over, or creates the kind of society the revolutionaries of 1789 intended to. It is my belief that Napoleon and the Napoleonic regime did not either preside over or create this kind of society and as such Napoleon cannot...
Words: 794 - Pages: 4
...The Enduring Symbols of Revolution: The Emotional Connection to French Republican Art History 2: Revolutions December 15, 2011 Towards the end of the 18th century, Immanuel Kant and many other influential philosophers during the Enlightenment stated that people should be rational in their approach to life, including politics, economics, and society. Rationalism was one of the main themes of the Enlightenment, and it played an important role in the French Revolution. One aspect of rationalism that was important in the French Revolution were rational symbols of power. However, these rational symbols of power ultimately were disfavored in revolutionary France in favor of more enduring artistic symbols of the Revolution. Although the revolutionaries also sought to regenerate French society through rational symbols of power, their use of Roman, Greek and republican art, were the most enduring symbols of a new French society because of their stronger portrayal of liberty, fraternity and equality. The rational symbols of power that the revolutionaries sought to introduce into French society included the revolutionary French Republican calendar, the revolutionary French Republican clock, and the metric system. For the reasons noted below, each of these symbols ultimately were not accepted in French society. Even though the revolutionary French Republican calendar, one of the important rational symbols, did have a strong basis in reason, it lacked public support and was not...
Words: 2329 - Pages: 10
...Journal #1 In my opinion, I think that Louis XIV would be a better ruler to live under compared to his grandson and Marie Antoinette. The Sun King was successful at his ability establish a stable and powerful hold over his country through absolute monarchy. Meanwhile, Louis XIV failed to do so and lost his head as a result. In addition, Louis XIV knew how to retain and maintain power, especially over the nobles. The very act of establishing Versailles as a seat of government control forced the nobles to come to him and seek his support. He was adept at playing the nobles off against each other, and was practically the archetype of absolute power. Although he certainly made mistakes such as his foreign wars, he kept a tight rein on...
Words: 1221 - Pages: 5
...The French Revolution was a very significant event in the history of France, and in the history of the world. It began in 1789, and lasted until about 1799, when Napoleon Bonaparte named himself head consul of the Directory and took over the French Government. Napoleon then ruled France until 1814, when he was exiled. In the time period between the beginning of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s exile, France had undergone many social and political changes that have permanently affected the way France is today. The French Government was largely affected by the Revolution, in more ways than one. The French Revolution began because the majority of France was fed up with the way King Louis XVI was putting the country in debt and then only taxing the Third Estate, whom didn’t have enough money to pay the taxes. To resolve the problem of debt, King Louis called upon the Estates General, a representative group of all three Estates to discuss the debt crisis. Members of the Third Estate broke off from the Estates General, and took an oath that they would...
Words: 827 - Pages: 4
