What Happened During the French Revolution?

The French Revolution occurred almost 20 years after the American Revolution and despite its many flaws, the political and social changes that it brought about changed the course of French history.

Liberty, Equality & Fraternity

The stated goals behind the revolution were "Liberty, Equality & Fraternity" and that was the principal behind the thinking of those most responsible for the French Revolution. King Louis XVI and his wife, Marie Antoinette, were on the throne in France before the revolution and their lifestyle and policies left the proletariat (the majority of French citizens of the lower classes) upset at the lack of food and their poverty. They wanted to put an end to the reign of the royal family and turn the nation into a republic. This was seen as the triumph of the force of reason over superstition and privilege by the important politicians and thinkers in Europe at the time.

Angry Mobs versus the Monarchy

With this kind of mass proletariat mob mentality, violence grew throughout the country and eventually ending up with the storming of the Bastille in Paris. Not long after, the King was brought to trial in December of 1792, and executed on January 21, 1793, and Marie Antoinette and his children soon followed. The Revolution had defeated its major opponent.

Robespierre - The Voice of the Movement

Maximilian Marie Isadore Robespierre was a philosopher and follower of Rousseau. He was part of the movement called Romanticism that put forth the concept that, "Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains." The individual was all--society, rules and proscribed order were the enemy of the soul. It is no wonder that his philosophy, and he himself, were at the forefront of the French Revolution. The middle class and other writers and artists were moved to arms by his published works and he became a true voice for the people.

The Reign of Terror

No matter the logic and sensibility of the philosophers of the movement, it was still political and politics can breed violence. It wasn't long before the Revolution was seen as a "Reign of Terror" with seemingly endless executions of those people who did not support the revolution, regardless of gender or age. Imagine a newly elected American President spending the first 100 days in office doing nothing but executing those who disagreed with his policies. The guillotine was a new invention and proclaimed a humane way to kill. Blood literally flowed in the street of Paris and as each new regime came to prominence, those of the previous were executed. The stated principals of the revolution were being lost and terror was the new order.

The End of the Movement

Meanwhile, older leaders and regimes in Europe saw the revolution as a group of lower class people with pent-up frustrations about religious freedom and poverty who wanted to eventually overtake Europe and the rest of the world. Eventually those most seen as leaders of the revolution, particularly Robespierre, became fractious and disagreeable. The French citizenry less secure with the goals of the revolution at that point. By 1794, Robespierre was so reviled by his former co-revolutionaries that he was executed and the Revolution was declared completely over by the time Napoleon Bonaparte became emperor in 1804