Changes in Daily Life Made by the Revolution
Compared to the revolutionaries in America, the French had more ambitious roles – they wanted to overthrow the traditions that were centuries old and change French society completely. By 1789, the Estates-General met, but were unable to act because the delegates could not agree on voting procedures. After much fighting, the 3rd Estate declared itself a National Assembly. While this was happening Parisians were suffering due to food shortage, unemployment and high prices, so on July 4, 1789, they stormed the Bastille. This event led many to realize that they could not protect the old regime: many nobles gave up feudal rights.
On August 4, 1798, the National Assembly announced the end of feudalism in France, as well as the end of the power of the Church to demand taxes and the nobility’s right to take fees, taxes and labors from peasants. They did not stop there: the National Assembly intended to write a constitution that would limit the king’s power and make France a Constitutional Monarchy (Constitution of 1791). Over the next 2 years, the national Assembly made lots of change: equality and individual rights, fixing government administration to feudal kingdoms, seizing Church lands, aiding business and finally creating a Constitutional government.
These were some of the biggest changes made in the French Revolution, and all in all it helped the Parisians live a more comfortable life. The major people involved in the making of change were in the National Assembly, led by the bourgeoisie (the middle class) and later on the Jacobins, whom many argue saved France, despite the amount of people they killed. If none of these changes happened, France might’ve taken a lot longer in gaining their much sought after reforms, and who knows, a lot of countries might have been run very differently without the influence of the French Revolution.
On August 4, 1798, the National Assembly announced the end of feudalism in France, as well as the end of the power of the Church to demand taxes and the nobility’s right to take fees, taxes and labors from peasants. They did not stop there: the National Assembly intended to write a constitution that would limit the king’s power and make France a Constitutional Monarchy (Constitution of 1791). Over the next 2 years, the national Assembly made lots of change: equality and individual rights, fixing government administration to feudal kingdoms, seizing Church lands, aiding business and finally creating a Constitutional government.
These were some of the biggest changes made in the French Revolution, and all in all it helped the Parisians live a more comfortable life. The major people involved in the making of change were in the National Assembly, led by the bourgeoisie (the middle class) and later on the Jacobins, whom many argue saved France, despite the amount of people they killed. If none of these changes happened, France might’ve taken a lot longer in gaining their much sought after reforms, and who knows, a lot of countries might have been run very differently without the influence of the French Revolution.
Sources:
Making Sense of World History: Tracing the Path of Western Civilization by Jonathan C. Foe, Corazon B. Parco, and Manolito B. Coronado (pp. 177-190)
A History of the World, revised edition by Marvin Perry
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/French_constitution_proclamation_1791.jpg
Researchers:
Janna Gabaldon
Katrina Kopio
Making Sense of World History: Tracing the Path of Western Civilization by Jonathan C. Foe, Corazon B. Parco, and Manolito B. Coronado (pp. 177-190)
A History of the World, revised edition by Marvin Perry
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/French_constitution_proclamation_1791.jpg
Researchers:
Janna Gabaldon
Katrina Kopio