France †Change over Time Essay (French Revolution) Essay

*As the title indicates, this is a channelize/continuity AP essay written for creation History class. Vaguely, the essay question was Describe tilt and continuity in France from the mid-1700s to the mid-1800s.*Like many a(prenominal) other europiuman nations in the 1700s, France experienced a dramatic shift of sen periodnts against the monarchy, nobleness, and Catholic Church as the people, fired by rousing new reasonableness ideals, began to question authority and emphasize the collect for equality, liberty, and democracy. The social and political changes in France were best characterized by three several(predicate) time periods the weak monarchy of King Louis XVI and the subsequent period of confusion aft(prenominal) his remotion from role, the reign of short sleep Bonaparte and his downfall, and the new order brought slightly by the Congress of capital of Austria central to these changes were Enlightenment influence, nationalism, and Frances dealing with other count ries. However, scorn the great social upheavals of this time period, g eat uper roles remained more(prenominal) than or less unchanged and although women had begun to rouse the idea of womens rights, petty changed in the way that society viewed women because men still held economic power.France was the most advanced country of Europe in the 1700s, home to many prima(p) philosophers such as Voltaire and Montesquieu. condescension its prominence, it was experiencing domestic instability and civil unrest. The distant King Louis XVI paid little attention to what was happening extracurricular his opulent court and was unable to control the rebellions when they started cropping up. Goaded by Enlightenment ideas, the lower classes began to demand equality and liberty. When their demands were not met, they stormed the French prison Bastille on July 14, 1789 and the revolution was truly chthonianway. The National Assembly became the dominant political power, pickings away the feudal privileges of the First and Second Estates and establishing control over perform lands. It created a limited constitutional monarchy, giving Legislative power to the Assembly. awake of rebellions within their own borders, Austria and Prussia attempted to preserve absolute monarchy in Europe by quelling the French revolution.The Legislative Assembly responded by prospect aside the Constitution of 1791, deposing the king, and creating a new governing body. A end dominate of Terror ensued during which the Jacobins, and after on Robespierre, gained power and instituted a period of wide circulate executions and radical policies. It was during this period that use of the guillotine became popular. Eventually, the Reign of Terror was overthrown and a moderate government under the Directory was installed. This period power saw France change from an absolute monarchy to a period of radical regularisation so finally to a more moderate form of government. Throughout this, women p lay a key role in facilitating the spread of ideas by source their salons to Enlightenment thinkers, creating an environment for new philosophies to form and proliferate. However, they had little direct power and were still seen as inferior to man, albeit new Enlightenment ideals of equality.The Directory chose talented forces leader, Napoleon Bonaparte, to become general of the French army he later moved on to become one of three counsels holding executive power. However, Napoleons coup detat would put all of France under his control and event France to an absolute monarchy. Napoleons reign achieved many Enlightenment ideals despite his Hobbes-like policies he equalized taxation, repaired the corrupt government, struck a offset between state and church power, and created the Napoleonic Code. He managed to quell the Austrian threat although he did not succeed in Egypt. Napoleon morose away from the New World and sought, instead, to create French dominance in Europe, conquering many neighboring countries and establishing control over Spain and Portugal.Unfortunately, his three mistakes the Continental System, the Peninsular War, and the invasion of Russia eventually caused his downfall. The Fourth Coalition, comprised of Britain, Russia, Prussia, Sweden, and Austria, defeated Napoleon and exiled him to the island of Elba. Despite a brief attempt to regain control of France, called the Hundred Days, Napoleon would never again dominate France. During Napoleons reign, France saw the return of the absolute ruler. However, growing nationalism brought close Napoleons removal from power. This period is also marked by the continuity of womans role in France. Despite the tumultuous events of the time, women saw little change in their rights and status. Philosophers like Mary Wollstonecraft found little support for her ideas and France authorities and society continued to be a male dominated arena. later Napoleons removal from power, the Congress of Vienna, comp rised of Prussia, Russia, Austria, Britain, and France, met to forge peace. Using hidebound polices, the map of Europe was redrawn to ensure the balance of power and monarchs were restored, created peace in Europe until 1853. However, the French revolution had flamed a support for nationalism as more conquered nations demanded autonomy the majority of the rebellions were unsuccessful. France had a final revolution had withdraw the monarchy for good and established a popular republic.France had finally made the transformation from absolute monarchy to democracy. With this change came many social changes such as the end of serfdom in Western Europe and the decreased power of the nobility and the increased importance of wealth in determining power. Women continued to operate for womens rights, including suffrage, but were met with unenthusiastic responses. In circumstance, despite the radical political changes France had undergone, gender roles hardly changed at all, demonstrating the continuity of womens status from the time of Louis XVI to after the Congress of Vienna.On a global scale, the canonic trends of the French gyration were very similar to those of the American Revolution. both were flamed by Enlightenment thinkers advocating equality and liberty and democracy over monarchy and Church control. Both would encourage other rebellions later on the American Revolutionary ideas would spread to Latin America while French Revolution sentiments would bring about revolts in Germany, Hungary, and other parts of Europe. Womans rights also remained earlier static in both areas of the world it would be several more years before womens rights were considered seriously. The main difference, however, lay in the fact that while the US simply separated itself from Britain authority, France underwent the whole transformation, from absolute monarchy to democracy, despite the periods of unrest in between.The 1700s was a period of great change in Europe, and Frances progression from absolute monarchy to democracy illustrates the movements of Enlightenment thinkers and the harvest-feast of nationalism and the new importance of domestic stability and a agreeable lower class. Three distinct time periods Louis XVIs rule and the Reign of Terror, Napoleons reign, and Europe following the Congress of Vienna illustrated this profound political change. Throughout the political change, however, was continuity in womens rights and status. Gender roles remained largely the same. There were many parallels between the French Revolution and the American Revolution, depicting an international trend the growing power of democratic governments.BibliographyAll information from AP World History textbookWorld Civilizations The Global Experience, Third form, AP* Edition