What Do You Think Of The French Revolution?

The French Revolution is considered one of the landmark events in modern history, an event that helped shape the world as it stands today in terms of governance and political ideology. The immediate impact of the French Revolution was felt across Europe as, from being hailed as a monumental event initially, it degenerated into a senseless bloodbath that engulfed the whole of France and claimed thousands of people from all walks of society.

The French Revolution started in the month of May in 1789, and the storming of the Bastille was achieved on July 14. The royals, Louis XVI and his entire family, were taken to Versailles from their royal quarters in Paris in October the same year. Finally, 21 January, 1793, saw the execution of Louis XVI at the guillotine. This in turn set off the war between England and France for the next 22 years. And in the meanwhile, Robespierre and his men went about executing thousands of Frenchmen.

The French Revolution is an important event, simply because it has such a precipitous impact on Europe and the rest of the world.

Liberty, Equality,Fraternity, or Death..the last, by far the easiest to bestow, oh La Guillotine...

During the 16th Century, France definitely needed to be reformed.It was not fair at all that the rich nobles could make the peasants pay taxes.However, I think they went about the revolution in a completely wrong way...they used far too much violence, and hundreds of perfectly innocent people were guillotined.Although lots of the French aristocrats were cruel, there were also lots of them who were good people- the revolutionaries should most certainly not have cut off peoples' heads, just because they were aristocrats.They should have locked the bad ones in La Force, and they should have given everyone a fair trial.Louis xvi and Marie Antoinette didn't do anything extremely bad;they should have been allowed to escape to Austria.

I do agree that the monarchy should have been taken away, because it was extremely unfair, but the revolutionaries shed far too much blood, and killed the aristocrats even if they did nothing wrong at all.The way they guillotined everyone was dreadful,they just wanted to murder people, there was no justice in France, and although revolution was necessary, it should NOT have been so violent and they should have done it peacefully.The revolutionaries became just as bad as the rich marquis, they got carried away, this should not have happened, the revolution itself would have been a good thing, if only they had achieved it peacefully.

In essence, the Revolution was a 'good' thing - it aimed to give all citizens equality, and ended an oppressive monarchy, which taxed the poor instead of the nobility and clergy, the people who could afford the taxes.

The first constitution drawn up had some loopholes, missed out a few things and was far too long in coming, but it was a step closer to giving the people what they so desperately needed. The second constitution was much better and fulfilling, but it was shelved until the end of the destructive war which was threatening the Republic.

The Revolution started off with good intentions, but many of the political leaders and groups like the Jacobins and the Girondins became embroiled in  their own personal struggles against one another. Finally the Jacobins triumphed against the Girondins and succeeded in having them arrested and executed. One could argue that the Terror began when the Girondins died. That was when the trouble began...The Terror was seen as an instrument needed for Virtu to triumph, yet it turned into a senseless and ridiculous patriotic bloodbath that eventually destroyed the people that advocated it.

The Revolution was in essence good; it helped France's people gain freedom and equality; but unfortunately the Terror has eclipsed all of the worthy things that the Revolution gained.

A real kind of rev.

Upper class and nobles were usually guillotined

It was horrible. Not only the Reign of Terror that followed but also the De-Christianization of France. Then instituted was the "Cult of the Supreme Being". They not only forced loyalty oaths on the clergy but they also forced the male clergy to have sex with the female clergy. They don't teach you that in school!

The French Revolution cried for reform in the life of a common man, perhaps too loud to b[h]ear.