French Revolution Essay

...

who were angry over the loss of land, so the clergy was required to take an oath of loyalty to the State, but many refused.

The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen was adopted by the National Assembly on August 27th, 1789. This historic document contained seventeen articles with basic universal rights that had never been officially placed into action in France before. Phrases such as “freedom of thought”, “equal man”, and “natural rights” began to be heard all over the country for the first time. The Declaration not only reinforced human rights, but it also was the first major step toward converting France from an absolute monarchy into a constitutional monarchy. This groundbreaking document was created by people who sympathized with the injustices inflicted upon the lower classes. The writing of revolutionary documents and legislature would not stop there; the willpower of the Third Estate to overcome the tyrants of the Old Regime would continue to materialize in different ways.

The first group was the bourgeoisie which consisted of merchants and artisans, and well educated people that had Enlightened influence. They paid high taxes, about 50%, although they had no political power. Because of this, cahiers were brought to life. They were a list of grievances brought to the estates general meeting to criticize the government through taxation, corruption, and many of the grievances were proposed by the nobility which suggests they were tired too and perhaps the Second and Third estates could’ve worked together.

The emergence of the Jacobins and the Sans-Culottes emitted a sense of change. They felt as though the Old Regime was ignoring them and demanded a republic. Overall, many people and factions were dissatisfied with the Constitutional Settlement of 1791 because people felt that they didn’t have the same rights and we’re gearing toward the removal of the king. Inequality sets the perfect stage for radical change.

The enlightenment brought forth many new, and even radical ideas that allowed people to discover their rights, and furthermore become motivated to change it. We see this premise here where many people hated the social inequality present in France. They were anti-monarchical, strong Republicans and rebelled through their fashion. People were unhappy, radical groups wanted more, and France was unstable partly because reforms just weren’t enough.

The Third Estate of France contributed greatly to the radical and pioneering steps toward universal human rights taken in the French Revolution. The mass protests by the lower classes served would not only serve as inspiration for later protests in the Revolution, but also for protests for rights in other countries. In addition, the groundbreaking documents regarding human rights created by revolutionary leaders would serve as models for later documents. The lower classes of France significantly contributed to the beginnings of universal human rights in France and the world.