The French revolution and human nature (Essay Sample)

The French revolution and human nature A review of the literature Name School Abstract The French revolution was a time of great change in France. It was sparked by rebellion and necessity for change. It was dominated by social antagonism between the bourgeoisie and the aristocracy. The paper aims at providing an insight into the factors that caused the French revolution and the themes that emerged during the revolution. It further explores the significance of the revolution and its significance to date towards our system of thinking and interaction. This literature also examines the French revolution and how human nature was viewed. It elaborates on how human beings can be self-interested, savage and yet socially conscious or kind. It also explores how we see the effects of the revolution and its relevance. By drawing on a variety of sources, the paper shows how we relate to the enlightenment concept of humanism. How did The French revolution influence human nature? The French Revolution of 1789 sets itself apart from every revolution that had gone before by being a revolution centered on theories. The French king did not call parliament between 1614 and 1789. There existed a state of absolutism within that period. Absolutism refers to the idea of a monarch ruling without a consultative body of the people (parliament) to approve laws and thus limit the monarch’s power. Unlike Scotland and England, the powers of the king was not limited by any constitution. The absolutism by France was so severe in the seventeenth century to an Extent of the English people calling absolutism the French disease. To make matters worse, the French disease was also the name given to syphilis. The French king Louis 14 took absolutism to a whole new level. He ruled through a bureaucracy through sycophants (Evelyn, J.1818 volume 1, p.268). The system was too expensive since the nobility’s lavish lifestyle had to be funded and something had to be done. In the eighteenth century, absolutism went bust and what followed was a revolution. For the first time in 175 years the French parliament (States General) was recalled. France entered a war in 1778 and it cost too much (Evelyn, J.1818 volume 1, p.268). In May 1789, King Louis 16 called a meeting of the States General so that they could find ways to raise new taxes since the war had ravaged the economy. The parliament was divided into three parts: the first estate which also referred to as the clergy, second estate which was referred to as the nobles and the third estate which was referred to as the others (Cody, 2010). The three estates sat apart but the third estate was against this. The third assembly was crusading for unity in the assemblies. They wanted all the estates to sit together and form one assembly. On June 20th they decided to meet even if the king dissolved them. Favorably, they were successful in their struggles ion 27th June. The first and second estates joined the third to form a uniform assembly. The powers of the king were now limited and France became a constitutional monarchy (Cody, 2010). Themes portrayed by the French revolution Enlightenment Enlightenment can be defined as the liberation of man from a self-imposed state of minority which limits interaction and understanding without directions from other people. In simpler terms, it refers to a process in which human beings create their own theories about the world while ignoring other theories and stories from other people. Enlightenment is a result of one’s own thinking after contradicting stories and experiences that we are told. Hegel argues that these contradictions stimulates one to come up with his/her own theories (Fortescue, 2000). This brings us to our first theme which is enlightenment. When the French faced division in the three estates, enlightenment was established. It changed the way people lived as the political and social barriers were broken down. Scholars such as Descartes, Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire and Rousseau questioned the operations of the government and rejected traditional ideas (Roche & Goldhammer, 1998). The scholars claimed that a liberated monarch was the best government that would divide sovereignty between several centers of power. To date, most of the countries in the world have liberal constitutions that govern people. Due to lessons from the past, countries have abolished autocracies since they limit the freedom of people and cause great oppression once the rulers of the nation decide to become greedy and rule with an iron fist. Countries facing such problems frequently face problems and internal wrangles when citizens of such countries cannot take the oppression from their rulers anymore. This leads to military coups, wars and atrocities that leave thousands of people displaced, maimed and killed due to irresponsible actions of greedy rulers who are hungry for power and money (Fortescue, 2000). Conflict between groups The French required a better government. They had to fight for social equality since absolutism had ravaged their economy. This solicited action from scholars who had the vision of changing the state of France. But amidst the strife for a better French government, there were other fights France had to participate in. The country was in a fight with its neighboring enemies namely the Prussians and the Austrians who wanted to restore the old French monarchy (Fortescue, 2000). The theme of conflict between groups illustrates the nature of human beings as being greedy, violent and destructive. During the French revolution, countries often went to war because of wrangles related to territory encroachment, colonization and superiority battles. The French revolution clearly indicates that human beings can easily involve themselves in conflicts due to reasons such as superiority battles, fight for power and other factors that the French revolution has outlined. To prove that conflict is a major theme currently affecting us, some countries still fight each other for the same reasons as depicted in the French revolution especially in the Middle East. This is a fact that proves it is in the nature of human beings to fight and have conflicting views, ideas or opinions (Roche & Goldhammer, 1998). Technology and its impact Not only was the revolution period filled with freedoms, challenges and personal liberties but also technological advancements. French revolution was a period in which innovative advances occurred in quick succession. The revolution brought about a major technological impact to the livelihood of human beings. Major technological innovations included the millennium clock and other innovations that were develop in from the eighteenth century such as steam as an industrial power source, machine boring and spinning jenny. There was a tremendous improvement in paper printing also. Paper printing machines were improved so as to cater for mass production. It made it easier to communicate through different types of prints such as newspapers and other forms of printed material. This goes to show that human beings are very innovative. To date, countless innovations have been made. Some have simplified the way of doing things while others have added productivity to task and other activities human beings can do. Economics and its impact The French absolutism caused the nation to suffer from major financial troubles since the lifestyles of the elite had to be financed by the tax payers. The absolute rulers actually spent more money than the country earned. As a matter of fact, Marie Antoinette who was Louis’s wife was extremely hated due to her overspending. She was viewed as a symbol of Economic hardships and generated discontent and chaos due to food shortages and other problems. She was out of touch with the people of France and was also very ignorant. The Peasants had to rent land from wealthy individuals who imposed huge taxes on them so as to be granted the right to live and grow crops on the land. Faced with all these problems, King Louis needed a lot of funds so as to effectively govern his country (Hunt, 1996). Turgot, one of his financial advisors, tried to find a way in which the nobility could pay more taxes. He would achieve this by proposing a bill in parliament that would lead to more taxes. The king also attempted to introduce a law in parliament that would allow him to borrow a significant loan so as to mop up the huge French deficit but unfortunately the parliament did not agree with him. This pushed the king against the wall. He was at an impasse. He could not find a way to raise taxes since he did of have the power. The nation then faced another financial blow when it was involved in wars w...