To What Extent Do Revolutions Bring About Change?
Economic Changes
Firstly, under the ruling of King Louis XVI, the peasants often faced heavy taxations, and due to bad harvests, they barely had enough the live, never mind the extra taxations they had to face. The two previous kings left the country under enormous debts and it was the people who had to deal with the economic repercussions. Prices of goods increased, taxation increased, there was a lot of financial burden on the peasants. After the war, Napoleon reformed various aspects of the economy by lowering the taxation rates, controlled inflation through the national bank and encouraged businesses by offering a loan to those who needed it. In the early stages of Napoleons rule, changes were indeed made and were the the economic circumstances of the society did improve to a certain extent. However, in Napoleons later stages of ruling, his repeated lose of wars caused the country to yet again fall into heavy debts and once again, it was the people who had to deal with the repercussions. Hence, we can see that the revolution did not change economically. |
Social Changes
After the Napoleons take over, various government and religious reforms took place. He reduced corruption and only appointed officials by merit, thus making sure that the government was filled with people who truly cared about the country. He also created public schools around the country which could be attended by children of all ages, promoting education and nurturing intellectuals. Napoleon also strongly promoted freedom and tolerance, the people were not constricted to a certain religion anymore and the napoleonic code guarantees their right of speech, press and religion. Compared to the ruling of King Louis XVI where all french citizens were constricted to the beliefs of the Catholic Church and most of the citizens were illiterate, the revolution did certainly brang change which benefiting the people in more ways than one. |
Conclusion
In conclusion, the French revolution was a time of fear and desolation that shook France between 1789 and 1799. There were significant changes made not only in terms of leadership, but also in the welfare of the country. Although the country did fall back into economic repression, the social circumstances of the people did change immensely. Leading us to the conclusion that the french revolution did bring about change, but only to a certain extent.
In conclusion, the French revolution was a time of fear and desolation that shook France between 1789 and 1799. There were significant changes made not only in terms of leadership, but also in the welfare of the country. Although the country did fall back into economic repression, the social circumstances of the people did change immensely. Leading us to the conclusion that the french revolution did bring about change, but only to a certain extent.
©2014 Cecilia Ho