Thesis Statement
The French Revolution (1789 – 1799) was the most revolutionary era in the history of France as the country underwent radical reforms. The intention of the revolution was to do away with monarchies and aristocratic privileges, with the aim of emerging as an enlightened nation that embraced human rights, citizenship and nationalism.
Introduction
When the French Revolution began, there was the hope of not only political changes but also societal changes. There was an imbalance in the French society, so much so that it caused significant friction between the two main social strata; the upper and middle classes. This situation was further aggravated by the lack of a correlation between intellectual and economic development. There were two main effects of the revolution on French society; governmental and secular effects.
As a result of the revolution, the French constitution was enacted in 1791, which effectively made France a Constitutional monarchy. This meant that event the king was under the Constitution (Butler, 2005). One of the greatest landmark revolutions was the spread of the Napoleonic culture and some of the most prominent features of this culture were modernization, even in warfare, and an increased fashion sense. So much so were these effects that to date, France is the fashion centre of the world. There was also the introduction of the metric measuring system (Butler, 2005).
Interestingly, the current French Constitution was mostly crafted by the First President of France, Charles De Gaulle. It comes as no surprise that the president of France is very powerful, with many executive decisions being bestowed upon him. Unfortunately, this has seen many French presidents carry their affairs in absolute disregard for the law and conduct themselves like blood blooded aristocrats. Jacque Chirac was well known for financial crimes and abuse of office, yet the law granted him immunity from prosecution. The buck does not stop there as the similarities between the present political fronts and the pre-evolutionary elite. The first group of culprits is of the French members of Parliament. This group is known for their exorbitance, affluence and abuse of power. The second lot is the alumnae of Les Grandes Ecoles; elitist universities that bred pedigrees. A graduate from these universities is readily embraced into the job market and end up dominating high-end jobs. The third group consists of the majority of the country’s population. Even though they are the biggest taxpayers, they are conspicuously omitted from important political and national decision-making processes. All this is extremely reminiscent of the pre-revolutionary era (Infoplease, 2008).
In conclusion, the French revolution was in fact and indeed a revolutionary era. However, it is not as extensive as it has so often been made to seem. The main objective was to fight for social equality; power was to be demystified from a bourgeois affair. Under the Napoleon Code, feudalism was abolished and its place contractual relations and general social order were adopted (Infoplease, 2008). The long-standing ancient European structures were abolished and in their place, democracy, which was a precedent for constitutions, government and elections. It is a well-known fact that prior to the French Revolution, France was far from the sophisticated nation that it is now. But although historians may differ greatly on what exactly transpired and what the exact effects of the revolutionary war, one thing remains constant across the board; the French revolution revolutionized the world as a whole.
Works Cited
Butler A. (2005). A Revolutionary Change: The French Revolution and the Metric System. 2008. Web.
Infoplease (2008) encyclopedia – French Revolution. Web.