History of French Revolution part 2

Impact of the French Revolution:

National Assembly and New constitution:
* With the end of the old system, the National Assembly started the process of further
reforms and started functioning as a Constituent Assembly also.
* On August 27, it adopted a statement, which reflected the gist of the revolutionary
ideals, called Declaration of the Rights of Man.
* Drawing inspiration from the Enlightenment ideas and of the Declaration of
Independence of the U.S., the document stated that “men are born and remain free
and equal in rights” and that “the aim of all political association is the preservation of
the natural rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, equality,
freedom of expression, to organize their associations and resistance to oppression.”
* Slavery was abolished not only in France but in all other French colonies.
* It was a revolutionary step on all fronts.
+ Ata single stroke all the feudal elements of inequality were removed and replaced by
A set of democratic ethos.
* Moreover, the declaration of Human Rights laid the foundation of a society where
human life is valued above everything else.
* In fact, It laid the conceptual foundation of modern liberalism.
* The next two years the members of the National Assembly continued to deliberate on
the future constitution.

* By 1791, the delegates had a new constitution drafted which made significant changes
in France’s government and society.
* The constitution provided for a limited monarchy in France.
* The authority of the King was severely restricted and the power to frame laws was
given exclusively to the newly created Legislative Assembly.
* Although the King and his ministers would still hold the executive power to enforce
laws, France’s assembly men would be the lawmakers in the country.
* The new constitution abolished the titles of the nobles.
* The judiciary was remodeled.
* The method of torture was abolished. New central and local courts were established.
* Judges were to be elected. Drastic action was also taken against the Church.
* Absolute religious toleration was proclaimed.
* The collection of tithes by the church was abolished.
* In September 1791, the National Assembly completed its new constitution, which the
French monarch reluctantly approved, and Legislative Assembly emerged as the
supreme body of governance.

Reign of Terror and e of Napoleon

+ Int he developments post this event, there was a situation in which there was a state of disorder
and disarray.
+ This was mainly following the weakening of the French forces in the war against Austria and
Prussia, who had grown apprehensive that the revolution may be exported out from France to their
countries
+ Apart from this, the economic situation on the ground had not improved; people were struggling
for their basic necessities resulting in an atmosphere of widespread distrust and lawlessness.
- Therefore, in this atmosphere the legislative assembly decided to abandon the idea of a limited
monarchy, deposed the King and called for the election of a new legislative assembly.
- However, the new National Convention despite their best efforts of making the government and
public bodies more representative, failed to control the lawlessness and terror which gave an
‘opportunity for the more radical and revolutionary elements within the assembly to take control.
+ These elements led by Robespierre gradually consolidated their power and started ruling France
with an Iron hand.
* Dissent was not tolerated.
* Freedom of speech was severely curtailed.
* Anyone who dared to criticize the policies of the radicals was judged as anti-
revolutionary and was either killed or imprisoned.
* However, soon the opponents of Robespierre turned against him resentment grew
against him leading this execution on July 28, 1794.
+ Following the death of the most radical revolutionary, the public opinion shifted
drastically toward the right so much so that on 3 October 1795, the Royalists declared
a rebellion against the National Convention.
Napoleon Bonaparte, who was in Paris, was entrusted with the duty of defending the
Convention.
‘wo days later, on 5 October when the attack occurred, Napoleon dispersed the mob
and saved the Convention.
* The defeat of the Royalist Rebellion eliminated the threat to the Convention and
earned Bonaparte game, wealth, and the support of the French public.
* Thereon, Napoleon increased his power to the extent that on 9 November, 1799, the
directory which was the temporary executive body was overthrown in a bloodless
coup and replaced by a three-member directory headed by Napoleon himself.
* Most historians mark this date as the end of the French revolution.

Empire of France Became French Nation:

* The emergence of France as a Nation was a direct outcome of the French Revolution.
* By giving all the thirty million French equal political rights, the revolution created a
sense of shared unity and fraternity which became the bedrock of the nationhood.
* Now every French possessed equality of status and equality before the law.
. Furthermore) the loyalty of the citizens rested with their nation and not to any king or
dynasty.
* Cultural Impact:
* The Revolution instilled a new spirit of questioning into the mind of the people.
+ Freed from the feudal mindsets and pushed into a new social system, reason and
empiricism became the guiding tools of inquiry.
* With time this got reflected in the form of numerous achievements in the field of art,
science, and literature which French made subsequent to the Revolution.
* Numerous schools, colleges, universities, and academics were opened in the country.
* Special attention was paid to art, literature, science, mathematics, technology, and
physical training in the field of education.
* Freedom Movements in Colonies and Growth of Nationalism:
The French revolution had a multifaceted impact on various liberation struggles in Latin America.
* It provided the inspiration, ideological underpinnings and the theoretical basis to many liberation
struggles in Latin America.
* For instance, the Enlightenment ideals of the French Revolution greatly inspired the
Haitian Revolution- the most successful slave rebellion of the human history.
: Apart from it, the French Revolution inspired movements against colonialism in colonies.
* It gave people of various colonies a framework which not only provided the theoretical
basis for a liberation struggle but also acted as a practical guide.
* Almost all scholars agree that the French Revolution was the biggest impetus stimulus to the
growth of modern nationalism.
* The feeling of nationalism developed either by the direct inspiration from the French
example or indirectly as a reaction against it.
* The values like freedom and equality attacked the very core of imperialism.
* This growth of national consciousness affected not only the colonies, but also the
countries of the Europe.

Haitian Revolution:
+ Haitian Revolution was a series of conflicts between 1791 and 1804 between Haitian slaves,
colonists, the armies of the British and French colonizers, and a number of other parties.
* Prior to its independence, Haiti was a French colony known as St. Domingue.
* St. Domingue’s slave- based sugar and coffee industries had been fast-growing and successful, and
by the 1760s it had become the most profitable colony in the Americas.
+ In the midst of the French Revolution, Haiti’s slaves and free people of colour of Haiti launched
revolution which was led by a former slave and the first black general of the French Army, Toussaint
Louverture.
In response, France was compelled to initiate reforms that appeased the free blacks and the white
planter class.
* As, these reforms left the white artisans (petit blanc) and enslaved blacks it resulted into conflict.
+ Subsequently, the slaves under the leadership of Louverture rebelled against France.
* France was unable to contain the unrest and Britain stepped in to conquer the territory.
* However, the British faced stiff resistance and were finally forced to withdraw their forces, though
Louverture was later arrested and died in France.
* In 1803, Napoleon ordered for the recapture of the lost territory, but his army was decisively
defeated at the Battle of Vetieres.
* Thereby, Haiti was officially declared an independent state by Dessalines, a former slave who
worked alongside Toussaint, in 1804.
* Haiti became the first independent nation of Latin America and the Caribbean, the second
republic in the Americas.
+ Also, it was the first country to abolish slavery, and the only state in history established by a
successful slave revolt.

Spread of Enlightenment Ideas:

+ To escape political tensions and for their safety, a large number of people, mostly men, emigrated
from France.
* Many settled in neighboring countries (chiefly Great Britain, Germany, Austria, and Prussia), and quite
a few went to the United States.
+ The presence of these thousands of people, played a significant role in the Dissemination of the ideals
like liberty, equality and freedom.
* Improvement in the means of transport and communication as a result of the industrial revolution
further ensured that the ideology of the revolution reached far and wide.

Congress of Vienna:
+ After the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo when the threat of Napoleonic invasion had subsided, the
leaders of Europe decide to create an order in Europe, so that such dominance and threats of one
nation, particularly France can be avoided in future.
* Therefore, in June 1815, the leaders of the major European powers viz. Britain Russia, Prussia,
Austria and France assembled in Vienna, with an agenda to create a new European order-one of
collective security and stability for the entire continent.
* The tone of the Congress was a deep distrust in the ideals of the French revolution and was aimed at
preserving the monarchies of Europe from the winds of change which were unleashed by the ideals of
French revolution and the threat extended by the brief success achieved by the French armies under
Napoleon in the post-revolution years.
* This was sought to be achieved by surrounding France with strong countries, thereby restore a balance
of power in Europe, so that no country could be a threat to the others.
* The following measures were taken to achieve the aforesaid objective:
* Containment of France: The Congress made the weaker countries around France
stronger by:
* The uniting the former Austrian Netherlands and Dutch Republic to form the Kingdom of
Netherlands.
* A group of 39 German states was loosely joined as the newly created German Confederation,
dominated by Austria.
* Switzerland was recognized as an independent nation.
* The Kingdom of Sa in Italy was strengthened by the addition of Genoa.
* These changes allowed the countries of Europe to contain France and prevent it from overpowering
weaker nations.
* Balance of Power: Although the leaders of Europe wanted to weaken France, they did not want to go
too far.
* If they severely punished France, they might encourage the French to take revenge.
* If they broke up France, then another country might become so strong that it would threaten them all.
* Thus, the victorious powers were surprisingly easy on the defeated nations therefore:
* Although the French were required to give up all the territories Napoleon had taken.

* France remained intact, with roughly the same boundaries it had in 1790.
* France also kept some of its overseas possessions, its army, and an independent government.
+ Asa result, France remained a major, but diminished European power, and no country in Europe
could easily overpower another.
* Legitimacy: The great powers affirmed the principle of Legitimacy- agreeing that asmany as possible,
of the rulers whom Napoleon had driven, from their thrones, shouldbe restored to power:
* In France, the brother of Louis XVI returned to power as King Louis XVIII who wisely adopted a
constitution and ruled as a constitutional monarch.
* The Congress also restored the Bourbon rulers of Spain and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
* Hapsburg princes came back to rule several states in northern Italy.
* Many of the former rulers of the German states of central Europe also regained their thrones.
* The participants in the Congress of Vienna believed that the return of the former monarchs would
stabilize political relations among the nations.
* Assessment of the Vienna Congress: The congress of Vienna was a political triumph in many ways.
* Because its settlements were fair enough for no country to be left bearing a grudge, it did not sow the
seeds of future wars.
* In that sense it was more successful than many other peace meetings in history.
* None of the five great powers waged war on one another until 1853, in the Crimean War.
* By agreeing to come to one another’s aid in case of threat to peace, the European nations had
temporarily assured that there would be a balance of power on the continent and that no nation would be
able to expand at the expense of others.
* For the first time, the nations of an entire continent were cooperating to control political affairs.
+ The Congress of Vienna was a victory for conservatives.
= Kings and princes were restored in country after country.
* The rulers of Europe were very jittery about the legacy of the French Revolution, especially the
threatening revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity.
* A series of alliances devised by Metternich, called the Concert of Europe, assured that nations would
help one another if any revolutions broke out.
* The importance of the Vienna Congress lies in the fact that, it demonstrated that collective deliberation
on contentious issues can achieve results far superior than war.