A Comparison of the French and Russion Revolutions

Essay by whereismymthgrdHigh School, 10th gradeA+, April 2004

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It is said that history repeats itself. While this is true, it may not always be exact. The French and Russian revolutions are two perfect examples of this concept. There are many similarities and differences between them, which, upon careful examination of each event in history, become very apparent. Overall, the French and Russian revolutions are very much alike, because of their beginnings and ends, but different in the way in which they both played out.

Before the Russian revolution, Russia had experienced some hard times. They were in the midst of a war, their leader wasn't that great, and people were starving to death; not to mention the confusion that was generated when Nicholas II took the throne. It is obvious that Russia wasn't doing very well before the revolution started, but what about France? What happened before the revolution there? The odd thing about the French revolution is that before it started, France experienced an economic "boom" of sorts.

There were industrial advances, the production of wine, grapes, and other agricultural products skyrocketed, and trade flourished.

The French revolution was one of the bloodiest periods in French history, so it's quite ironic that its kickoff was caused by hungry peasant women that were protesting the price of bread. What's even more ironic is that nearly one hundred and fifty years later, the Russian revolution started the same way. In France, hungry women marched from Paris to Versailles, stormed the enormous home of Louis XVI, and ate all the bread they could find. They then captured the royal family, and took them to Paris. In Russia, hungry peasant women (who were also protesting bread prices) stormed the palace in search of bread. Obviously, these two events seem to be surprisingly similar, but not all aspects of each revolution mirrored...