How far was the 1830 July Revolution in France inevitable?
According to Colin Lucas a revolution is caused when "long term political causes combine with short term economic causes". In the context of the July Revolution, there had been both political dejection since 1820 and an economic recession that lasted from 1826-32, these "causes" meant that France was ripe for another revolution, and in fact it was almost inevitable.
To prove that this revolution was actually inevitable, one has to look at the political unrest as far back as the reign of Louis XVIII (1814-24). Louis XVIII was the younger brother of Louis XVI and assumed the title of King in 1795, having fled into exile in 1791 during the revolution but became King only on the fall of Napoleon I in 1814. Louis XVIII was expelled from his role as sovereign briefly during the Hundred Days in 1815 but quickly resumed power after his defeat at Waterloo.
Louis XVIII pursued a policy of calculated liberalism by trying to please both royalists by incorporating some ancien regime measures e.g. making clear that he was chosen by God to rule, and the liberals by offering a Constitutional Charter. This Charter was quite liberal and insured the equality of all men before the law, in taxation and in military service, freedom of the individual, of thought and expression and of religion (although Roman Catholicism was made the State Religion). The Civil Code was retained and Church properties remained with those who had bought them.
All this looks very liberal and retains the rights that the revolution was fought for. However, there were still strong elements of the ancien regime in the Charter, for example that the King had to initiate laws and had to agree to all amendments, he could rule by emergency degree or ordinances, he summoned the two chambers and...
More The French Revolution
essays:
How important was the role of ideas in the outbreak of the French and Russian Revolutions?
... the economic cause comes down purely to the stupidity of war ... that I... shall maintain the principle of autocracy just as firmly and unflinchingly as did my unforgettable dead father" - Czar Nicholas II, 1906 Nicholas II differed to Louis XVI in his methods of taxation ...
How far was Christianity seriously threatened by the French revolution between 1789 and 1815?
... formation of the Concordat under the reign of Napoleon in 1800. Napoleon seized control of the ... administration of the Catholic Church. Attempts to overthrow the monarchy, and the execution of King Louis XVI in ...
French Revolution - What were the causes of the downfall of Louis XVI?
... government of France. Louis XVI himself was executed and killed; while France was established as a democratic country. There were different reasons for Louis's downfall: social, economic, political conditions ...
The French revolution - To what extent was Louis XVI responsible for the revolution in France from 1789 to 1792?
... is Louis XVI responsible for the French Revolution. Bibliography:-Greg Hetherton (1992). Revolutionary France: Liberty, tyranny and terror. Camridge: Cambridge University Press. -Peter Mantin (1992). The French Revolution. Heinemann: Oxford. -Christopher Hibbert (1980). The Days of the ...
To what extent was Louis XVI responsible for the revolution in France from 1789 to 1792?
... and economic problems, King Louis XVI faced many political and cultural challenges. With the Age of Enlightenment ... King Louis XVI was not entirely responsible for the French Revolution. Many of the factors that caused the ...
This is an essay on the French Revolution.
... the 'ancien regime', the church was equal in terms of its social, economic and ... which was, at the time, already too high. When King Louis XVI came into power, he realized that these problems were severe ...
Was Napoleon the son or the enemy of the French Revolution? In this essay, I will try and investigate whether Napoleon Bonaparte brought a positive change to France or was he just another tyrant.
... of Napoleon, the French Empire once again faced domestic and foreign problems and started to fall apart; it became a weaker nation as Austria, Russia, Prussia and Great Britain seized and controlled the power in Europe by forming treaties and political ...
What were the causes and the effects of the French Revolution?
... heard of this, he demanded that the three estates meet separately. This caused anger within the Third Estate. The deputies from the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly. Louis XVI quickly ...