French Revolution By: Tan Ly

Essay by viethelldragonCollege, UndergraduateA+, April 2004

download word file, 8 pages 4.7

What impact did the American Revolution have on Europe? The American Revolution, had a great impact on the Europeans. The citizens of Europe could daily read about the happenings of the American Revolution in newspapers, books, and magazines. The revolution embedded a hope for change into the minds of Europeans. Europeans believed that if the American government could be turned around through the will of the people, then the same should be possible for Europe. The Revolution also proved that liberal political ideas were no longer only ideas, but could become reality. Through the changes that were made in America, the principles of the Enlightenment were confirmed and gave Europeans hope for a new age and an overall better world.

Explain the political grievances of the peasants, wage earners, bourgeoisie, and nobility. The cahier de doleances, were statements of local grievances. Each of the three classes of France had different grievances, and these grievances would promote a regular constitutional government.

The Third Estate, made up of peasants, wage earners, and bourgeoisie, demanded that voting should be by head. Another interest, or grievance, of the Third Estate was their claim that aristocrats were plotting to destroy the Estates-General. The Third Estate used this as a reason to pursue war against the rich. Most First and Second Estate citizens were opposed to voting by head, and instead favored voting by order. The nobility, together with other land holders, disliked what was left of the feudal system and the fees and obligations that came with it. Because each so many parts of society were all upset about different issues, revolution would be hard to avoid.

How did the voting conflict in the Estates-General lead to the French Revolution? When the Estates-General opened on May 5, 1789, it was already divided by conflict.