Fighting for a Revolution and Fighting to Keep It
A revolution can be described as a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that happens in a relatively short period of time. France at the end of the eighteen-century was in a crisis and on the brink of revolution. Revolutions have not been a new idea sparking up in several countries including Ireland and Belgium. Across the ocean, a great revolution flared in the American colonies. Tired of tyranny, and unfair politics of the monarch, French workers recognized finally, that they were, in fact, representing the social realities of the nation and its true wealth. The French revolution unlike any other event was so violent in breaking away from the old Regime and so massive involving millions of women and men in action. The French people were tired of the absolute monarch having its hands around their throats and in their pockets. Politics would change forever in France. The first phase of the French revolution, was based on liberty to compete and possess property while the second phase, involving mostly the working people of cities, had equality as its primary objective. The French revolution was ignited in part due to the nobles, and the unjust politics of the government regarding privileges. More importantly, even after revolutionaries clench control over the country, tribulations continuously lurked to destroy their new philosophies and their fresh position of power.
Before the revolution sparked, France was in financial crisis and Louis XVI was in trouble. Massive debt tied his hands on what he could do and accomplish as France’s king. By aiding the American colonists in their victory over Britain, France’s economy suffered in the after math. Raising taxes was Louis’s only possible solution even though it reinforced tension between the aristocrats and peasants. Of course the king could not cut back on his standing army because it was necessity. Louis desperately needed a solution and possibly found one by resorted to an unusual move by calling together the Estate-General. The Estate-General was a legislative committee split into three estates with the monarch at the top. The first estate was the clergy, the second estate was the nobility and the third estate was the rest of society, from artisans to peasants. Deputies of the state brought a list of grievances from each estate to the meeting with the King. The peasants saw this as a sign of hope for stability and a promising future just beyond the horizon. Even though there were common grievances the nobility saw it as an opportunity to strengthen legislative control over raising taxes. Not knowing it the nobility was about to spark the revolution changing France forever. The French nobility was the culprit that unintentionally destroyed the old regime. The third estate, being the largest, wanted the votes for the Estate General to be called by the heads of the estate rather than the estate itself. The first two estates were basically nobles and wanted it by estates, giving the largest estate, the third, and no real power at all. The nobles refused the third estates wishes and closed them off from the meeting with the king. This political injustice was seen as political tyranny and in some aspects established the revolution. The third estate, claiming to be the people of the nation, declared themselves the Nation Assembly. No longer recognizing the other estates and with the oath of the Tennis Court the revolution had begun. Simply by refusing to compromise with the third estate the nobility sparked a revolution.
France, like never before, experienced an importance of public opinion. The struggles of the worker in France were not new yet for the first time workers connected their hardships with the politics of Versailles. Foolish, the King refused to accept the new National Assembly and sent troops to keep order in Paris. The troops symbolized oppression and citizen and soldier clashed violently.