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  1. The French Revolution’s Fall
  2. In the 1700s, what began as a fight for liberty, equality, and fraternity soon devolved into a chaotic period of terror and paranoia. It was a time of turmoil and political upheaval, of carnage and bloodshed in the name of reason. The French Revolution failed because the peoples’ liberties were neglected, one autocracy was traded for another, and the systematic violence of the Terror destroyed any sense of fraternity the Revolution tried to cultivate.
  3. Revolution leaders, most notably Robespierre, failed to uphold their declaration’s ideas of freedom concerning capital punishment, free speech, and religious tolerance.The most infamous example of Robespierre’s brutality is depicted best when he is shown “guillotining the executioner after ‘all of France’ [had] been put to death” (Document B). At his feet, the declaration of 1789 laid trampled and forgotten. He utilized the guillotine to eliminate political enemies and former colleagues who spoke out against him, and common people suspected of being counter-revolutionaries. Not satisfied with simply executing adversaries, Robespierre, “once a fierce supporter of the free press, now reinstates censorship” (BBC News). In fact, one of his most prominent reversals was his shift from being a strong proponent for freedom of expression to a man killing for the slightest opposition. In trying to protect the Revolution, he ultimately brought about its demise. As the Revolution grew increasingly radical, Robespierre’s policies escalated as well; notably his stance on religion. The violent dechristianization movement desecrated churches, executed religious figures, and destroyed paintings and statues. The Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen states that “no one shall be disquieted on account of his opinions, including his religious views”. Robespierre’s policies directly conflicted with those listed in the declaration, a document he helped write. This agitated the people because they joined the Revolution’s cause to fight for these rights. Under Robespierre, a supposed voice of the revolution, the people were repressed yet again.
  4. After overthrowing the monarchy, France went from one governing system to the next; starting with Robespierre’s totalitarian rule, then Napoleon’s military dictatorship, and the later return of a king, Louis XVIII. Robespierre proved to be too radical in his vision, and as he “flagrantly violated [the liberties of the subject]” (Document C), he drifted further and further from the France’s dream of a republic. The people chafed against Robespierre’s harsh and bloody rule. In 1794, the buildup of paranoia hit its breaking point, and the people rose up and guillotined him, hoping to advance with the revolution after his death. After a brief period of instability the successful French general Napoleon seized power. Despite him proclaiming to be a child of the revolution, he ruled with an iron fist. There was no questioning of his absolute power; “[he] took the crown from the pope’s hands… [he] meant to show that he owed his throne to no one but himself” (Ellis, Esler). A powerful and influential ruler, he was able to centralize power and expand France’s borders. Despite his popularity within France, conflicts with other European monarchs forced him to abdicate. Other countries thought of him as a tyrant, and resisted against his rule. Even as he declares himself “the revolution on horseback”, he was fundamentally a dictator that used the Revolution as an opportunity to seize power and appeal to what the people wanted most— a secure country, a steady economy, and enough money for the poor to stay afloat. After Napoleon’s defeat, King Louis XVIII was placed onto the throne. Brother to Louis XVII, he provoked a deep fear of a return to the ancien regime and the absolutism of pre-revolutionary France. His return sparked a new wave of revolutionary vigor in the people, allowing Napoleon to reclaim the throne for a short period of time. In contrast to Robespierre and Napoleon’s rule, Louis’s power was greatly hindered as a constitutional monarch. The lack of a stable leader to lead the country to safety and peace led to the downfall of the Revolution. While the two most prominent ‘revolutionary’ leaders held absolute power, Louis XVIII, a monarch, adhered more to Enlightenment ideas. Robespierre and Napoleon escalated the situation, and even encouraged the carnage of the Revolution.
  5. The failure of the Revolution was partially caused by the fear and paranoia it instilled, first through bloody prison murders, then Reign of Terror, and the overall inclination to violence. Most acts of brutality before the Terror were conducted by the people, who expressed their resentment for the monarchy through waves of furious attacks. Notably, the September Massacres, which composed of a series of prison murders triggered by a fear of external attacks on France. This initial vigilante bloodthirst led to later repercussions and set the mood for the Reign of Terror. Robespierre’s Terror had cost many innocent lives, and many supporters of the revolution turned away in disgust at the bloodshed. While he might have thought himself an enlightened ruler, his policies breached the liberties listed in the Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen. He indoctrinated the idea that the revolution could not have occurred and cannot continue without bloodshed. Document E describes the situation as “horribly new and unimaginable, the prospect of a government systematically [executing] its opponents”. Although violence did propel the revolutionaries forward, a revolution is fundamentally about ideas. The Revolution used terror as a weapon to eliminate internal enemies, but in doing so also ingrained fear and incited resistance in the people.
  6. Despite its noble goals, the end of the tumultuous rebellions in France was inevitable. Many of the leaders have come full circle, becoming the oppressive rulers they once fought against, and many more lay dead, remembered merely as a casualty of progress. The pursuit of change can lead to disastrous consequences, and even a well-meaning action can set off a deadly chain reaction. Through the neglect of the concept of freedom, an unsuccessful attempt at changing the governing system, and a violent history of fear, the Revolution was destined to collapsed in on itself.
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