Abdou Samb Ms.

Caruso ENGL1102 16 February 2012

The French Revolution The French Revolution was a very striking moment of the year 1700 1800. The first question that comes to my mind when talking about this historical event is what was the cause of that Revolution? How did that event occur and what were the consequences of such phenomena. To have a clear comprehension of that Revolution, I am going to explain the different perspectives that have happened during that period in a political, economical and social aspect. Several causes are responsible for the French revolution. Political, social and economic causes can be highlighted to determine the start of the revolution. The unequal shape of the population constitutes a major problem in France at that time. Indeed Paris is controlled in one side by the little and rich people called the bourgeoisie while the majority of the population is composed by the poor. The oppressive nature of the monarchy toward commoners, the colonial wars made by Napoleon bring a rebellion among the two poor in France, specially the anger and protestation of women. These colonial wars bring misery and hunger in many families. At that time, many women did not work because they are considered inferior. However, the lack of masculine presence leads them to star working in factories in order to feed their families. The

Caroline Jolley 2/16/12 10:29 AM Comment: Reviewed By: Caroline Jolley

beginning of womens labor influences greatly their rights which are underestimated and not respected. The rule of law which implies that the king is above the law through divine rights increases the poverty and the violation of human rights during this period of crisis. That important engagement of the women had led to the female liberalism in which a lot of women decided to create associations. The main objective was the fight against the unfair aspect of the declaration of men and citizens implement by Robespierre. Overwhelmed, women, for the first time in France, marched to the Versailles to denounce the unfair treatment of the monarchy. It has a little impact on the respect of their rights and the economy or the behaviors of the first and the second estate. However these women were not unified. None of these women set out to lead a unified feminist movement, but all of these women began with political intention and wound up in some way with defending life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, especially for women. (Beckstrand Lisa 16). Every woman was trying to build her own movement. Despite the lack of union among them they succeed to set up the effectiveness of womens rights by defending their liberty thus promoting their emancipation. . However this march, despite its little impact, strengths women to continue on fighting against the monarchys repression and injustice in the society. Other factors and events will contribute to the effectiveness of this revolution, specifically the declaration of women rights and citizens by Olympe de Gouges, a prominent figure of women rights. The influence of many philosophers and Enlightenment thinkers will facilitate the success of the Revolution. Spielvogel points out names of philosophers such as John Locke, who argues that every man is equal and the decisions of the Crown should result from a mutual agreement between the Crown and the Citizens. But the author who, through his consistent arguments influences the declaration of women rights is Thomas Paine. He does not make any difference
Caroline Jolley 2/19/12 1:31 PM Comment: Remove after the s Caroline Jolley 2/16/12 10:41 AM Comment: Dont forget to indent on all of your paragraphs. You start new paragraphs but some dont indent. Caroline Jolley 2/16/12 10:44 AM Comment: I would add a comma after law and after rights to make the sentence flow more. Ex:The rule of law, which implies that the king is above the law through divine rights, increases the poverty and violation of human rights during this period of crisis.

between men and women because they are all equal, considering divine and natural rights. In fact, all religious such as Catholicism, Buddhism or Hinduism address universal issues of human rights. These religions teach for many centuries the messages of profound respect of the life of each person, the worth of each individual regardless of their sex, racial status; but none of this is respected and rare are writers or politicians who defend the right of women in their writings during that time period. Only the declaration of men and citizens is declared, but what about women? The explicit ideas and arguments of Paine about the Doctrine of equal right leads Olympe de Gouges, a French women pamphleteer to write the Declaration of women and female citizens in 1791. I think this declaration is effective through the years in western countries but not in African or Middle East countries. Many women are still oppressed and belittled. Even if there is some women in Africa- such As Ellen Johnson, President of Liberia- who contributes to political decisions in their countries, there are still thousands of them who do not benefit from or do not have this privilege. Also I can say that the march of Versailles led by women was relevant because many African countries, after the independence in the 20th century witness a series of women protestations in the streets. For instance, in Togo in 1933, a country in West Africa, women march to protest against reformation of their rights and the revision of their salaries as citizens, not as women. The consequence of the revolution benefits to farmers. Indeed, the additional production of the farmers has increased dramatically and they were no longer forced to pay taxes and tithes to lords. With the revolution, peasants, owners of land, could keep the additional part which was often taken by the lords. According to Malcolm Crook, As a direct result of the revolution, the countryside liberated itself from urban seigneurial and Episcopal control, leaving marketing and administration as the remaining links.(Malcolm Crook, Peter McPhee 131). The
Caroline Jolley 2/19/12 1:25 PM Comment: religions

French Revolution had a great impact the world. It has opened a lot of mind and was the reference for others revolution in the 18th century.
Caroline Jolley 2/19/12 1:30 PM Comment: Your paper is very informative and detailed. You have a strong concept. Keep an eye on your sentences so that they dont become too long. Good paper this far.

Work cited pages Crook Malcolm. Peter McPhee. Revolutionary France. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002 Beckstrand Lisa. Deviant Women of the French Revolution and the Rise of Feminism. Massachusetts: Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp. 2009 Spielvogel Jackson J. Western Civilization. Wadsworth, Centage learning: 2012, 2009, 2006