Ways in Which the French Revolution had a Lasting Impact...

‘Libertà ©, à ©galità ©, fraternità ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢: the motto that France uses to this day and first came about as a result of the French Revolution. This in itself shows that the revolution had a major impact on France. It played a significant role in changing France through, for example, the new definition of nationalism, the abolition of the monarchy and the abolition of feudalism. Whether these changes succeeded in modernising France or resulted in something that was not any better than pre-revolutionary times is what will be discussed in more detail using the above three examples. Nationalism did exist, to a certain extent, in pre-revolutionary France, and ‘it played an important role in the Revolution itself’ (O’Brien, 1988:18) but it only had a real†¦show more content†¦The reason for wanting the abolition of the monarchy could not have arisen without this idea of nationalism. It no longer seemed feasible for the French to have power directed to one person only, if they wanted to achieve what their motto attributes to a new, modernised France. The king, realising this, had fled to take refuge with other kings, possibly, as O’Brien suggests, to make war on the nation. Therefore it seemed necessary to capture the king, and put an end to the monarchy. However, soon after, a Napoleonic empire had formed which proved to be no better than France with a monarch, as power was concentrated within the empire. This empire was ‘not quite what either original Revolutionaries or convinced republicans expected’ (Best, 1988:1 05) but it was accepted all the same because it allowed the people of France more rights than they previously had, and they believed that Napoleon was only in this position to help the nation, better persuaded through rhetoric. However it was only after Napoleon surrendered that France became a true Republic, and so the revolution is still considered to be a reason France is currently a Republic, therefore the abolition of the monarchy did contribute to modernising France. Another thing which could not have arisen without the idea of nationalism was the abolition of feudalism, which was seen as a great achievement to France as it finally allowed someShow MoreRelatedEssay On The French Revolution And American Revolution1370 Words   |  6 PagesAmerican and French Revolutions are both unforgettable historical events that have made a substantial and severe impact on the present-day society. The American Revolution was an influential time period, lasting from 1774-1783, where the 13 British colonies in the Americas rebelled against the rule of Great Britain for independence. The French Revolution was a period of chaos from 1789 to 1799, where the people of France tried to overthrow their monarchy, King Louis XVI. 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