What are the pros and cons for the French Revolution?

PROS
The Revolution led to the creation of modern France. For the first time, people from different walks of life now had a common purpose in life. The old class distinctions that had kept people apart were now no longer relevant.

It acted as an inspiration to downtrodden peoples of other countries, encouraging them to throw off the yoke of monarchical oppression and take control of their own lives for the very first time.


The concept of civil rights was adopted as a result of the revolution. For the first time in the history of France, people could see what they believed to be their natural rights enshrined in law.

The Revolution brought to an end a cruel, repressive, hopelessly inefficient political system.
CONS
The Revolution led to a vicious campaign of de-Christianization in some parts of France.

Groups such as women and the working-classes were marginalized by what was predominantly a male, bourgeois revolution.


Despite its noble ideas and inspirations, the Revolution soon descended into violence, chaos and bloodshed.

The attempt by French revolutionaries to liberate the oppressed masses of other countries soon degenerated into a campaign of imperial conquest.
 
 
 
 


Pros
Brought France to the napoleonic era, resulting in her military zenith between 1809-1812 as the dominator of the European continent, leading to a spread of French laws and culture.
Initiated the chain of events which would lead to the downfall of absolute monarchy in France. Initiated the chain of events leading to the end of absolute monarchy in Europe.
Initiated rule by law.
Introduced military and civil systems based on merit and not on nobility.
Cons
The gains of the revolution were lost in the short term, with absolute monarchies returning to France and not being entirely abolished until 1871.
Lead to spread of German and Italian nationalism, which would cause trouble for France later.
Initiated immense bloodshed through the ensuing reign of terror.
Embroiled France in a quarter century of war, taking the lives of 3 million Frenchmen.

 


Pros:
The Revolution brought to an end a cruel, repressive, hopelessly inefficient political system. The power of the aristocracy and the Catholic Church, which had crippled France for centuries, was replaced by a system more in touch with the people, especially those who paid taxes.
A culture of civil rights was developed. For the first time in the history of France, people could see what they believed to be their natural rights enshrined in law. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen led to the abolition of slavery in French overseas colonies and the establishment of religious freedom in a country where non-Catholics had traditionally been persecuted.
The Revolution led to the birth of the modern French nation. For the first time, people from different walks of life now had a common purpose in life. The old class distinctions that had kept people apart were now no longer relevant. What mattered was that everyone could now come together as one in order to achieve the monumental tasks that the Revolution had set for France.
The Revolution acted as an inspiration to downtrodden peoples of other countries, encouraging them to throw off the yoke of monarchical oppression and take control of their own lives for the very first time.
Cons:
Despite its noble aspirations, the Revolution soon descended into violence, chaos and bloodshed. The revolutionaries had none of the experience or skill necessary to govern a state, and so relied upon abstract political ideas which they then used to construct an artificial system of government. As the system they built had no roots among the traditions of the people, it could only be maintained and defended by violent repression.
Though nominally committed to religious liberty, the Revolution led to a vicious campaign of de-Christianization in some parts of France. Priests and nuns were put to death, church property confiscated or destroyed, and a bizarre nature cult established as an alternative to Christianity in order to command the allegiance of the masses.
The attempt by French revolutionaries to liberate the oppressed masses of other countries soon degenerated into a campaign of imperial conquest. Many people initially welcomed the French Revolutionary Army as liberators, grateful to them for helping to remove hated monarchies. Unfortunately, the liberators soon turned into oppressors, with the French simply replacing monarchies with tyrannies of their own, riding roughshod over the national aspirations of neighboring peoples.
The concept of the Nation as established by the Revolution was inherently exclusionary. Groups such as women and the working-classes were marginalized by what was predominantly a male, bourgeois revolution. Women were systematically excluded from formal participation in French political life and the workers were prohibited from forming unions to campaign for better wages and conditions.

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