The French Revolution

Essay # 58685

History > European - 18th Century

A discussion of the notion that the French Revolution (1789-1799) was a victory for the aristocracy.

1,878 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2005 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper focuses on the role of the nobility in the French Revolution, examining the nobility's attempts to block the power of the King (Louis XVIII) and by so doing increase their own power. It examines a number of issues associated with the French Revolution including: Enlightenment philosophers, French elites, the French Parlements, the Estates-General, and Napoleon.

From the Paper:

"The crisis of the Revolution began with the aristocracy's attempts to further their own power and influence though limiting the power and influence of the king. Moreover, while the French nobility was too diverse to be a cohesive and self-confident ruling class, it was at the same time too exclusive and powerful to permit the upward mobility of a large, talented, and ambitious middle class.5 The 1760's were a period of governmental failure for the French. The defeat in the Seven Years' War, and in the colonial world, contributed catastrophically to an already large national debt.6 Compounding the governmental problem, absolutism no longer reigned as it had under Louis XIV. Further, "the court at Versailles, the world of the grand aristocracy, intruded on the affairs of the state."7 Competition at Versailles among the various special interest groups was fierce, as various individuals sought the attentions of the king."